Music & Culture

Green Gartside of Scritti Politti, the band best known for the 1985 hit "Perfect Way." Music writer Maura Johnston argues that we should explore more of Gartside's work, which bridged punk and pop.

Music & Culture

Scritti Politti And The Punk/Pop Inflection Point

5:53am February 13, 2020

For "One-Hit Wonders/Second-Best Songs," veteran music writer Maura Johnston recommends "The Sweetest Girl" by the band Scritti Politti. They're known mostly for their 1985 hit "Perfect Way."

Maren Morris performs perform a Tiny Desk Concert on Feb. 16, 2017. (Claire Harbage/NPR)

Music & Culture

5 Tiny Desk Concerts For Galentine's Day

5:00am February 13, 2020

by Lyndsey McKenna

Waffles, friends and Tiny Desk concerts. What more could you want on Leslie Knope's favorite holiday?

Mount Eerie plays a Tiny Desk Concert (Laura Beltran Villamizar/NPR).

Music & Culture

Mount Eerie With Julie Doiron: Tiny Desk Concert

5:48pm February 12, 2020

by Lars Gotrich

Phil Elverum shares his open wounds — of death, love and the loss of love — in close harmonies, accompanied only by electric and nylon-string guitars.

From vocal delivery to melodic hooks, from lyrics to production: Kevin Parker has elevated his craft on The Slow Rush.

Music & Culture

Review: On 'The Slow Rush,' Tame Impala Masks Inner Turmoil With Sonic Euphoria

12:00pm February 12, 2020

by Tom Moon

Kevin Parker's fourth album as the leader of Australian rock band Tame Impala comes after a five-year gap. It's music that comes wrapped in its own bubble, far from the cascading miseries on the news.

Music & Culture

Krewe Du Kanaval Honors The Haitian Roots Of New Orleans

10:00am February 12, 2020

by Alex Lewis

A few years ago, a new Mardi Gras krewe sprung up with the aim of celebrating the Haitian roots that run deep through the city's cultural identity. It was co-founded by two members of Arcade Fire.

Anaís Azul was the first artist to enter the 2020 Tiny Desk Contest.

Music & Culture

Watch The First Entry To The 2020 Tiny Desk Contest

9:30am February 12, 2020

by Tolu Igun

The Tiny Desk Contest is accepting entries through March 30. Anaís Azul submitted the first 2020 Contest entry: a bilingual ballad that celebrates showing up for all parts of oneself.

"Lord Invader will never surrender / Me one alone," the calypso singer boasts on 1960's Calypso Travels.

Music & Culture

Viking's Choice: Calypso Help, Glacial Ambient, Youth Crew Hardcore

7:34pm February 11, 2020

by Lars Gotrich

It's not too late for music resolutions, right? Lord Invader kicks off this year's calypso habit, plus hear new music from Richard Skelton, Initiate and the Chicago Underground Quartet.

Music & Culture

Joseph Shabalala, Founder Of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Dies At 78

4:49pm February 11, 2020

by Elizabeth Blair

Joseph Shabalala, founder of the acclaimed South African musical group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, died in Pretoria on Tuesday. He was 78.

Joseph Shabala leads Ladysmith Black Mambazo in performance in 2011.

Music & Culture

Joseph Shabalala, Ladysmith Black Mambazo Founder, Dies At 78

2:38pm February 11, 2020

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

The founder of the South African vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, which brought an innovative version of Zulu singing to a worldwide audience, died Tuesday in Pretoria. He was 78 years old.

Music & Culture

How Kate Bollinger's Musical Upbringing Influenced Her Insightful Indie Pop

12:46pm February 11, 2020

The University of Virginia senior grew up surrounded by music thanks to her mom, who works as a music therapist, and her brothers, who played in area bands.