After Ailing, A Favorite Conductor Stages His Comeback
Live at Carnegie Hall captures a riveting experience with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and a beloved conductor, James Levine, who has been plagued with a variety of medical troubles.
Category: Sounds
Will The Real Llewyn Davis Please Stand Up?
Dave Van Ronk’s autobiography inspired Joel and Ethan Coen’s new movie about a ’60s folksinger. Though he died in 2002, a new anthology ought to help give Van Ronk a long-needed boost.
The Mix: Northern Soul Radio
Fifteen years before the first East London warehouse party, young Brits congregated in dancehalls and partied all night to rare American R&B music. Celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first Northern Soul all-nighter with a 24/7 channel devoted to the best R&B you’ve likely never heard.
Two Sides Of Holiday Cheer From Kelly Clarkson, Nick Lowe
Whether glossy and heartfelt (Clarkson’s Wrapped in Red) or earnest and playful (Lowe’s Quality Street: A Seasonal Selection for All the Family), these albums can help conjure a holiday mood in the month before Christmas.
Heavy Rotation: Download 10 Songs Public Radio Can’t Stop Playing
Download two handfuls of our favorite new songs, including music by British producer Tourist., German pop act Claire, New York City dance duo Holy Ghost!, rapper Jean Grae, punk-pop trio Upset, fiddle prodigy Sarah Jarosz and more.
Latyrx: Still Deft And Defiant After Two Decades
The oratorical alt-rap duo featuring Lateef the Truth Speaker and Lyrics Born returns with a follow-up to 1996’s The Album. The new record demonstrates that the two are as capable as ever of illustrating the musicality of hip-hop.
Pop’s Resident Provocateur Fizzles On ‘ARTPOP’
Lady Gaga has been building anticipation for her third studio album in ways that only she can manage. But perhaps the forte of ARTPOP lies in its marketing — not the actual music.
No Need To Cook The Books: Booker Ervin’s Debut LP Reissued
Down-home and majestic, the tenor saxophonist’s sound was like a cane stalk shooting up out of rich earth. His 1960 album The Book Cooks features fellow sax-man Zoot Sims in a friendly square-off.
Cumbia: The Music That Moves Latin America
The Alt.Latino crew stops by Weekend Edition Sunday to talk about one of Latin music’s most pervasive rhythms.
Eminem: The Great Confounder
It’s almost as if, on The Marshall Mathers LP 2, he’s trying everything to be accepted and unacceptable, all at once. Yet his ability to be lyrically captivating through it all is astounding.
No Earbuds Allowed: 5 Songs For Commuting By Bicycle
Soon-to-be London correspondent Ari Shapiro whipped up a playlist for NPR Music that’s especially for commuters who travel by bicycle. Even though you should totally never listen to music and bike at the same time.
America, The Primitive: 5 New Guitar Records That Would Make John Fahey Proud
From faithful solo sets to Television-indebted deconstructions, 2013 has been a renaissance to the fingerstyle guitar. And more so than any year, American Primitive ain’t just for loners anymore.
Betto Arcos Brings The Heat From Brazil
KPFK’s global music DJ recently visited Brazil, and he brings NPR’s Arun Rath a stack of new music he discovered there.
Soothing The Savage Beat: When Electronic Artists Conjure Classical
From pulsing techno to alluring ambient, hear what happens when two seemingly opposite musical realms collide on the dance floor and in the chill room. Hear Madonna collaborator William Orbit’s take on Beethoven, a beatified version of Barber’s Adagio and a techno take on the Carmina Burana.
5 Songs That Will Shoogle Your Hurdies
Fiona Ritchie, host of The Thistle & Shamrock, picks a handful of Celtic songs that will get you rockin’ and reelin’ — from fiddler Eileen Ivers to Irish guitar master Arty McGlynn.