Hope Tala, 'Party Sickness'
The song fluctuates between a background choir of voices and beats; it feels like we're there, sitting in conversation with friends and strangers, as the walls pulse.
Music & Culture
The Thistle & Shamrock: Hope Springs
This week's episode of The Thistle and Shamrock features Luka Bloom, Peggy Seeger, and John McCutcheon who share hope-inspired songs.
The Afterglows, 'Sea of Hate'
You can almost hear a sly grin as The Afterglows' sea of hate swells with piano, hand claps and a reverb-heavy guitar solo, undercutting that misty-eyed sweetness with a slight sneer.
Lennie Tristano's private stash of recordings reveal a trove of free improvisations
Despite the poor sound quality, Tristano's newly unearthed Personal Recordings from 1946-1970 are fascinating. Free jazz can be rambunctious, but these musicians step and listen carefully.
Jake Blount, 'The Man Was Burning'
On "The Man Was Burning," Blount spans the centuries to create an apocalypse for now.
Buffalo Nichols: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert
The blues singer plays a solo Tiny Desk home concert from a spare, dimly lit Austin office building.
Spoon's latest album trades electronic instrumentation for raw rock and roll
Britt Daniel of Spoon tells NPR's Ailsa Chang that the band kept the blueprint simple for their 10th album: make a great rock and roll record.
Leon Bridges and Khruangbin, 'Doris'
The two Lone Star State artists join forces once again on the EP Texas Moon, which begins with a slow and heavy song that breathes sensuality (with an emphasis on the "B" in R&B).
Maude Latour, 'Headphones'
Maude Latour says she's sick of love songs, so the indie-pop singer wrote something that focuses on herself and nobody else.
Sarah Shook & the Disarmers dodge categorization on their new country-punk album
Don Gonyea speaks to country-punk musician Sarah Shook of Sarah Shook & the Disarmers about the group's new album, "Nightroamer," and Shook's journey to sobriety.