What's making us happy: A guide to your weekend reading, listening and viewing
Each week, the guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: Stray, Joni Mitchell, and more.
Music
Thousands of Afghan artists are still trying to flee the Taliban
A family of Afghan musicians in the U.S. wants to raise awareness about their plight.
Rosanne Cash Reflects on Her Life and Legacy
For decades, Rosanne Cash has soared through the ranks of music with her powerhouse poetic skills and wistful reflections on her past. This hour we explore Rosanne's life and legacy through her music.
Beyoncé releases seventh album, 'Renaissance'
More than six years after the lauded visual album Lemonade, Beyoncé returns, evolves and responds to a very different world.
Encore: A posthumous album captures the humor — and heartache — of Sam Mehran
Underground musician Sam Mehran died four years ago, but his music continues to be published. His entire found body of work now lives online.
Tyshawn Sorey's 'Mesmerism' celebrates the everyday miracle of the jazz rhythm trio
Each player in this trio addresses the beat in a spontaneous way, without constant chaos. A casual romp like this session makes for breezy listening.
Pigeon Pit: Tiny Desk Concert
The folk-punk unit performs hopeful, shout-alongable songs about seeking freedom in the face of tyranny, exhaustion and everyday nonsense.
Maggie Rogers' summer mixtape sweats with sweetness
Filled with pop mosaics, Surrender feels like a quintessentially summer album. Naturally, we asked Maggie Rogers for a roséwave playlist.
'Castor and Patience' opera explores systematic barriers to Black land ownership
Cousins struggle with debts and may have to sell property long held by their family in a work created by former poet laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy K. Smith and composer Gregory Spears.
Krill, 'Solitaire'
The beloved Boston indie-rock band has remastered Alam No Hris for a 10-year anniversary reissue. "Solitaire," a fan favorite, is song about malaise feel nearly anthemic.