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All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen shares his favorite new musical discoveries, with messages of love, understanding and acceptance.1. Bernice: "It's Me, Robin" from Eau de Bonjourno2. Nana Yamato: "Do You Wanna" from Before Sunrise3. Darkside: "Liberty Bell" from Spiral4. Nora Brown: "East Virginia" from Cinnamon Tree5. Steady Holiday: "Love Me When I Go To Sleep" from Take The Corners Gently6. Steven Wilson: "King Ghost" from The Future Bites

NPR Music's picks for the best albums out this week include the latest solo release from Zayn, the "bratty feminist" pop of Ashnikko, the Israeli jazz quartet Apifera and more.Featured Albums: 1. Ashnikko — DemidevilFeatured Song: "Toxic"2. Zayn — Nobody's ListeningFeatured Song: "Outside"3. Sexual Harrassment — I Need A FreakFeatured Song: "I Need A Freak"4. Kate Davis — Strange BoyFeatured Song: "I'll Do Anything But Break Dance For Ya, Darling"5. Pom Poko — CheaterFeatured Song: "Like A Lady"6. Apifera — OverstandFeatured Song: "Overstand"7. Midnight Sister — Painting the RosesFeatured Song: "Dearly Departed"8. Pearl Charles — Magic MirrorFeatured Song: "Take Your Time"Other notable releases for Jan. 15: Azure Ray — Azure Ray; Beach Bunny — Blame Game; Buck Meek — Two Saviors; Danielle Durack — No Place; Frank Iero and the Future Violents — Heaven is a Place, This is a Place; Jody Lo — I Will Not Break the Scale; Matthew Sweet — Catspaw; Samia — The Baby Reimagined; Shame — Drunk Tank Pink; You Me At Six — Suckapunch.

All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen shares surprising collaborations between Vagabon and Courtney Barnett, Buke and Gase with So Percussion and more great discoveries.Featured Artists And Songs:1. Vagabon Feat. Courtney Barnett: "Reason to Believe" 2. Gia Margaret: "Solid Heart" 3. Shame: "Nigel Hitter" from Drunk Tank Pink4. Buke and Gase / So Percussion: "Hold It In" from A Record Of...5. awakebutstillinbed: "beauty" from stay who you are6. Another Sky: "It Keeps Coming" from Music For Winter Vol. 1

Spanish punk, metal-sampling rap, Kenyan grindcore, Russian synth pop — this is how NPR Music's resident Viking coped, raged and soothed himself in 2020. Songs featured on this episode: • Accidente: "Lo que importa" from Canibal• Backxwash: "Spells" from God Has Nothing To Do With This Leave Him Out Of It• Aisha Orazbayeva: "Oliver Leith: Blurry Wake Song" from Music for Violin Alone• Maral: "Bushehr" from Push• Moor Mother: "Circuit Break" from Circuit City• Стереополина: "Последнее свидание" from Институт культуры и отдыха• Claire Rousay: "Two Things" from Both• Meurtrieres: "Alienor" from MeurtrièresFor more, follow the Viking's Choice playlist and subscribe to the newsletter.

In 2012, All Songs Considered hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton rented a small cabin in the woods and invited some of their closest friends for what they were sure would be the party of the century.

In 2018, Steve Martin, John Legend, William Shatner and more joined Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton for All Songs Considered's annual holiday extravaganza, which unfolded like a bad high school play.

Kacey Musgraves, Conor Oberst and more special guests join All Songs hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton on a steam engine to the North Pole.

Every year, All Songs Considered hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton go on a musical holiday adventure. This year, they take a rocket ride to outer space and are joined by a few special guests.

Join hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton as they set out on a snowy road trip in search of the true spirit of the holiday season.

Ann Powers joins All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen to discuss your favorite albums of the year.

On this edition of All Songs Considered, we celebrate the life of Beethoven and the lasting powers of his music in the 250 years since his birth.

Originally recorded live on NPR Music's YouTube channel, host Robin Hilton is joined by NPR's Ann Powers and Sidney Madden, along with contributor Christina Lee to count down NPR Music's top five songs of the year.

Radio Milwaukee's Tarik Moody leads a discussion on NPR Music's number one album pick and why it's one of 2020's most important and potent releases.In just over a year, Sault has released three albums with little warning and scant member information. If the group's previous albums, '5' and '7' brought the funk-soul party, then 'Untitled (Black Is)' "funnels rage and sorrow into contemplative streams of thought, over equally brooding music meant to slow your heart rate," Marcus J. Moore wrote in his review for NPR Music. He further called the album "a robust collection of funk, soul, meditative spoken-word and protest chants meant to score the full spectrum of Blackness."This conversation about the Sault album originally ran live on NPR Music's YouTube channel shortly after the record was released in June.

In this bonus feed drop we share an episode of NPR Music's new podcast Louder Than A Riot. Hosts Rodney Carmichael and Sidney Madden spent a year investigating the link between the rise of hip-hop and mass incarceration. In this episode they look at the story of Mac Phipps, a rapper whose own lyrics were used against him in court.

We pick our favorite music released in November 2020, featuring Kali Uchis' heart-struck devotionals, Tierra Whack's playful pop, metal duo Jucifer's tribute to Arabic music and Salaam Remi's star-studded soundtrack of the Black experience. Songs featured: • Salaam Remi: "Live from Soul in the Horn" from Black on Purpose • Shameika, "Shameika Said (feat. Fiona Apple)" • Tierra Whack, "Peppers and Onions" • Ólafur Arnalds: "Spiral" from Some Kind of Peace• Kali Uchis: "la luna enamorada" from Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios) ∞ • Jucifer: "Mitochondria" from نظم (Nazm)

NPR Music's pick for the best new albums out this holiday week include an epic return for The Smashing Pumpkins, Three 6 Mafia rapper Juicy J, a previously unreleased Bill Evans concert and more.Featured Albums:1. The Smashing Pumpkins — CyrFeatured Song: "Save Your Tears"2. Juicy J — The Hustle ContinuesFeatured Song: "1995"3. Ane Brun — How Beauty Holds The Hand Of SorrowFeatured Song: "Trust"4. Sundae Crush — A Real SensationFeatured Song: "Good Boy"5. Bill Evans — Bill Evans Live At Ronnie Scott'sFeatured Song: "A Sleeping Bee"6. Various — Pop Ambient 2021Featured Song: "Mittsommer" Other notable albums out Nov. 27: Bad Bunny — El Último Tour del Mundo; Bille Joe Armstrong — No Fun Mondays; Bombino — Live in Amsterdam; JFDR — Dream On; Miley Cyrus — Plastic Hearts.

All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen shares his favorite songs of the week including Steve Earle performing the work of his late son, Justin Townes Earle who died of an apparent drug overdose in August.Featured Tracks: 1. Steve Earle: "Harlem River Blues" from J.T.2. Buck Meek: "Pareidolia" from Two Saviors3. Horsegirl: "Ballroom Dance Scene" (Single)4. Painted Shield: "Ten Years From Now" from Painted Shield5. Miloe: "Change Your Mind" from Greenhouse6. Katy Kirby: "Traffic!" from Cool Dry Place

Hear the first episode of the podcast, created with Vermont Public Radio's Erica Heilman, as the band reveals how they made their latest album, Free Love.Erica Heilman spent hours talking with singer Amelia Meath and synthesist Nick Sanborn. We get a deep insight into how this couple works together — in this case, it began with Amelia's voice memo. It was just her singing, unaccompanied. And though they've made music together for the past seven-plus years, Nick thought it might be the best thing she'd ever done. Give a listen to Shaking Out The Numb, and see how the song unfolds.

NPR Music's picks for the week's best new albums includes the debut, studio full-length from rapper Megan Thee Stallion, the first all-Spanish album from Kali Uchis, U.K. dub artist The Bug and more.Featured Albums:1. Megan Thee Stallion — Good NewsFeatured Song: "Savage Remix"2. Mamalarky — MamalarkyFeatured Song: "Drug Store Model"3. The Bug (feat. Dis Fig) — In BlueFeatured Song: "Take"4. Kali Uchis — Sin Miedo (Del Amor y Otros Demonios)Featured Song: "La Luna" and "te pongo mal"5. Partner — Never Give UpFeatured Song: "Honey"6. Shygirl — ALIASFeatured Song: "Twelve"7. Grandaddy — The Sophtware Slump 20th Anniversary EditionFeatured Song: "Jed's Other Poem" (solo piano version)8. Visionaries — VFeatured Song: "Put It Together"Other notable releases for Nov. 20: 5 Billion In Diamonds — Divine Accidents; Anna McClellan – I Saw First Light; Ida Mae — Raining For You; Neil Young — Archives Vol. II (1972-1976); Ronn McFarlane and Carolyn Surrick — Fermi's Paradox; Tayla Parx — Coping Mechanisms; Tank and the Bangas — Friend Goals; War on Drugs — Drugs Live.

All Songs Considered's Bob Boilen shares his favorite tunes of the week, including a captivating project with Bon Iver's Justin Vernon and yMusic's CJ Camerieri.The Playlist:1. Routine: "Cady Road," from And Other Things2. CARM: "Land," from CARM3. lemin.: "One Brain," from Petey Passed Away4. Lavender Diamond: "In The Middle," from Now Is The Time5. Indigo Sparke: "Baby," from Echo6. Joy On Fire: "Thunderdome," from Thunderdome