Music

Music & Culture

All Ears: Music That Maps A Personal History Of Place

6:00am October 10, 2019

by Ruth Saxelby

The meaning of a place can change based on tiny shifts in perspective, by returning to a location after time away or by digging into the dirt underfoot. Can music bring these layers together?

In May, Flying Lotus released his sixth album, Flamagra. His tour for the album surrounds him in images of fire that invokes death and rebirth.

Music & Culture

The Fire This Time: Flying Lotus Seeks Rebirth After Mac Miller's Death

4:55pm October 09, 2019

by Rodney Carmichael

One inspiration behind Flamagra, the sixth album by the L.A. musician, was the wildfires in his hometown. It became another opportunity for the musician to reckon with ideas of death and rebirth.

Charlie J. Memphis, 18, combines blues, country and a bit of Creole flavor in his music.

Music & Culture

Slingshot Scenes: North Texas' 20 Under 20

4:06pm October 09, 2019

by Hady Mawajdeh

The North Texas music scene has always been known for its strength and versatility. But, as this list demonstrates, it's also got youth on its side.

Celtic artist Liz Carroll poses with her fiddle.

Music & Culture

The Thistle & Shamrock: Hometown Song

3:49pm October 09, 2019

This week, we feature artists singing about their homelands and hometowns.

In 'Horror Stories,' Liz Phair Writes Of 'The Haunting Melodies' In Her Head

3:17pm October 09, 2019

by Michael Schaub

The singer-songwriter's new book is an unconventional rock memoir that doesn't hew to the genre's norms. And like her entire musical catalog, it's honest and original.

Music & Culture

Taylor Ho Bynum's 'Ambiguity Manifesto' Is A Playground For Jazz Improvisers

1:58pm October 09, 2019

by Kevin Whitehead

Bynum's album features nine musicians, including guitarist Mary Halvorson, a newly minted MacArthur fellow. Each improviser sings the tune — or sings around it — in their own way, in their own time.

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Charly Bliss plays a Tiny Desk Concert (Bob Boilen/NPR).

Music & Culture

Charly Bliss: Tiny Desk Concert

12:42pm October 09, 2019

by Bob Boilen

The vibrancy of the band can feel childlike and candy-coated. But the group's songs are more about the pain of entering adulthood and leaving some of that sweetness behind.

Big Thief's Two Hands, out this week, is its second album of 2019.

Music & Culture

'Two Hands' Captures Big Thief's Force And Intimacy

9:00am October 09, 2019

by Benjamin Naddaff-Hafrey

This week, Big Thief will release its second album of 2019. But Two Hands is a deeper accomplishment than the statistic: It's a record that finally captures the band's audible unconditional closeness.

Aldous Harding haunts in the video for her song, "Zoo Eyes."

Music & Culture

Aldous Harding Lives In The Haunted Ether With 'Zoo Eyes'

4:51pm October 08, 2019

by Cyrena Touros

The New Zealand artist rounds out a bizarre and wonderful trio of videos from her stellar album, Designer.

The Smashing Pumpkins Perform At The Theatre At Ace Hotel

'Horror Stories' With Liz Phair

4:26pm October 08, 2019

The sound of our feminist teenage angst joins us to talk about her new memior and where, exactly, Guyville is.