Music

Music & Culture

First Listen: Boston Symphony Orchestra, 'Shostakovich Symphonies Nos. 5, 8 & 9'

8:12am May 19, 2016

by Tom Huizenga

Contrasting symphonies by the brilliant but troubled Dmitri Shostakovich get deluxe treatments from conductor Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony.

PUP's new album, The Dream Is Over, comes out May 27.

Music & Culture

First Listen: PUP, 'The Dream Is Over'

7:00am May 19, 2016

by Lars Gotrich

The Toronto punk band sounds anthemic and unhinged on its second album, with shout-along pop songs that are at once communal and cathartic.

Bunny Wailer is the last living original member of the legendary reggae group The Wailers. He recently finished his first US tour in more than 20 years.

Music & Culture

On Anniversary Tour, Bunny Wailer Is Still A Blackheart Man

10:29pm May 18, 2016

by Banning Eyre

The last living member of Bob Marley and the Wailers recently finished his first U.S. tour in more than 20 years. "That's my legacy: to sing for you people," says the 69-year-old musician.

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Corinne Bailey Rae's new album, The Heart Speaks in Whispers, focuses on hope and transformation.

Music & Culture

On Corinne Bailey Rae's New Album, A Focus On Renewal

6:13pm May 18, 2016

by NPR Staff

Between her first and second albums, the British singer's world was shattered by loss. Rae says her latest, The Heart Speaks in Whispers, is all about transformation and hope.

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Music & Culture

Music Review: 'Take Me To the Alley,' Gregory Porter

4:46pm May 18, 2016

by Tom Moon

On his new album, Gregory Porter continues to redefine what it means to be a jazz singer. NPR's Tom Moon reviews Take Me to the Alley.

The Jayhawks will perform at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia for NonCOMM on Wednesday, May 18.

Music & Culture

Watch Live: Yeasayer, The Jayhawks And Kurt Vile At World Cafe Live

4:11pm May 18, 2016

Bonnie Raitt, Darlingside, Sunflower Bean, Hayes Carll and Amos Lee will also perform live in Philadelphia. Watch starting at 7 p.m. EDT.

Music & Culture

Tortoise On World Cafe

4:09pm May 18, 2016

Hear how an improvisational project provided the seed for the Chicago instrumentalists' new album, The Catastrophist.

Israeli-American violinist Itzhak Perlman playing in New York in 2009.

Music & Culture

Itzhak Perlman On Canceling In North Carolina: 'I Had To'

3:51pm May 18, 2016

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

Like Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam and others, the renowned violinist has canceled a North Carolina appearance over a law limiting civil rights protections for LGBT people.

"I just want to make stuff that feels humble and natural and 'right' and comes from somewhere other than just my brain," says Will Sheff of Okkervil River.

Music & Culture

Songs We Love: Okkervil River, 'Okkervil River R.I.P.'

3:00pm May 18, 2016

by David Dye

"I'm trying to correct mistakes I made before and do it right," Will Sheff says of his forthcoming album, Away. The opening track is a gorgeous seven-minute ride of reflection and metaphor.

Children of Bodom is one of the many bands in Finland's vibrant — and unique — heavy metal scene.

President Obama Is Familiar With Finland's Heavy Metal Scene. Are You?

8:18am May 18, 2016

by NPR Staff

Obama commended the country's prolific metal scene while speaking with European Nordic leaders. "Finland is making the weirdest heavy metal imaginable," Decibel editor-in-chief Albert Mudrian says.

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