Music

Alt-J (left to right: Thom Green, Gus Unger-Hamilton, and Joe Newman) release Relaxer, their third studio album, on June 2.

Music & Culture

alt-J's 'Relaxer,' Track By Track

7:48am June 02, 2017

by Bob Boilen

alt-J's new album, Relaxer, is thick with literary allusions and steeped in folk traditions. To get deeper into these inspirations and influences, the trio walks us through the album, song by song.

"I've never felt this vulnerable putting out music, because I don't think this is a piece of myself I've put out there before," Harry Styles says of his solo debut.

Music & Culture

Harry Styles: 'It Was Time For Me To Be Scared'

7:21am June 02, 2017

by Lena Richards

After One Direction hit the pause button, Styles got to work developing his own voice for his recent solo debut. "I've never felt this vulnerable putting out music," he says.

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Nashville-based country singer Nikki Lane performs "Jackpot" for KCRW.

Music & Culture

Nikki Lane, 'Jackpot' (Live)

6:00am June 02, 2017

by Jason Bentley

In this session for KCRW, the Nashville country singer shows off her newfound confidence as a songwriter with a track from her latest album, Highway Queen.

The complex soundscape of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was created under technological limitations that have since disappeared.

Music & Culture

'Sgt. Pepper's' At 50: Why The Beatles' Masterpiece Can't Be Replicated

10:44pm June 01, 2017

by Rick Karr

In crafting Sgt. Pepper's, producer George Martin, engineer Geoff Emerick and the Fab Four pushed the recording-studio technology of the late '60s to its limits.

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(From left to right) Mackenzie Stamper, Adrian Rodriguez and Luke Ryan attend weekly Suzuki violin lessons with instructor Sara Johnson, part of a training program called MILEStone, or Music Impacting Language Expertise.

Using Music And Rhythm To Help Kids With Grammar And Language

5:14pm June 01, 2017

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center are studying how music and rhythm activities could help children who struggle with grammar and language development.

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US President Donald Trump waves from the West Wing of the White House on May 31, 2017.

Music & Culture

She Keeps Bees' Climate Change Lament 'Head Of Steak'

3:59pm June 01, 2017

by Andrew Flanagan

Jessica Larrabee of She Keeps Bees shares her group's song addressing the issue of climate change, "Head of Steak," and shared her thoughts on the news of Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement.

Arcade Fire is about to release its fifth album, Everything Now.

Music & Culture

After Days Of Buildup, Arcade Fire Shares 'Everything Now' With The World

3:31pm June 01, 2017

by Stephen Thompson

The first single from the band's fifth album describes a loud, media-saturated world in which instant gratification seems to make everyone less happy.

Music & Culture

When You've Had Too Much Frosé, Lorde's 'Perfect Places' Finds A Way

2:33pm June 01, 2017

by Lars Gotrich

Where's this song been all night?

Willie Nelson performs at The Spotify House during SXSW on March 13, 2016.

Music & Culture

In $43 Million Settlement, Spotify Forced To Confront A Persistent Problem

2:11pm June 01, 2017

by Andrew Flanagan

The streaming service settled a class action lawsuit filed by songwriters who accused Spotify of using their work without a license.

Music & Culture

50 Years Later, Producer Remixes 'Sgt. Pepper' To 'Bring It Into The Modern World'

2:00pm June 01, 2017

Giles Martin says he included outtakes and raw performances in the new box set to show "how human the making of Sgt. Pepper was." The original album was produced by Martin's father, George.

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