NPR Music's Stephen Thompson and Hazel Cills discuss new releases by Billie Eilish, Portishead's Beth Gibbons and Rapsody. Featured albums: - Billie Eilish, 'Hit Me Hard and Soft' - Rapsody, 'Please Don't Cry' - Beth Gibbons, 'Lives Outgrown' Other notable albums out May 17: - Shellac, 'To All Trains' - The Avett Brothers, 'The Avett Brothers' - V/A, 'Everyone's Getting Involved: A Tribute to Talking Heads' Stop Making Sense' - Mach-Hommy, '#RICHAXXHAITIAN' - Cage the Elephant, 'Neon Pill' - of Montreal, 'Lady on the Cusp' - Wu-Lu, 'Learning To Swim On Empty' - Michael Head & The Red El ..read more

empathogen, includes one of this week's must-hear tracks, "Run."'/> We update our running list of the year's best songs with new ones from Dominic Fike, Willow, Kamasi Washington, Illuminati Hotties and more. Featured artists and songs:1. WILLOW: "run!" from 'empathogen' 2. Dominic Fike: "hi grace" from '14 minutes' 3. Kamasi Washington, George Clinton & D Smoke: "Get Lit," from 'Fearless Movement' 4. Illuminati Hotties: "Can't Be Still" (single) 5. Caroline Shaw & Sō Percussion: "To Music," from 'Rectangles and Circumstance' 6. Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross: "L'ouef" from 'Chall ..read more

This week's episode of New Music Friday from All Songs Considered showcases artists stretching limits across a wide spectrum of genres. NPR Music editor Daoud Tyler-Ameen and Alt.Latino host Anamaria Sayre dig into the most exciting albums out May 10, 2024, from a juggernaut of the Mexican regional scene experimenting with song forms and sounds from across Latin America to an R&B singer getting loose after portraying a jazz icon to a blockbuster collection of contemporary indie artists pulled together for the soundtrack of a discombobulating movie rooted in the 1990s. Featured Albums:• G ..read more

Get your hanky out. With Mother's Day nearing, listeners share the songs that remind them of their moms and the deeply moving stories behind them. Featured songs and artists: 1. Hoagy Carmichael: "Stardust" 2. Christina Aguilera: "Beautiful" 3. Jeannie C. Riley: "Harper Valley PTA" 4. Stevie Wonder: "Isn't She Lovely" 5. Kermit the Frog: "Rainbow Connection" 6. Phyllis Hyman: "You Know How to Love Me" 7. MILCK: "Oh, Mother" 8. Christina Perri: "You Are My Sunshine" 9. The Tokens: "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" 10. Four Tops: "Reach Out I'll Be There" 11. Sweet Honey in the Rock: "Wanting Memories ..read more

Radical Optimism, the further adventures in the pop music time machine.'/> On the May 3 episode of New Music Friday, NPR Music's Hazel Cills and WRTI's Nate Chinen discuss the week's essential new albums, including Radical Optimism, from the dance-pop superstar Dua Lipa. The songs on Radical Optimism are mostly in the vein of Dua Lipa's earlier work, but that itself might be reason to keep a militantly sunny attitude: A parade of hits from her last album, Future Nostalgia, proved to have incredible staying power — "Levitating" hung around in the top 10 of Billboard's Hot 100 chart for near ..read more

Brittany Luse, host of NPR's It's Been A Minute, joins All Songs Considered's Robin Hilton to update our running list of the year's best songs. Featured artists and songs: 1. Ekko Astral: "Baethoven," from 'pink balloons' 2. Nubiyan Twist: "Carry Me (feat. Seun Kuti)," from 'Find Your Flame' 3. T-Bone Burnett: "He Came Down," from 'The Other Side' 4. Bien et Toi: "So Long (feat. Paris Texas)," from 'London Safari II' 5. Bnny: "Missing," from 'One Million Love Songs' 6. Chanel Beads: "Unifying Thought," from 'Your Day Will Come ..read more

All Born Screaming is out April 26.'/> NPR Music's Daoud Tyler-Ameen and Sheldon Pearce discuss new albums from St. Vincent, Charley Crockett, Iron & Wine and more. Feature Albums: • St. Vincent, 'All Born Screaming' • Charley Crockett, '$10 Cowboy' • Iron & Wine, 'Light Verse' • Maria Chiara Argirò, 'Closer' Other notable albums out April 26: • Neil Young and Crazy Horse, 'FU##IN' UP' • PartyNextDoor, 'PartyNextDoor 4' • Justice, 'Hyperdrama' • Anitta, 'Funk Generation' (Image credit: Alex Da Corte ..read more

Record and email us a voice memo telling us about a song that reminds you of Mom. We'll share select stories and songs on an upcoming episode of All Songs Considered. (Image credit: Express ..read more

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. (Image credit: Keystone Features ..read more

The Tortured Poets Department, immediately became one of the most anticipated releases of 2024 when she announced it on stage at the Grammy Awards in February.'/> 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 Wea ..read more