Music Reviews : NPR

Material Girls, Atlanta's Fabulous Glam-Punks, Force A 'Residual Grimace'

Material Girls' Leather comes out July 2. Rick Campbell/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Rick Campbell/Courtesy of the artist

Material Girls, Atlanta's Fabulous Glam-Punks, Force A 'Residual Grimace'

June 15, 2018 • Material Girls' glam-soaked, goth-smeared rock and roll struts and stumbles like a fish-netted pair of legs breaking in new heels.

Snail Mail Delivers Sturdy Guitar Riffs And Soaring Vocals On 'Lush'

Fresh Air

June 14, 2018 • Eighteen-year-old Lindsey Jordan, who records under the name Snail Mail, has been playing guitar for 13 years. This combination of youth and experience creates a distinctive sound on her new album.

Snail Mail Delivers Sturdy Guitar Riffs And Soaring Vocals On 'Lush'

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Drake Pulls The Nostalgia Card: Two 'Degrassi' Fans Dissect The Video For 'I'm Upset'

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YouTube

Drake Pulls The Nostalgia Card: Two 'Degrassi' Fans Dissect The Video For 'I'm Upset'

June 14, 2018 • Drake unites the old gang of Degrassi High School for his latest video. NPR Music breaks down the cameos, Easter eggs and (relatively low-stakes) inconsistencies of "I'm Upset."

First Listen: Lera Lynn, 'Plays Well With Others'

Lera Lynn's Plays Well With Others comes out June 22. Alysse Gafkjen/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Alysse Gafkjen/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: Lera Lynn, 'Plays Well With Others'

June 14, 2018 • Lera Lynn explores the art of the duet with some of roots and Americana music's best and brightest, from newcomers like Dylan LeBlanc to veteran Rodney Crowell.

First Listen: Lera Lynn, 'Plays Well with Others'

31:23

First Listen: Priscilla Renea, 'Coloured'

Priscilla Renea's Coloured comes out June 22. Kyle Goldberg/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Kyle Goldberg/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: Priscilla Renea, 'Coloured'

June 14, 2018 • Renea unfurls her musical vision with the brazenness and conviction of someone expecting her ideas, and maybe even her very existence, to be challenged.

First Listen: Priscilla Renea, 'Coloured'

36:44

Dawes' Passwords comes out June 22. Magdalena Wosinska/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Magdalena Wosinska/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: Dawes, 'Passwords'

June 14, 2018 • Dawes returns once again to its greatest specialty: smooth and ingratiating California folk-rock that never bothers to hide its big, beating, bleeding heart.

First Listen: Dawes, 'Passwords'

51:34

Pianist Shamie Royston Brings A Hard-Swinging Brand Of Jazz To 'Beautiful Liar'

Fresh Air

June 13, 2018 • Royston is a trained composer who knows how to manipulate her materials all sorts of ways. Critic Kevin Whitehead says the music on Beautiful Liar is "sleek and sturdy" and "made to be played."

Pianist Shamie Royston Brings A Hard-Swinging Brand Of Jazz To 'Beautiful Liar'

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On 'Childqueen,' Kadhja Bonet Makes Nearly Every Sound Herself

June 12, 2018 • Kadhja Bonet grew up in a family surrounded by music — she learned to play the violin and the viola, studied music theory, but then pursued a degree in film. After graduating, she dove back into music. Her sophomore album, Childqueen shows Bonet's idiosyncratic talent.

On 'Childqueen,' Kadhja Bonet Makes Nearly Every Sound Herself

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The Strange, Subdued Catharsis Of Kanye And Cudi's 'Kids See Ghosts'

Kanye West and Kid Cudi's debut joint album Kids See Ghosts is perhaps the strongest of the albums West has produced and released in 2018. Jason Kempin/Getty Images hide caption

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Jason Kempin/Getty Images

The Strange, Subdued Catharsis Of Kanye And Cudi's 'Kids See Ghosts'

June 12, 2018 • Kanye West and Kid Cudi's first joint album is stirringly reminiscent of each man's creative peak, but somehow lacks the luster or beautiful oddity, of what this moment should feel like for rap fans.

Cumulus' 'Retreat' Is A Catchy Reminder That You Deserve Respect

Cumulus' Alexandra Niedzialkowski. Sarah Cass/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Sarah Cass/Courtesy of the artist

Cumulus' 'Retreat' Is A Catchy Reminder That You Deserve Respect

June 12, 2018 • Cumulus is working on its second record right now, but today offers a hook-filled anthem about consent.

Dave Matthews Band And The Sound Of Settling

Dave Matthews Band performs in St Paul., Minn. in February. Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for CBS Radio Inc. hide caption

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Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for CBS Radio Inc.

Dave Matthews Band And The Sound Of Settling

June 8, 2018 • For one writer, the Dave Matthews Band was a gateway to progressive politics in music. On its first album in six years, the group seems like it's sheltering in place.

Verve

Ella Fitzgerald And Louis Armstrong Go 'Cheek To Cheek' On A New 4-Disc Set

Fresh Air

June 7, 2018 • Fitzgerald's warm, yet ultra-cool voice was at the opposite pole of jazz singing from Armstrong's gravelly growl. There's absolutely no reason their voices should blend so effortlessly — but they do.

Ella Fitzgerald And Louis Armstrong Go 'Cheek To Cheek' On A New 4-Disc Set

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Free Cake For Every Creature Has The Sweetest Song For Your New Crush

Free Cake For Every Creature's The Bluest Star comes out Aug. 3. Francis Lyons/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Francis Lyons/Courtesy of the artist

Free Cake For Every Creature Has The Sweetest Song For Your New Crush

June 7, 2018 • Katie Bennett has quickly become one of indie pop's most thoughtful songwriters as Free Cake For Every Creature. Hear "Around You" from The Bluest Star, out Aug. 3.

You Up? The Internet Wants You To 'Come Over'

The Internet in "Come Over." YouTube hide caption

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You Up? The Internet Wants You To 'Come Over'

June 7, 2018 • The five-piece band sounds tighter than ever as it readies fans for Hive Mind, out next month. But first, Syd's got to send out that text to a cute neighbor in new video.

Swamp Dogg's 'I'll Pretend' Digs Into Auto-Tune's Soul, Featuring Justin Vernon

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Swamp Dogg's 'I'll Pretend' Digs Into Auto-Tune's Soul, Featuring Justin Vernon

June 7, 2018 • One of the soul music's most outlandish singers collaborates with Poliça's Ryan Olson on his new album, Love, Loss And Auto-Tune.

On His Debut Album, Welles Pretties Up Dirty Rock And Roll

Welles' Red Trees and White Trashes comes out June 15. Mafalda Millies/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Mafalda Millies/Courtesy of the artist

On His Debut Album, Welles Pretties Up Dirty Rock And Roll

June 7, 2018 • At only 23, Jesse Wells is already writing hooks that any of his rock and roll heroes would envy.

Guitarist Marisa Anderson's 'Cloud Corner' Sets You Adrift

Marisa Anderson's Cloud Corner comes out June 15. Jason Quigley/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Jason Quigley/Courtesy of the artist

Guitarist Marisa Anderson's 'Cloud Corner' Sets You Adrift

June 7, 2018 • On her new LP, Cloud Corner, Anderson demonstrates yet again that she's one of this era's most powerful players, one whose ostensible sleight-of-hand is some serious business indeed.

Joseph Arthur And Peter Buck Open Doors With 'Arthur Buck'

Arthur Buck's eponymous album comes out June 15. Dean Karr/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Dean Karr/Courtesy of the artist

Joseph Arthur And Peter Buck Open Doors With 'Arthur Buck'

June 7, 2018 • Singer-songwriter Joseph Arthur and guitarist Peter Buck of R.E.M. navigate getting "woke" together on their first collaboration.

Reissue Of Anthony Braxton's '1991 Studio' Revives A Jazz Master's Classic

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HatART

Reissue Of Anthony Braxton's '1991 Studio' Revives A Jazz Master's Classic

Fresh Air

June 6, 2018 • Braxton is known for his brainy compositional procedures, and the quartet he led between 1985 and 1993 was his great workshop. Quartet (Willisau) 1991 Studio is a two-disc showcase of their music.

Reissue Of Anthony Braxton's '1991 Studio' Revives A Jazz Master's Classic

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Hear Two Unreleased Jason Isbell Songs For The First Time

Jason Isbell in 2007. Matthew Williams/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Matthew Williams/Courtesy of the artist

Hear Two Unreleased Jason Isbell Songs For The First Time

June 6, 2018 • "The Assassin" and "Whisper" are from a deluxe reissue of Isbell's 2007 solo debut, Sirens of the Ditch, due out July 13.

"There is an element to what I do sometimes where I capture something that I have trouble recreating or beating," Herzig says. "So a lot of times I get stuck with the demo, like, the first time I sang it." Butterfly Boucher/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Butterfly Boucher/Courtesy of the artist

World Cafe

World Cafe Nashville: Katie Herzig

XPN

June 5, 2018 • Herzig's trajectory probably doesn't much resemble what you'd expect a professional Nashville songwriter's career to look like. That seems to suit her just fine.

Bombino's 'Deran' Will Add To Tuareg Musician's Global Acclaim

June 4, 2018 • Whenever Bombino releases a new record, it tops the charts for world music. Over the past five years, the Tuareg singer and guitarist from Niger, has become one of the most recognized artists from Africa and his latest album Deran, is another example of his incredible talent.

Bombino's 'Deran' Will Add To Tuareg Musician's Global Acclaim

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