Music

July 2, 2021 - 12:14pm

Read full article: Big Red Machine (Feat. Taylor Swift), 'Renegade'

Big Red Machine is a side project for both members — The National's Aaron Dessner and Bon Iver's Justin Vernon — but its next album makes deep use of the pair's formidable Rolodexes. How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last? drops Aug. 27, and its latest...

The Ophelias (Feat. Julien Baker), 'Neil Young On High'

July 2, 2021 - 11:39am

You ever lose a beloved artist to a breakup? A musician so tied to someone and some time past that even an innocuous song sends you spiraling? "Neil Young On High" takes that experience and picks apart those broken-heart pieces, rendered in small memories. The indie-pop quartet dresses the song...

Izzy Johnson, 'Existing'

July 2, 2021 - 10:34am

Michigan-based singer-songwriter Izzy Johnson makes the most beautifully transporting, pulse-slowing music, with gently picked guitars and ethereal harmonies. Their gorgeous debut album, Earth Tones, is a series of minimalist meditations on self-discovery, recovery and, on this track, "Existing," finding comfort and gratitude in simply persevering.

McClenney (Feat. St. Panther), 'Kerosene'

July 2, 2021 - 6:00am

Maybe because it's the summertime and I'm feeding into the urge to unwind, but songs like McClenney's "Kerosene" are the wave I'm on all season. The part-R&B, part-alt rock jam featuring singer/producer St. Panther is deceptively provocative in analyzing societal woes and our role in them. You'll only catch what...

Black TikTok Creators Are On Strike To Protest A Lack Of Credit For Their Work

July 1, 2021 - 10:00pm

Black creators on TikTok are hanging up their dancing shoes until further notice.

Tired of not receiving credit for their creativity and original work — all while watching white influencers rewarded with millions of views performing dances they didn't create — many Black creators on TikTok joined a widespread...

Questlove Discusses His Must-See New Doc, 'Summer Of Soul'

July 1, 2021 - 3:36pm

Updated July 2, 2021 at 1:02 PM ET

Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson knows you have probably heard a lot about Woodstock, the legendary summer concert festival of the late 1960s. But a few years back, Questlove, best known as drummer and composer with The Roots, was asked to...

Judge Approves Company's Withdrawal From Co-Managing Britney Spears' Conservatorship

July 1, 2021 - 3:28pm

Updated July 2, 2021 at 6:49 PM ET

On Friday, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge approved a request filed Thursday by a wealth management firm, Bessemer Trust, to remove itself as a planned co-conservator of pop icon Britney Spears' financial dealings.

Bessemer Trust asked to...

The Lesson GK, 'Watch Thy Step'

July 1, 2021 - 2:18pm

Beloved NYC band The Lesson GK throws down the gauntlet with "Watch Thy Step," challenging listeners to follow as it harnesses the collective creative powers of each band member and shatters preconceived notions of its musical capabilities. In this song, the band's vocalists are absent, giving the other musicians space...

Squirrel Flower, 'Flames And Flat Tires'

July 1, 2021 - 2:03pm

"You'd better watch out for me," Squirrel Flower, aka songwriter Ella Williams, warns on "Flames and Flat Tires," a grungy, standout single off the Chicago-based artist's sophomore album, Planet (i). On the track, Williams personifies a broken-down car, "firestorms busted both [her] headlights." But as the song builds and...

No Sophomore Slump: A Playlist Of Songs From Great Second Albums

July 1, 2021 - 12:05pm

In this episode, we're talking about the "sophomore slump" — or rather, the lack of one.

That case could easily be made for Nirvana, whose first album Bleach would pale in comparison to its follow-up, Nevermind. It sold over 30 million copies, made grunge a household name and...

Bassist Endea Owens Cooks Up Jazz For The Community

July 1, 2021 - 11:55am

If you know of Endea Owens, there's a good chance you know her as house bassist for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Her role in that setting is foundational, laying the groove that gives bandleader Jon Batiste room to soar. But there's another way Owens holds it down...

Sleater-Kinney: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

July 1, 2021 - 11:00am

The Tiny Desk is working from home for the foreseeable future. Introducing NPR Music's Tiny Desk (home) concerts, bringing you performances from across the country and the world. It's the same spirit — stripped-down sets, an intimate setting — just a different space.

You don't have...

Louis Andriessen, Influential, Iconoclastic Dutch Composer, Dies At Age 82

July 1, 2021 - 10:30am

Louis Andriessen, the most widely acclaimed Dutch composer of his generation, died on Thursday, July 1, in a care home in Weesp, North Holland. His death was confirmed by Boosey & Hawkes, his publisher. He was 82 years old. No cause of death was given, but as reported...

The Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble

July 1, 2021 - 10:00am

Have you ever listened to an album for the first time and just new moments into the first track that it was just really, really good? The new 2021 release by the Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble is even better. Better yet, I was tempted to overload last Saturday's broadcast with...

#1410 July 3, 2021 Encore Broadcast

July 1, 2021 - 10:00am

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"Story Of America's Music"

July 1, 2021 - 10:00am

JAZZ begins in New Orleans, nineteenth century America's most cosmopolitan city, where the sound of marching bands, Italian opera, Caribbean rhythms, and minstrel shows fills the streets with a richly diverse musical culture. Here, in the

...

The World of Ragtime

July 1, 2021 - 10:00am

There are many factors to consider when discussing Ragtime - the impact of John Philip Sousa, the innovation of the form first shaped by African Americans, unsung women composers, and the lingering question asking if ragtime jazz, classical, or both...

120,000 Stories

July 1, 2021 - 10:00am

Upon receiving the new 2021 CD released by Smithsonian Folkways titled "120,000 Stories," I was reminded once again of the global breadth and rich diversity of sounds linked to World music.

This album features Asian American artist Nobuko Miyamoto. Generally, when I receive a CD for airplay consideration, I...

Turnstile, 'Holiday'

July 1, 2021 - 8:53am

Turnstile has the ability to lure even the most poptimistic listener with spectacular hooks. "Holiday," from the Turnstile Love Connection EP, embodies the hardcore band's sound: catchy, punchy and inventive. Now entering their next decade, Turnstile supercharges a shoegaze-y chorus with a furious whirlwind of finger-pointing, wall-punching music. For...

WPR Music Hosts Highlight American Immigrant Composers

June 29, 2021 - 12:00pm

WPR music hosts focus attention on composers who immigrated to the United States from Europe, Asia and South America.

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Big Red Machine (Feat. Taylor Swift), 'Renegade'

The Ophelias (Feat. Julien Baker), 'Neil Young On High'

Izzy Johnson, 'Existing'

McClenney (Feat. St. Panther), 'Kerosene'

Black TikTok Creators Are On Strike To Protest A Lack Of Credit For Their Work

Questlove Discusses His Must-See New Doc, 'Summer Of Soul'

Judge Approves Company's Withdrawal From Co-Managing Britney Spears' Conservatorship

The Lesson GK, 'Watch Thy Step'

Squirrel Flower, 'Flames And Flat Tires'

No Sophomore Slump: A Playlist Of Songs From Great Second Albums

Bassist Endea Owens Cooks Up Jazz For The Community

Sleater-Kinney: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

Louis Andriessen, Influential, Iconoclastic Dutch Composer, Dies At Age 82

The Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble

#1410 July 3, 2021 Encore Broadcast

"Story Of America's Music"

The World of Ragtime

120,000 Stories

Turnstile, 'Holiday'

WPR Music Hosts Highlight American Immigrant Composers

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