Songs We Love: Naqsh Duo, 'Parlando'
Borrowing from Persian music and American jazz, two Iranian women come together to create a singular sound.
Music & Culture
On The Enduring Power Of David Bowie's Parting Gift
Blackstar, the album Bowie released days before his death in January, set the tone for a fraught year. "This was an album that many of us returned to to cope with 2016," says NPR's Ann Powers.
Remembering The Members Of The Red Army Choir
Among those killed on a Russian plane that crashed this weekend were 64 members of the Red Army Choir. We hear some of the group's greatest music.
George Michael: A Father Figure For Political Pop
The teen idol and massively successful solo singer's tabloid life paled in comparison to his uncommonly soulful work.
Viking's Choice: The Year In The Loud And The Weird
Our resident Viking recalls 2016 in feral metal, dystopian and ocean-mimicking synths and Afro-futurist pop cubism.
Metropolis: 12/24/16
KCRW's Jason Bentley spins a two-hour mix with new music from Bonobo, Letherette and more.
Daniel Norgren, 'Desperate Hour' (Live At Pickathon)
In a twilight session at this year's Pickathon festival, the Swedish singer-songwriter premiered an unreleased song from his 2013 album, Buck.
Songs We Love: Horse Jumper Of Love, 'Ugly Brunette'
The Boston trio's slow, syrupy rock befits the shortest days of the year: It's heavy and dark, with occasional shimmers like the glare off a snowbank.
Encore: Solange's 'A Seat At The Table' Honors Her Family
Solange Knowles' A Seat At The Table is an album of self-healing, family healing and ancestral healing, but it ended up being her most commercially successful to date.
Remembering George Michael's Radical Impact On Pop Music
NPR music critic Ann Powers says George Michael was sometimes dismissed as a cotton-candy pop music songwriter but you might not know he had a radical impact on the genre.