Moin, 'Crappy Dreams Count'
The band exists somewhere in the deconstructed '90s punk nexus of Fugazi, Unwound and Shellac, but its high-definition payoff is somehow more psychedelic.
Music & Culture
Skyzoo (feat. Hypnotic Brass Ensemble), 'Bed-Stuy is Burning'
Over a gorgeous, jazz-infused beat, Skyzoo runs down a vivid and loving detailing of life in the Brooklyn neighborhood that birthed him.
Encore: Remembering Maria Angelica Mares, who died of COVID, with 'I Walk the Line'
With nearly 800,000 lives lost to COVID-19 in the U.S., NPR pays tribute to some people by listening to their stories and the music they loved. Lionel Mares remembers his mother.
Fleeing the Gilded Cage
Forget the diva stereotype: Opera careers are tough, and often strict. But as concert halls reopen after months of shutdown, more than a few singers are showing newfound creativity.
Camerata Zürich, 'The Barn Owl has not Flown Away'
It's bad luck if a barn owl lands on your house and doesn't leave. The Swiss ensemble plays a colorful string arrangement of Leoš Janáček's haunting miniature.
How Black women reclaimed country and Americana music in 2021
Black women leveraged the power of streaming platforms and social media to bridge the chasms previously carved by labels, publishers and radio.
Heavy Rotation: Public Radio's Most Popular Songs Of 2021
Leon Bridges, Helado Negro and Japanese Breakfast all landed on this list of the most-played songs on public radio stations across the country.
Beach House, 'Over and Over'
Taken from the Baltimore duo's new album, Once Twice Melody, the single is made for those few minutes between sunset and night — when the purplish light fades and noses turn red from the cold.
Recommended listening: Louis Armstrong's 'The Night Before Christmas'
Writer Danny Freedman in Smithsonian Magazine argues that trumpeter Louis Armstrong's recording of "The Night Before Christmas" should become required holiday listening.
The legacy of Vicente Fernandez, king of ranchera music, who died on Sunday
The King of ranchera music, Vicente Fernandez, died Sunday. He leaves tens of millions of devoted fans throughout the Latino world.