Is April, as T.S. Eliot put it, the cruelest month? We reflect on the question with a mix that's both cringe-inducing and hilarious, from the cruelest takedowns to the most insidious earworms. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy ..read more

NPR Music's Ann Powers and Hazel Cills dig into Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department,' which hit streaming services last night, and share a handful of other new albums out Friday, April 19. Featured Albums: • Taylor Swift, 'The Tortured Poets Department' • Bbymutha, 'Sleep Paralysis' • claire rousay, 'sentiment' • Pearl Jam, 'Dark Matter' Other notable albums out April 19: • Stephanie Lambring, 'Hypocrite' • Cadence Weapon, 'ROLLERCOASTER' • Tei Shi, 'Valerie' • Ekko Astral, 'pink balloons' • Bill Frisell, 'Orchestras' • BIG|BRAVE, 'A Chaos of Flowers' • Blue Lab Beats, 'Blue Eclips ..read more

Anamaria Sayre and Felix Contreras round up their favorite new music, from Puerto Rican rapper Young Miko's boundary-pushing new music, to Alejandro Escovedo's genre-bending rock and Angelica Garcia's electro-cumbia. Songs featured in this episode: • Young Miko, "Tamagotchi" • The Mavericks, "Moon & Stars (with Sierra Ferrell)" • Angelica Garcia, "Juanita" • Alejandro Escovedo, "Castañuelas" • Nella, Yendry, "Veinte Años" • Sheila E., "Bemba Colorá (ft. Gloria Estefan and Mimy Succar)" Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy ..read more

This week's update to our list of the year's best songs includes thunderous shoegaze from Wisp, a classic Cuban piano piece from Dánae Olano, a deeply moving story from Pedro The Lion and more. Featured artists and songs: 1. Pedro The Lion: "Modesto," from 'Santa Cruz' 2. Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti & Frank Rosaly: "Destejer," from 'Mestizx' 3. Sheila E.: "Bemba Colorá (feat. Gloria Estefan)," from 'Bailar' 4. Lizzy McAlpine: "I Guess," from 'Older' 5. Dánae Olano: "Danzón para la abuela" from 'Children's Corner' 6. Wisp: "Pandora" from 'Pandora' EP Questions, comments, feedback, suggest ..read more

NPR Music's Sheldon Pearce and WRTI's Nate Chinen take you through the biggest new releases of the week, including Maggie Rogers, Shabaka Hutchings and more. Featured albums: - Shabaka, 'Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace' - Maggie Rogers, 'Don't Forget Me' - Lizz Wright, 'Shadow' - Leyla McCalla, 'Sun Without the Heat' Other notable albums out April 5: - METZ, 'Up On Gravity Hill' - Caroline Davis & Wendy Eisenberg, 'Accept When' - girl in red, 'I'M DOING IT AGAIN BABY!' - Future & Metro Boomin, 'We Still Don't Trust You' - Nia Archives, 'Silence is Loud' - V/A, 'My Black Co ..read more

"Weird Al" Yankovic helps curate a mix of some of the funniest songs of all time, from classics like Tom Lehrer's "The Elements," to more fringe discoveries from The Hazzards, Tonio K. and more. Featured artists and songs: 1. Tonio K: "H-A-T-R-E-D" 2. Robbie Fulks: "Fountains of Wayne Hotline" 3. Tenacious D: "Tribute" 4. Spike Jones: "Der Fuehrer's Face" 5. Bill Oddie: "BLIMPHT" 6. The Hazzards: "Just A Temp" 7. Garfunkel and Oates: "Google" 8. Tom Lehrer: "The Elements" 9. Sara Bareilles, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Erika Henningsen, Ashley Park & Busy Philipps: "Famous 5eva" 10. Flight of ..read more

It's a big week for fans of early aughts rock bands, with new releases from The Black Keys and Vampire Weekend hitting streaming services. Kick back with NPR Music's Stephen Thompson and World Cafe host Raina Douris as they run through the new albums you need to know about. Featured albums:1. The Black Keys, 'Ohio Players' 2. Vampire Weekend, 'Only God Was Above Us' 3. Katie Pruitt, 'Mantras' 4. Khruangbin, 'A La Sala' Other notable releases for April 5, 2024:• Phosphorescent, 'Revelator' • Grace Cummings, 'Ramona' • Young Miko, 'att.' • Adam Wiltzie, 'Eleven Fugues For Sodium Pentothal' • F ..read more

The release of Beyoncés Cowboy Carter has sparked a national conversation about who gets to sing country music and the complex roots of the genre. Which got Alt.Latino thinking — what about the Latinos in country? This week, Anamaria Sayre and Felix Contreras travel to Austin, Texas to speak with AmeriChicana musician Carrie Rodriguez about the difference between violin and fiddle, strings and "strangs," and who gets to play country music. Songs featured: •Carin Leon, Leon Bridges: "It Was Always You (Siempre Fuiste Tu)" •Cuco Sanchez: "La Cama de Piedra" •Merle Haggard: "Big City" •Bob Will ..read more

Our friends at Pop Culture Happy Hour dig into the highly anticipated Cowboy Carter and consider whether Beyoncé is knocking down the doors of the country establishment, or looking for validation. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy ..read more

We update our running list of the year's best songs with Charlotte Day Wilson's beguiling "Canopy," wry punk from Gustaf, a breathtaking new solo work from Adrianne Lenker and more. Featured artists and songs: 1. Gustaf: "Starting and Staring," from 'Package, Pt. 2' 2. Mustafa: "Imaan" (Single) 3. Adrianne Lenker: "No Machine," from 'Bright Future' 4. Charlotte Day Wilson: "Canopy," from 'Cyan Blue' 5. Gary Clark Jr.: "Maktub," from 'JPEG RAW' 6. Nourished by Time: "Hell of a Ride," from 'Catching Chickens' Questions, comments, suggestions, general feedback? Email us: allsongs@npr.org Sign ..read more