Music

Hopelessness is Anohni's first solo album. It combines dance beats with a hard look at global issues.

Music & Culture

Anohni's 'Hopelessness' And The Power Of Speaking Out

6:00pm May 23, 2016

by NPR Staff

The former Antony And The Johnsons singer's first solo album combines dance beats with a stark look at global strife. "Raising your voice is the antidote to a sense of powerlessness," she says.

Music & Culture

Hey, Hey, It's 50 Years Of The Monkees!

4:28pm May 23, 2016

Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard wrote a song for The Monkees' new album, titled Good Times! NPR's Stephen Thompson shares "Me & Magdalena" with All Things Considered host Ari Shapiro.

Candice Hoyes uses her surrounding for inspiration — and New York City has no shortage of interesting sights.

Candice Hoyes Sings Blackness, Womanhood And History On Her New Jazz Album

4:24pm May 23, 2016

by Leah Donnella

When Candice Hoyes sings, she's channeling a legacy of black women in jazz. Her debut album, On a Turquoise Cloud, celebrates the genre's storied roots.

Saxophonist Maceo Parker Receives Award Honoring Folk Artists

4:06pm May 23, 2016

by Eddie Garcia

Celebrated North Carolina saxophonist Maceo Parker is receiving the North Carolina Heritage Award, which recognizes the state's premiere folk artists.

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Shimon the robot performs with a human colleague at Moogfest in Durham, N.C. on May 22.

Music & Culture

Your New Robot Overlord Turns Out To Be A Pretty Good Marimba Player

3:38pm May 23, 2016

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

Over the weekend, a four-armed robot named Shimon did something amazing: It played an improvised jazz set alongside a human bandmate at a music festival.

This week's episode of Metropolis opens with Sofi Tukker's "Matadora [Medina Remix]."

Music & Culture

Metropolis: 5/21/16

2:41pm May 23, 2016

Hear music from Classixx, Anohni, Gorgon City and more in this week's two-hour EDM mix from KCRW's Jason Bentley.

Music & Culture

Little Scream Casts A Dreamy Spell With 'Cult Following'

2:11pm May 23, 2016

by Ken Tucker

Musician Laurel Sprengelmeyer — aka Little Scream — refers to prayer, devotion, heaven and Satan on her new album. Critic Ken Tucker calls Cult Following a "testament to desire and endurance."

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Music & Culture

Robert Ellis: Tiny Desk Concert

11:11am May 23, 2016

by Lars Gotrich

Robert Ellis somehow finds wide-eyed wonder in heartbreak. He and guitarist Kelly Doyle play stripped-down yet thoughtfully busy arrangements from his ambitious country record.

Music & Culture

Songs We Love: Sarah Jarosz, 'House Of Mercy'

10:00am May 23, 2016

by Katie Presley

The folk and bluegrass artist takes a big, bold step, writing darker, more mature material. With stylized images of her bare skin, the video reads like an exploration beyond previous comfort zones.

Jazz Books: Conversations in Jazz and Music in the Air

From Duke To The Dead, Ralph J. Gleason Loved It All

9:24am May 23, 2016

by Felix Contreras

Two new volumes of work by the legendary music writer Ralph J. Gleason are out this spring. Though he grew up during the Jazz Age, Gleason loved acts like Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead too.