Music & Culture

Music & Culture

Julien Baker Chronicles Her Own Path To Redemption On 'Little Oblivions'

1:32pm March 17, 2021

by Ken Tucker

Baker supplies nearly all of the guitars, drums, synthesizers, banjo, and mandolin on her new album. It's a confessional and frequently beautiful record about mental distress and addiction.

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Jazz fusion band Snarky Puppy, led by League, recently won the Best Contemporary Instrumental Album at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards.

Music & Culture

On 'The Last Friend,' Michael League Imagines Death As A Benevolent Companion

9:37am March 17, 2021

Michael League of Snarky Puppy joins the Morning Edition Song Project with "The Last Friend," a song that reimagines death not as a severance, but as a compassionate force.

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Altin Gun's New Album 'Yol' Reimagines Old Turkish Folk Songs

4:07pm March 16, 2021

NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with Merve Dasdemir and Jasper Verhulst of the Turkish rock band Altin Gun about their latest album, Yol.

Music & Culture

Valerie June Has A 'Prescription For Dreamers' Of Any Age

11:06am March 16, 2021

by Mira Kaplan

The soul singer's new album, The Moon and Stars: Prescription for Dreamers, finds her plumbing the origins of her own inspirations in order to pass some magic on down the line.

Karriem Riggins is a jazz drummer and hip-hop producer.

Music & Culture

KCRW Presents Lockdown Listening: Karriem Riggins

11:00am March 16, 2021

Miles Davis, Geri Allen and more are featured on the drummer's Lockdown Listening playlist.

Music & Culture

The Racist Roots Of Rap On Trial

10:10am March 16, 2021

Since the 1990s, police and prosecutors have used lyrics to build criminal cases against rap artists. It's a practice that blurs the distinction between entertainment and criminal confession.

Music & Culture

For Rapper Drake, It Really Is As Easy As 1, 2, 3

6:05am March 16, 2021

Drake recently released Scary Hours 2, a mini-album with three songs on it, and those songs all debuted in the top-three spots of the Billboard Hot 100. No other artist has ever pulled this off.

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Remembering Usha Subrahmanyam With 'Don't Know Why'

6:18pm March 15, 2021

NPR pays tribute to some of the people who lost their lives to COVID-19 by listening to their stories and the music they loved. Uttara Marti's mother loved the song "Don't Know Why" by Norah Jones.

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Music & Culture

Most Grammys Per Single Lady — Beyoncé's 28th Win Sets A New Record

4:26pm March 15, 2021

With a total of 28 wins, Beyoncé broke the record for the most Grammys of any woman or any singer at this year's awards.

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Tiny Desk Concert with Chick Corea & Gary Burton.

Music & Culture

Tiny Desk Playlist: 2021 Grammy Winners Who've Stopped By The Tiny Desk, Vol. 2

3:58pm March 15, 2021

by Lars Gotrich

The Tiny Desk space — both at the D.C. office and now in our (home) concert series — has been host to several Grammy winners over the last 13 years.