All Songs Considered

On this week's show we've got a ton of premieres from Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Death Cab For Cutie's Ben Gibbard, Martha Wainwright, and Ty Braxton, who offers a cool new remix of Philip Glass. Also, All Songs Considered co-host Robin Hilton has been holding a top secret album in his grubby little hands since late this past spring. On this edition of the show he can finally share it with the world. What could it be?Robin, and host Bob Boilen are joined by NPR Music's Stephen Thompson and critic for The Record Ann Powers to talk about some of the many other releases they're most looking forward to coming out this fall.Neil YoungAlbum: Psychedelic PillSong: Walk Like A GiantAdd to PlaylistGraveyardAlbum: Lights outSong: The Suits, The Law & The UniformThe CoupAlbum: Sorry To Bother YouSong: Strange Arithmetic Cody ChesnuTTAlbum: Landing on a HundredSong: Til I Met TheeLord HuronAlbum: Lonesome DreamsSong: Brother (Last Ride) Dana FalconberryAlbum: LeelanauSong: Birch Bark Flying LotusAlbum: Until The Quiet ComesSong: Putty Boy Strut Ben GibbardAlbum: Former LivesSong: Bigger Than Love Jason LytleAlbum: Department of DisappearanceSong: Dept of Disappearance Sera CahooneAlbum: Deer Creek CanyonSong: Deer Creek Canyon Martha WainwrightAlbum: Come Home To MamaSong: Everything Wrong The Mountain GoatsAlbum: Transcendental YouthSong: Harlem Roulette Ty BraxtonAlbum: Rework: Philip Glass RemixedSong: RubricPreservation Hall Jazz BandAlbum: St. Peter & 57th St.Song: Careless LoveEarlimartAlbum: System PreferencesSong: Internet Summer  

On this edition of All Songs Considered, co-host and producer Robin Hilton offers host Bob Boilen $200 million to walk away from the show forever. Does Bob take the bait? More importantly, we've got a great mix of essential new songs, including a sneak preview of the upcoming album by Atoms For Peace, which features Radiohead's Thom Yorke, producer Nigel Godrich, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and drummer Joey Waronker. The album, due out sometime next year, doesn't have a name yet but the cut we've got is called "Default." Also on the show: A bold, adventurous and completely surprising new record from Tilly & The Wall; sinister new rock from the New York City-based band Bad Powers; new Afro-punk-inspired electronic music from Sinkane; and an epic jam from Brooklyn's Woods. We're also joined by Alt.Latino hosts Jasmine Garsd and Felix Contreras, who share a fantastic new electro-pop song from the Chilean group Astro.

Few bands seem to matter to us as much as the ones we discover in our youth. It may be, in part, because we're the most open to new ideas and sounds when we're coming of age. But mostly it's just a time when we need the comfort and companionship of a favorite band the most - a group or artist that helps us make sense of the world and find our place in it. If you follow our blog, you may have seen a recent post asking you to tell us about the most important band of your college years. We got a lot of great stories on the blog, and on ourSoundcloud page, from people both reminiscing about their college years long gone by, and the college years they're currently living. On this edition of All Songs Considered, we share some of those stories and the bands that made a difference in people's lives when they needed it most.

All Songs Considered hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton are back from their 2012 World Tour, which is to say they visited Seattle and Portland, Ore. last week, and have returned with a batch of new songs and stories to share. On the west coast Bob and Robin hosted a couple of listening parties, where they played music for an audience, the audience got to rate the songs, then everyone talked about them, just like hardcore music fans. They were joined by Telekinesis frontman Michael Benjamin Lerner, KEXP DJ Kevin Cole, and Portlandia's Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen. On this week's show we hear some of the songs they played, including a heartrending new cut from rapper Macklemore called "Same Love," and the stunning title cut from Cat Power's new record, Sun. Also on the show: A peek at Animal Collective's latest sonic adventures on the group's new album Centipede Hz; The Brooklyn-based duo Buke and Gase are back with an equally adventurous EP called Function Falls; We've got a gritty new song from Menomena, and composer and arranger Matthew E. White pays homage to early Randy Newman Americana on White's debut solo record, Big Inner. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Album: Same Love Song: Same Love Cat Power Album: Sun Song: Sun   Animal Collective Album: Centipede Hz Song: Moonjock Buke & Gase Album: Function Falls Song: Fussrate Menomena Album: Moms Song: Capsule Matthew E. White Album: Big Inner Song: Big Love

Electro-pop genius Dan Deacon's latest album is as big as its name, America. It's epic, soaring and loud, but also minimalist at times and full of beauty. On this edition of All Songs Considered, Deacon talks about his latest album and shares some of his favorite songs with host Bob Boilen. Deacon brought a strange and surprising mix of artists, from The Rolling Stones to early electronic artist Raymond Scott, and minimalist composer Steve Reich, plus a few great unknowns.

On this week's show hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton share some of their favorite new discoveries, including the Kate Bush-inspired Swedish duo Niki And The Dove, German experimental pianist Nils Frahm, and a surprising new album from singer Amanda Palmer. Also on the show: the best new music in a decade from the Chicago-based band Sea And Cake; the inimitable storytelling of Swedish pop singer Jens Lekman; and an epic new album from post-punk veterans Swans. Jens Lekman Album: I Know What Love Isn't Song: I Know What Love Isn't Niki and the Dove Album: Instinct Song: Drummer Amanda Palmer and the Grand Theft Orchestra Album: Theatre Is Evil Song: Smile (Pictures or It Didn't Happen)   Omar Rodriguez Lopez Album: Octopus Kool Aid Song: People Feeding Nils Frahm Album: Felt Song: Familiar   The Sea and Cake Album: Runner Song: On And On   Swans Album: Seer Song: Mother Of The World

If you are listening to this podcast while operating a two-wheeled vehicle, please stop the vehicle and continue listening. In addition to some safety advice, this week's All Songs Considered features: The R&B singer Miguel and his infectious vocal hiccup, a warm and captivating song from Conveyor, a big, blue Blur box set, and a song with serious swagger from Tame Impala. Also on the show, two bands that hail from NPR's home city of Washington, D.C. Drop Electric is a "Sigur Ros-ian" band with an epic sound and Deleted Scenes mixes surf rock with off-kilter rhythms and instrumentation. Host Bob Boilen is joined by NPR Music editor Jacob Ganz and All Songs Considered intern Emily White for this week's show. You can listen to the entire discussion above or each individual song below. Read more about the 21st anniversary Blur box set on the blog.   Tame Impala Artist: Tame Impala Album: Lonerism Song: Elephant Conveyor Artist: Conveyor Album: Conveyor Song: Right Sleep Drop Electric Artist: Drop Electric Album: Drop Electric  Song: Empire Trashed Deleted Scenes Artist: Deleted Scenes Album: Young People's Church of the Air Song: Baltika 9   Miguel Artist: Miguel Album: Art Dealer Chic Song: Adorn   Blur Artist: Blur Album: Great Escape [Special Edition] Song: The Universal

On this week's All Songs Considered: funny concert memories, one album with a wacky cover and a surprisingly great sound, a bittersweet goodbye and (of course) lots of new music. Listen to Django Django's refreshing mix of sounds, the moody melodies of Ormonde, David Byrneand St. Vincent's horn-based collaboration, Bob's favorite jazz record of the year (by Neneh Cherry & The Thing) and more. Plus, Mike Katzif joins this week's show to play his pick, the vibrant and provocative "Fineshrine" by Purity Ring. Mike came to NPR as an intern for All Songs Considered, and over the last seven years has had a hand in our Tiny Desk Concerts, the Alt.Latino podcast and much of our festival coverage, along with the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast. Now Mike's is leaving us for a new job at WNYC.

More than 50 years after it first started, The Newport Folk Festival continues to represent a broad range of American folk music and its many branches. This year, tickets for the two-day event in Rhode Island disappeared a record three months in advance of the festival. It kicks off this Friday with full concerts by Wilco, Blitzen Trapper and Megafaun, and continues through the weekend with shows by Iron & Wine, Jackson Browne, Alabama Shakes, Conor Oberst and many more. On this edition of All Songs Considered, host Bob Boilen talks with festival producer, Jay Sweet about the extraordinary talent that makes the annual music celebration so special. This is the fifth year in a row NPR Music will be at the Newport Folk Festival to live webcast full concerts, along with WFUV, mvyradio, Folk Alley, and WUMB. You can see the full lineup of artists and watch live video from the festival at our Newport Folk page. This year Newport will celebrate what would have been the 100th birthday of Woody Guthrie. All Songs Considered shares music from some of the "disciples" of Guthrie: from Wilco to the supergroup, New Multitudes (consisting of Jay Farrar, Will Johnson, Anders Parker, and Jim James). But the festival is not only about paying tribute and traditional folk artists, but re-defining what folk means today. Every year has a curve ball, and Sweet says this year's sharp elbow is tUnE-yArDs. NEWPORT FOLK FESTIVAL PREVIEW New Multitudes Album: New Multitudes Song: Talking Empty Bed Blues Dawes Album: Nothing Is Wrong Song: If I Wanted Someone Billy Bragg & Wilco Album: Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions Song: Jolly Banker Charles Bradley Album: No Time For Dreaming Song: The World (Is Going Up In Flames) Rodriguez Album: Searching for Sugar Man (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Song: Sugar Man tUnE-yArDs Album: w h o k i l l Song: Bizness My Morning Jacket Album: Circuital Song: Wonderful (The Way I Feel)

On this edition of All Songs Considered, hear the first new song from The xx since the group's stunning debut in 2009. "Angels" is a sensitive love song, and fantastically sparse in instrumentation, aside from a booming bass. Also on the show: a masterfully restrained song from Frank Ocean's first full-length studio album; a premiere of the song "Counter Charm" from the Brooklyn-based duo, She Keeps Bees; euphoric electro-pop from Passion Pit; the wildly infectious artist Dan Deacon and his ecstatic new album,America; Iranian-Canadian producer Amirali; Canadian country singer Corb Lund; and singer Cate Le Bon channels Nico. The xx - Angels Frank Ocean - Pilot Jones Passion Pit - Carried Away Dan Deacon - Lots Corb Lund - Dig Gravedigger Dig Cate Le Bon - What Is Worse Amirali - Harmonious Song She Keeps Bees - Counter Charm 

On this week's All Songs Considered, listen to what happens when Robin takes a chance on an album based solely on its cover art, and when Bob brings on a surprise guest who makes our ears bleed. The forthcoming album from Taken By Trees, the solo project of Victoria Bergsman, was inspired by a recent trip to Hawaii. Premiering here, "Dreams" is a tropical, slightly sultry song. Also inspired by landscapes, Son Lux (also known as Ryan Lott) created the song "Resound" for a compilation album of musical vignettes inspired by the remote countryside of Iceland. Lott used samples of My Brightest Diamond vocalist Shara Worden's voice and the sound of a piano shattered by a baseball bat to create an ethereal song. Also on the show, Bob Boilen schools Robin Hilton on their bet from last week by twisting the numbers a bit, but the search for the Albums Everyone Can Love is far from over. You can hear the entire discussion above and listen to each track discussed below. Dinosaur Jr. Album: I Bet On Sky Song: Watch The Corners Young Rapids Album: Day Light Savings Song: Discussion   Woodpecker! Album: Thanks Anyway Song: Paperbacks With Paragraphs Underlined Taken By Trees Album: Dreams Song: Dreams (Album Version) Son Lux Album: Outliers, Vol. I: Iceland Song: Son Lux - Resound   Baroness Album: Yellow & Green Song: Take My Bones Away   Ponderosa Album: Pool Party Song: Get A Gun

In 12 years of recording All Songs Considered, co-host Robin Hilton has never seen Bob Boilen boogie in the studio quite like he did while making this week's show. Listen and you'll hear why. We also find out which song Sean Rowe's "Horses" reminded Bob of on our summer music preview. After a month of guest DJs, previews and other special shows, Bob and Robin are back with a good ol' fashioned mix of picks for this week's essential listening. Hear a new song from New Zealand's Lawrence Arabia and a cut from Robin's favorite new discovery, the French-Finnish duo, The Dø. Plus, an entrancing track by George Harrison's son Dhani Harrison and his band Thenewno2, and some melodic slide guitar in a new cut from the band Delicate Steve. Finally, Bob and Robin discuss some of the surprises in the ongoing summer search for The Albums Everyone Can Love, and make confident predictions about how this week's poll will turn out. NEW MIX: DELICATE STEVE, EL-P, LAWRENCE ARABIA AND MORE Lawrence Arabia Artist: Lawrence Arabia Album: Sparrow Thenewno2 Artist: Thenewno2 Album: Thefearofmissingout Song: Station (featuring Holly Marilyn) Delicate Steve Artist: Delicate Steve Album: Positive Force Song: Afria Talks To You The Dø Artist: The Dø Album: Both Ways Open Jaws Extended Song: The Wicked & the Blind El-P Artist: El-P Album: Cancer4Cure Song: For My Upstairs Neighbor (Mums the Word) Jaill Artist: Jaill Album: Traps Song: Madness Nick Drake Artist: Nick Drake Album: Pink Moon Song: Pink Moon   The White Stripes Artist: The White Stripes Album: White Blood Cells Song: Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground

This week on All Songs Considered, hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton offer sneak previews of some of the summer's most anticipated releases. The show opens with JEFF The Brotherhood's roll-down-the-windows jam, "Country Life," followed by the new Spoon/Wolf Parade/New Bomb Turks supergroup Divine Fits and their effortlessly cool, "Would That Not Be Nice?". English singer-songwriter Bill Fay returns with his first new album in 40 years, while Cat Power returns after a six-year hiatus with what may be her best album ever. A year after releasing a spectacular full-length record, The Antlers are back with a surprise EP of pure sonic bliss. Later on the show, Bob and Robin are joined by resident hip-hop expert Frannie Kelley of The Record who selects, as Robin says, a "dope" track from Nas; and Patrick Jarenwattananon of A Blog Supreme picks jazz trumpeter (and coincidentally nephew of Nas collaborator and saxophonist Donald Harrison), Christian Scott. The show ends with Lars Gotrich's pick, the crushing and explosive "Even If You Knew" from Six Organs of Admittance. Jeff the Brotherhood Album: Hypnotic Nights Song: Country Life Hypnotic Nights will be released on July 17th on Warner Bros. Records. Divine Fits Album: A Thing Called the Divine Fits Song: Would That Not Be Nice A Thing Called The Divine Fits will be released on Aug 28th on Merge Records.  Grizzly Bear Album: TBD Song: Sleeping Ute The as-yet-unnamed album will be released on September 18th on Warp Records. Cat Power Album: Sun Song: Cherokee Note: This song can be heard in the full version of All Songs Considered. Click the link at the top of the page to "Hear The Discussion." You can also hear the new Cat Power single, "Ruin," on the All Songs Considered blog. Nas Album: Life Is Good Song: Accident Murderers feat. Rick Ross (Produced by No I.D.) You can hear this song on the artist's SoundCloud page. Life is Good will be released on July 17th on Island Def Jam. Christian Scott Album: Christian aTunde Adjuah Song: Spy Boy/Flag Boy Christian aTunde Adjuah will be released on July 31st on Concord. The Very Best Album: MTMTMK Song: We OK MTMTMK will be released on July 17th on Moshi Moshi and Cooperative Records. Bill Fay Album: Life Is People Song: Never Ending Happening Life Is People will be released on August 21st on Dead Oceans.  Avett Brothers Album: The Carpenter Song: Live and Die The Carpenter will be released on September 11th on Universal Records. Ivan & Alyosha Album: All The Times We Had Song: Be Your Man All The Times We Had will be released on August 7th on Missing Piece Records. Sean Rowe Album: The Salesman and the Shark Song: Horses The Salesman and the Shark will be released on August 28th on ANTI-. The Antlers Album: Undersea Song: Crest Undersea will be released on July 24th on ANTI-. \Six Organs of Admittance Album: Ascent Song: Even If You Knew Ascent will be released on August 21st on Drag City.

On this edition of All Songs Considered, poet and singer Patti Smith joins host Bob Boilen to talk about her musical passions, including doing fancy dance steps with her siblings in South Jersey. She talks about meeting Jimi Hendrix as a young journalist and later recording in his dream studio Electric Lady Studios, where she and her band made their latest album, Banga. Smith connects her South Jersey drawl with the sounds of Hank Williams, and plays the songs that make her want to leap out of her seat. "It's my one regret in all of my work," Smith says. "I don't know if I was ever successful to give the people a song where they had to leap up," But Bob immediately proves her wrong with her 1976 rocker, "Ask the Angels." As Bob and Patti Smith play songs from the album, she talks about what influenced Banga, why she loves singing and playing Neil Young's songs, and what inspired her to write songs as disparate as a prayer to the Japanese people and Amy Winehouse. Listen to Smith tell stories about seeing a young Stevie Wonder join Smokey Robinson live on stage, and going to her very first rock concert: The Rolling Stones. Maureen Gray Artist: Maureen Gray Album: Best of Philly Soul, Vol. 3 Song: Today's the Day Patti Smith Group Artist: Patti Smith Group Album: Radio Ethiopia Song: Ask the Angels Hank Williams Artist: Hank Williams Album: 40 Greatest Hits Song: I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry Neil Young & Crazy Horse Artist: Neil Young & Crazy Horse Album: Americana Song: Jesus' Chariot Patti Smith Artist: Patti Smith Album: Banga Song: Fuji-san Patti Smith Artist: Patti Smith Album: Banga Song: After the Gold Rush Patti Smith Artist: Patti Smith Album: Banga Song: This Is the Girl The Jimi Hendrix Experience Artist: The Jimi Hendrix Experience Album: Electric Ladyland Song: 1983... (A Merman I Should Turn to Be)

 This week on All Songs Considered, Co-Hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton are joined by NPR Music's Stephen Thompson and Ann Powers to take a step back, catch their breaths and consider the past six months of music. They share their favorite new artists, biggest surprises, favorite albums and songs of 2012, so far. This week's show features a batch of poptimistic, feel-good songs (along with a few tracks better heard alone in a dark, quiet room.) These favorite songs of the year are not necessarily the most delicately crafted, but the "awesomeist" songs.  Kishi Bashi Album: 151A Song: Bright Whites Now, Now Album: Threads Song: Thread Hurray For The Riff Raff Album: Look Out Mama Song: Born to Win (Part One) Japandroids Album: Celebration Rock Song: Fire's Highway Sinead O'Connor Album: How About I Be Me (And You Be You)? Song: I Had A Baby Fiona Apple Album: The Idler Wheel... Song: Hot Knife Icona Pop Album: I Love It (Single) Song: I Love It Spiritualized Album: Sweet Heart Sweet Light Song: Hey Jane Exitmusic Album: Passage Song: City Regina Spektor Album: What We Saw From The Cheap Seats Song: Small Town Moon Bobby Womack Album: The Bravest Man In The Universe Song: Please Forgive My Heart Carly Rae Jepsen Album: Call Me Maybe [Single] Song: Call Me Maybe Patrick Watson Album: Adventures In Your Own Backyard Song: Adventures In Your Own Backyard Simone White Album: Silver Silver Song: Big Dreams and the Headlines   Best Coast Album: The Only Place Song: The Only Place