Music & Culture

On Hideous Bastard, Sim uses horror tropes in songs about celebrating what makes us monstrous.

Music & Culture

On 'Hideous Bastard,' Oliver Sim mines horror tropes to embrace queer identity

10:00am September 17, 2022

by Cyrena Touros

On his debut solo album, Sim — best known as a member of The xx — takes inspiration from horror movie villains on songs that look for humanity in the aspects of our identity that society rejects.

Music & Culture

This weekend, stream live performances from the XPoNential Music Festival

8:26pm September 16, 2022

by Bruce Warren

Beginning Friday, Sept. 16, watch Taj Mahal, Lucinda Williams, Felice Brothers, Kathleen Edwards, Jenny Lewis and more perform live on the Camden Waterfront in Camden, N.J.

Each track on Rina Sawayama's Hold The Girl is extremely, outlandishly major, proceeding at an exhausting intensity.

Music & Culture

On 'Hold the Girl,' Rina Sawayama's stadium sound obscures her signature appeal

5:51pm September 16, 2022

by Laura Snapes

The pop singer has superstar ambition and a knack for clever genre collisions. But while her new album sometimes matches intensity with innovation, it more often grinds her nuanced story to a paste.

Sheryl Lee Ralph accepts the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series for Abbott Elementary onstage during the 74th Emmy Awards.

What's making us happy: A guide to your weekend reading, listening and viewing

5:11pm September 16, 2022

Each week, the guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: Sheryl Lee Ralph, Kenan & Kel, and more.

'Moonage Daydream' isn't the Bowie biography you're probably expecting

4:52pm September 16, 2022

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with director Brett Morgen on his documentary on David Bowie, Moonage Daydream. It's the first film since Bowie's death in 2016 that had the full cooperation of his estate.

On debut solo album, Marcus Mumford explores healing, mercy and forgiveness

4:37pm September 16, 2022

NPR's Juana Summers chats with Marcus Mumford about his debut solo album, Self-Titled, which is a deeply personal exploration of healing, mercy and forgiveness.

Music & Culture

Fresh Air remembers jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis

1:35pm September 16, 2022

by Kevin Whitehead

In 1965, Lewis' trio had a crossover hit with The 'In' Crowd, a jazz recording they made in a Washington, D.C. nightclub, which reached the pop charts. Lewis died Sept. 12.

Queue Listen Now

Music & Culture

Nick Hakim, 'Vertigo'

1:17pm September 16, 2022

by Sheldon Pearce

Using the warped dimensions of his songcraft, Nick Hakim enters a space where a moment lasts a lifetime.

Music & Culture

Devon Gilfillian's 'Brown Sugar Queen' is 'a tribute to Black and Brown women'

10:56am September 16, 2022

by Bruce Warren

"I wanted it to feel nostalgic and new at the same time, to combine sexy nostalgia with new grooves," Devon Gilfillian says of his new song, "Brown Sugar Queen." It more than succeeds on both counts.

The songs on Quinn Christopherson's debut album, Write Your Name In Pink, try to make peace with the hand life has dealt.

Music & Culture

On Quinn Christopherson's debut album, stories of growth emerge in monumental details

9:00am September 16, 2022

by Marissa Lorusso

On Write Your Name In Pink, the Alaskan singer-songwriter turns a compassionate eye towards his memories, threading together small moments to reveal moving stories about love, addiction and growth.