All Songs Considered

Travis, live in concert. Emerging in the late '90s as one of the U.K.'s most passionate and infectious rock bands, Travis helped inspire a wave of new Britpop groups that included acts like Coldplay and Keane. The band is now on tour for its most inspired album in years. They performed at Washington, D.C.'s 9:30 Club, in a full concert originally webcast live on NPR.org July 16.

Femi Kuti live in concert. A veritable superstar in his native Nigeria, Femi Kuti is the standard bearer for Afro-beat, the blend of American jazz and funk with African percussion and vocals pioneered by his father, Fela Kuti in the 1970s. Kuti performed at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. for a live concert webcast on NPR.org July 13.

Stellar new music from Austin's Spoon; Swedish minimalist electronica by The Field; A classic reissued from Laurie Anderson; Psychedelic jazz by Mushroom, Eddie Gale; New York's post-punk revivalists Interpol; A bold return for the Smashing Pumpkins. With host Bob Boilen.

Live Earth founder Kevin Wall, Paste magazine editor Josh Jackson and musician Alejandro Escovedo talk about music's role in bringing about change. They join host Bob Boilen in examining the ways rock music has helped solve problems on both a global and personal level. Below are just a few of the countless songs that have helped make a difference.

The Polyphonic Spree live in concert. With host Bob Boilen. With two-dozen uniformed members, The Polyphonic Spree is more like a small army than a band. True to its image, the Dallas-based group makes grand, symphonic rock with the exuberance of a heavenly choir. The band brings its epic sound to Washington, D.C. for an evening of music, originally webcast live on NPR.org Jun. 30, 2007.

Mark Ronson, Mocean Worker, Michael Hearst, Amiina, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, Bryan Ferry, Tord Gustavsen Trio. With host Bob Boilen.

Richard Thompson, live in concert. With host Bob Boilen. Richard Thompson has been making inspired music for forty years. A guitar virtuoso, early innovator of the British folk-rock movement, and one of the era's finest songwriters, his distinctive style as an artist has influenced two generations of musicians and poets. This program originally webcast live on Jun. 22, 2007 from Washington, D.C.'s 9:30 Club.

The National, live in concert. With host Bob Boilen. The National make thoughtful, mostly melancholy rock in the spirit of Joy Division or Leonard Cohen, with singer Matt Berninger's warm baritone voice set against deftly orchestrated instrumentation that's as epic as it is intimate. Hear the group recorded live in concert from Washington, D.C.'s 9:30 Club.

The National, The Polyphonic Spree, Travis, Lightning Dust, Patti Smith, John Lennon covered by Postal Service, Jakob Dylan and Dhani Harrison. With host Bob Boilen.

Summer music preview. All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen chats with NPR reviewers Robert Christgau, Meredith Ochs and Will Hermes about the CDs they're most looking forward to this Summer. Hear sneak previews of new music from Spoon, Tegan and Sara, the Beastie Boys and more.

'Sgt. Pepper's' at 40. Host Bob Boilen has a remembrance. For many fans, hearing Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band for the first time was a life-changing experience. Prior to its release in June of 1967, most of music being produced was for Top 40, AM radio play and for dance parties. Kids bought 45s and never thought of a collection of songs as a "concept album" or work of art. Sgt. Pepper's was unlike anything anyone had heard before, and the day fans first dropped the needle on their copy of the album stuck in their minds.

Paul McCartney, Art Brut, Ryan Shaw, Ian Hunter, Dntel, Phillip Bimstein, Bokoor Band. With host Bob Boilen.

Andrew Bird in concert. With host Bob Boilen. Andrew Bird makes the kind of music that leaves critics groping for labels. A classically trained violinist, former swing jazz musician and now art rock virtuoso, Bird is one of the most imaginative and distinctive voices making music today. This concert from Washington, D.C.'s 9:30 Club original webcast live on NPR.org May 20, 2007.

The Music of Portugal Pt II. Host Bob Boilen travels to Lisbon, the home of Fado, the yearning, languid music from the south of Portugal. Boilen speaks with DJ Henrique Amaro about the origins of Fado and how it's crept into the country's electronica and hip-hop. We also discover the flashpoint that music played in the country's 1974 revolution.

Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard live in a solo concert from Washington, D.C.'s 9:30 Club. Originally webcast live on NPR.org May 10. With host Bob Boilen.