Music & Culture

Merck Wants To 'Empower' Infertile Women In Africa. Can Music Videos Help?

10:43am July 09, 2019

by Malaka Gharib

The songs tell women they are "more than a mother" — then promote the pharmaceutical company's fertility treatment programs. But the music videos raise some concerns.

This week, contemplate the existential chasm of life with Mizmor.

Music & Culture

Viking's Choice: Get Lost In Long Songs

10:00am July 09, 2019

by Lars Gotrich

This week's playlist unearths some extended jams across doom metal, spoken-word drone and disco-infected psych-rock.

Listening to what came before is one of the most potent ways to find a path forward, and many electronic musicians interested in experimentation and improvisation are entering into dialogues with jazz.

Music & Culture

All Ears: Vibrations Across Time And Space

8:43am July 09, 2019

by Ruth Saxelby

Club music is often grounded in bass and rhythm, but electronic and dance songs that feature wind instruments explore innovation as well as connections with histories of jazz and indigenous music.

Music & Culture

How João Gilberto's Music Sparked An Aesthetic Revolution

4:07pm July 08, 2019

by Tom Moon

The legendary Brazilian inverted the cacophony of samba, creating a worldwide sensation, forever influencing the sound of an entire country.

Molly Tuttle inside the World Cafe Performance Studio

Music & Culture

Molly Tuttle Plays A Mean Guitar On 'When You're Ready'

2:03pm July 08, 2019

Watching Molly Tuttle's fingers fly across a guitar with dizzying speed and graceful precision is nothing short of remarkable.

American Football plays a Tiny Desk Concert on May 23, 2019 (Claire Harbage/NPR).

Music & Culture

American Football: Tiny Desk Concert

1:07pm July 08, 2019

by Lars Gotrich

Who would've thought that American Football's fruitful reunion would not only include some of the emo band's best songs, but also a children's choir at the Tiny Desk?