All Songs Considered

Now that we've taken a look back on the year (so far), it's time to go full-speed ahead with a look to the future. On this week's All Songs Considered, hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton are joined by a revolving cast of NPR Music's finest to share some of the summer albums they're most excited about. Kanye West Album: Yeezus Song: Bound 2 ScHoolboy Q Album: Collard Greens feat. Kendrick Lamar Song: Collard Greens Gauntlet Hair Album: Stills Song: Bad Apple Neko Case Album: The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You Song: Man No Age Album: Object Song: No Ground Pinkish Black Album: Razed to the Ground Song: Razed to the Ground Shigeto Album: No Better Time Than Now Song: Ringleader Bosnian Rainbows Album: Bosnian Rainbows Song: Turtle Neck San Fermin Album: San Fermin Song: Crueler Kind

by SAMI YENIGUN Listen To Daft Punk Speak About Their Favorite Songs including Chic, James Blake, John Michell Jarre and The Strokes.

Note: Some of the songs on this episode of All Songs Considered contain strong, adult language and profanity. It's that time of the year again, when co-hosts and are joined by NPR Music's and for a special look back on the first half of the year in music. On this week's All Songs Considered, the crew battles it out over their biggest surprises, favorite new artists, songs and albums from the first half of 2013. Savages Album: Silence Yourself Song: "She Will" Night Beds Album: Country Sleep Song: Even If We Try Valerie June Album: Pushin' Against a Stone Song: You Can't Be Told Rhye Album: Woman Song: "Open" The Bryan Ferry Orchestra Album: Jazz Age Song: Do The Strand David Bowie The Next Day Album: Next Day Song: Next Day My Bloody Valentine Album: m b v Song: In Another Way Boards of Canada Album: Tomorrow's Harvest Song: Reach For The Dead Disclosure Album: Settle Song: When a Fire Starts to Burn Vampire Weekend Album: Modern Vampires of the City Song: Step Kacey Musgraves     Album: Same Trailer Different Park Song: Follow Your Arrow The Flaming Lips Album: The Terror Song: "Look...The Sun Is Rising" Daft Punk Album: Random Access Memories Song: Lose Yourself to Dance Chance The Rapper Album: Acid Rap Song: NaNa Phosphorescent     Album: Muchacho Song: Song For Zula Front Bottoms Album: Talon Of The Hawk Song: Au Revoir

We're about to get deep into our "Best Of The Year (So Far)" coverage - and our annual summer music preview. But before we do, we've still got a lot of great music from the first half of 2013 to share. On this week's All Songs Considered, hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton play new releases from some beloved artists who made some amazing records in the '90s, then went on extended breaks. Hear return singles from the power pop band Superchunk, Stephin Merritt's lyrical pop group Future Bible Heroes and Sean Nelson, former frontman for the Seattle rock band Harvey Danger. Also on the program: Great new psych-rock from the band Crocodiles; Pete Yorn's new Brit Pop-inspired band The Olms; glossy electronica from the Australian group Alpine; pipe organ pop from Anna Von Hausswolff; the strange new sounds of John Vanderslice and experimental rock artist Dirty Beaches; the ridiculously charming and sweet harmonies of the sister duo Lily & Madeleine; and an epic jam from the Lawrence, KS rock group Hospital Ships. Plus, hear the absurd (but so very true) story of how Bob injured his leg, and how he's getting around the new NPR offices without crutches. Artist: Superchunk Album: I Hate Music Song: FOH Artist: Future Bible Heroes Album: Partygoing Song: Drink Is Just the Thing Artist: Sean Nelson Album: Make Good Choices Song: Kicking Me Out Of The Band Artist: Crocodiles Album: Crimes Of Passion Song: Teardrop Guitar Artist: The Olms Album: Olms Song: On the Line Artist: Alpine Album: A Is for Alpine Song: Hands Artist: Anna von Hausswolff Album: Ceremony Song: Funeral for My Future Children Artist: John Vanderslice Album: Dagger Beach Song: North Coast Rep Artist: Dirty Beaches Album: Drifters/Love Is the Devil Song: Casino Lisboa Artist: Lily & Madeleine Album: Weight of the Globe Song: These Great Things Artist: Hospital Ships Album: Destruction in Yr Soul Song: Come Back to Life

Last month the Scottish electronic duo Boards Of Canada released a series of mysterious recordings of a voice reading a set of numbers. Clever fans soon realized that the numbers were a code that, once entered, in order, online, revealed a video announcing Tomorrow's Harvest, the group's first new album in eight years. On this week's All Songs Considered we finally get a preview of the album with a brand new Boards Of Canada song "Reach For The Dead." Also on the show: Dark electronica from Natasha Kmeto; the wildly inventive, funktacular artist Thundercat; and singer Sharon Van Etten joins Jonathan Meiburg of the band Shearwater to cover the 1981 Stevie Nicks-Tom Petty song "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around." We've also got a beautiful new tune from folk singer Laura Veirs and American Primitive-style guitarist Glenn Jones. Boards of Canada Album: Tomorrow's Harvest Song: Reach For The Dead Natasha Kmeto Album: Crisis Song: Crisis Thundercat Album: Apocalypse Song: Oh Sheit It's X Shearwater and Sharon Van Etten Song: Stop Draggin' My Heart Around Laura Veirs Album: Warp And Weft Song: Sun Song Glenn Jones Album: My Garden State Song: Going Back to East Montgomery Song: Going Back to East Montgomery

This week on All Songs Considered, hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton offer up a musical sampler of many styles from around the world. There's an upbeat, atmospheric cut with amazing harmonies from the magnetic Laura Mvula, a voice you'll hear a lot more of this year; Firehorse's blazing combination of neo-soul, hip-hop and electronic beats; a heavy, hypnotic track from New York duo Small Multiples and some transfixing psych-pop from Jagwar Ma. NPR Music's electronic music gurus Otis Hart and Sami Yenigun also stop by to share their picks for some of the best new songs with beats: Otis has a danceable cut by London duo Mount Kimbie and Sami Yenigun brings some instrumental ear candy from Archie Pelago. Firehorse Album: Pills From Strangers Song: Fool Small Multiples Album: Small Multiples Song: Know My Name Mount Kimbie Album: Cold Spring Fault Less Youth Song: Made to Stray playlist Archie Pelago Album: Sly Gazabo Song: Avocado Roller Laura Mvula Album: Sing To The Moon Song: Green Garden Jagwar Ma Album: Howlin' Song: What Love

We kick this week's show off with a lot of noise from filmmaker (and past guest DJ on All Songs Considered) Jim Jarmusch and his gloriously gritty side project called SQÜRL. The band, with Carter Logan and producer/engineer Shane Stoneback, originally formed to score the 2009 Jarmusch film The Limits Of Control. SQÜRL has a new, self-titled EP coming out this month and we've got a preview cut called "Pink Dust." Also on the show: Remarkable new electronic music from Baths; the atmospheric English pop trio Daughter; beautiful, ramshackle pop from singer Sam Phillips; power punk and a healthy dose of humor from The Front Bottoms and the melodic and transfixing rock of Lemuria. Songs Featured On This Episode SQÜRL Album: SQÜRL Song: Pink Dust Baths Album: Obsidian Song: Worsening Daughter Album: If You Leave Song: Youth Sam Phillips Album: Push Any Button Song: No Time Like Now The Front Bottoms Album: Talon Of The Hawk Song: Au Revoir Lemuria Album: The Distance Is So Big Song: Oahu, Hawaii

This week, All Songs Considered goes big with massive, heart-thumping new music from the gloriously exuberant, sprawling pop group , and the brilliantly experimental folk-rock band . We also check out a gritty album from a Swedish group known as Goat. The band's music is part prog-rock, part Afro-pop and undeniably awesome. Also on the show: New solo music from former singer; electronic music genius , and the deep-bass grooves of, a band with a song inspired by the surreal imagery of David Lynch's 1997 film Lost Highway. Artist: The Polyphonic Spree Album: Yes, It's True Song: You Don't Know Me Artist: Goat Album: World Music Song: Run To Your Mama Artist: Akron/Family Album: Sub Verses Song: Sand Talk Artist: Eleanor Friedberger Album: Personal Record Song: Stare At the Sun Artist: Jon Hopkins Album: Immunity Song: Open Eye Signal Artist: Until The Ribbon Breaks Album: Pressure Song: Pressure

The four members of Vampire Weekend — Ezra Koenig, Rostam Batmanglij, Chris Baio and Chris Tomson — made their third record over a period that began in 2009, while they were still recording Contra, the band's second album. Now the record is done. It's called Modern Vampires of the City, and it comes out on May 14. I think it's the band's best yet. Hear an interview with Ezra and Rostam and hear the story of how this record was made and some hear some of the music that inspired it.

He's 66 years old, has beaten his body beyond belief and Iggy Pop will still out-rock you. We kick this week's All Songs Considered off with a cut from his new record with The Stooges, Ready To Die. Hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton chat about Iggy and the rest of this week's mix from different cities. Sitting in NPR Music's New York studios, Bob previews a cinematic and seductive new record from The National, along with a new album from trip-hop veteran Tricky. Meanwhile, Robin, based at NPR Music's mother ship in Washington, D.C., shares a killer new track from riff-rock revivalists The Black Angels and another from one of his favorite pop artists, Jim Guthrie. Guthrie has a beautifully inspired new album coming out in May, his first in a decade. Also on the show: Singer Walker Lukens dispenses some arresting ear candy — you'll want your headphones for it. And when the cats are away, the metal-head mouse comes out to play: Lars Gotrich of Viking's Choice hijacks the show when Bob and Robin aren't looking to bring you a crushing new cut from his favorite band of the moment, Noisem. Iggy & the Stooges Album: Ready To Die Song: Job See Iggy & The Stooges Perform Ready To Die live in concert. The Black Angels Album: Indigo Meadow Song: Evil Things The National Album: Trouble Will Find Me Song: Demons Jim Guthrie Album: Takes Time Song: Taking My Time Tricky Album: False Idols Song: Nothing's Changed Walker Lukens Album: Devoted Song: Lover Noisem Album: Agony Defined Song: Agony Defined

On this week's All Songs Considered, hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton settle into the new NPR Music offices and discover that it comes with their very own butler. After bumbling around in the studio, they also manage to figure out all the new gear and share some great new music. Things kick off with a strange tale from the playful pop group Sonny and the Sunsets about a man who falls in love with a cyborg. Then the fabulously quirky singer and guitarist artist Kimya Dawson of the Moldy Peaches and hip-hop producer and rapper Aesop Rock collaborate on a surprising new project they call The Uncluded. Also on the show: A richly layered cut from the remarkable guitarist William Tyler; the smoky voice of newcomer Cassandra Jenkins; a long-overdue new album from the strangely alluring rock group Snowden; and British singer-songwriter Laura Marling has a heartbreaking new song called "Where Can I Go." Keep listening: At the end of the show Bob and Robin play an audio clue that adds to a growing mystery on the web pointing to a new album from ... an unnamed band. Very mysterious. Sonny And The Sunsets Album: Antenna To The Afterworld Song: Green Blood The Uncluded Album: Hokey Fright Song: Delicate Cycle William Tyler Album: Impossible Truth Song: Cadillac Desert Laura Marling Album: Once I Was An Eagle Song: Where Can I Go? Cassandra Jenkins Album: EP Song: The Bird Snowden Album: No One In Control Song: So Red

As they filled up their moving boxes to relocate to NPR's new offices, All Songs Considered hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton sent out a plea to listeners for the best songs about how to deal with change: breakups and letdowns, graduation, big moves, etc. You responded in huge numbers, and we picked a few standouts to play on this week's show. We've got classics from Led Zeppelin, The Animals and Neil Young and more modern favorites such as The White Stripes and Vic Chesnutt. Bob and Robin also welcomed some fellow NPR friends to share some of their favorite moving-on songs. All Songs Considered intern Lorie Liebig shared a heartbreaking cut from The Head and the Heart, Stephen Thompson brought us a sweet and soothing track from David Mead, and Daoud Tyler-Ameen kicked things up with "Following Through" from D.C.'s own The Dismemberment Plan.

"I absolutely get up every day and think, 'let's make some cool music.' - Flaming Lips' Frontman Wayne Coyne On this edition of All Songs Considered, Wayne Coyne, singer and creative force for The Flaming Lips, joins hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton to share songs and events that shaped his childhood, including the eery effect of a classic from The Beatles. We also hear an "amazing piece of dramatic, freaky music" from Tom Jones, and a contemporary cut from Beach House that's one of Coyne's current favorites. The Flaming Lips consistently push the creative boundaries of music without making any apologies, and the band has been doing it for 30 years, with thirteen studio albums and countless other projects, including a completely re-imagined version of Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon. The Flaming Lips' latest, and highly anticipated upcoming album, is called The Terror, which you can now hear in its entirety on NPR's First Listen series, before it's released on April 16th. On this edition of the program Coyne also gives us a look into The Flaming Lips' creative process and finding beauty in imperfection. "Anybody can make it perfect," Coyne says, "and perfect is the enemy of almost anything good in the world." The Beatles Song: Strawberry Fields Forever The Flaming Lips Album: The Terror Song: Look...The Sun Is Rising Tom Jones Album: 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Tom Jones Song: Thunderball [From Thunderball] The Flaming Lips/Stardeath and White Dwarfs Album: Dark Side of the Moon Song: Money The Flaming Lips Album: The Terror Song: You Lust Beach House Album: Bloom Song: Myth The Flaming Lips Album: The Terror Song: Try To Explain

This week on All Songs Considered, hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton go on a haphazard musical journey across the globe to share their favorite new discoveries. Manchester's The 1975 start things off with the band's punchy song called "Sex." Then we head to Brooklyn for soul singer Charles Bradley, who keeps things heated with "You Put The Flame On It," a track from his upcoming album Victim Of Love. Back in Iceland, Ólöf Arnalds (not to be confused with her cousin Ólafur Arnalds) shares her beautifully sung new track "Treat Her Kindly." Also on the show: German musician, composer and Kraftwerk alumnus Karl Bartos supplies us with an epic electronic track, before we finish things off with a hauntingly beautiful cut from London-based poet, singer, illustrator and one-to-watch Keaton Henson. The 1975 Album: Sex EP Song: Sex Charles Bradley Album: Victim Of Love Song: You Put The Flame On It Ólöf Arnalds Album: Sudden Elevation Song: Treat Her Kindly Junip Album: Junip Song: Your Life, Your Call Karl Bartos Album: Off The Record Song: Rhythmus Keaton Henson Album: Birthdays Song: Teach Me

On this edition of All Songs Considered, hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton share some final discoveries from this year's South by Southwest music festival, including the British noise-rock group Savages and Valeska Steiner and Sonja Glass, the Swiss-German pop pair that records and performs as Boy. Also on the show: A stellar new record from Vampire Weekend; a long-awaited return for the Annie Hardy-led rock group Giant Drag; the sweet sounds of Icelandic singer Olafur Arnalds and a new double-album of transporting ambient music from Eluvium. Savages Album: Silence Yourself Song: She Will BOY Album: Mutual Friends Song: Little Numbers Ólafur Arnalds Album: For Now I Am Winter Song: Old Skin Giant Drag Album: Waking Up Is Hard To Do Song: Garbage Heart Vampire Weekend Album: Modern Vampires of the City Song: Diane Young Eluvium Album: Nightmare Ending Song: Envenom Mettle