Music

"Every five years or so, there's just a transformation I kind of need to constantly be going under," Jake Shears says.

Music & Culture

Jake Shears Strikes Out On His Own

5:05pm August 10, 2018

Scissors Sisters won the hearts of Elton John, David Bowie and Bono before going on hiatus in 2012. Lead singer Jake Shears is back with a debut solo album, full of familiar quirks and dizzying fun.

Queue Listen Now

"When I am on stage, I finally feel like myself," Miski says. "I finally feel like I can be myself."

Music & Culture

Mitski's Many Lives

4:38pm August 10, 2018

Mitski's new album Be the Cowboy explores the singer's roles onstage, in relationships and as a woman in the world. The artist talked to NPR's Ailsa Chang about how there's no such thing as one identity.

Music & Culture

Khruangbin, Live In Concert: Newport Folk 2018

3:09pm August 10, 2018

by Carmel Holt

A power trio of an entirely different kind, the Houston band led a journey through globally-influenced funk, jazz, surf and psych-rock — before creating a live, instrumental hip-hop mixtape.

In a short video drawing attention this week, musician B.C. Manjunath uses the Fibonacci sequence to illustrate the depth and complexity of konnakol rhythms.

Music & Culture

Let This Percussionist Blow Your Mind With The Fibonacci Sequence

1:18pm August 10, 2018

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

A South Indian musician, B.C. Manjunath, takes on a seemingly magical sequence of numbers for a dazzling, gasp-worthy performance. (Also: Math. Is. Awesome.)

Jess Stacy is featured on this week's episode of Piano Jazz

Music & Culture

Jess Stacy On Piano Jazz

9:00am August 10, 2018

As one of the leading pianists of the swing era, Stacy was best known for his work with the Benny Goodman Orchestra and had a prolific career before stepping back from the music world in the 1950's.

Music & Culture

New Music Highlights Show Nuances Of Identity

9:00am August 10, 2018

by Felix Contreras

Summer's almost over so we present new sounds and three premieres from upcoming albums.

DAWN performs a Tiny Desk Concert on May 16, 2018 (Eslah Attar/NPR).

Music & Culture

DAWN: Tiny Desk Concert

8:16am August 10, 2018

by Lars Gotrich

DAWN has a breathless enthusiasm for shape-shifting pop music. She strips three songs to just the essentials, illuminating the impeccable songwriting behind her wild combination of sounds.

Festival goers attend the 2017 Outside Lands Music Festival at Golden Gate Park on Aug. 12, 2017, in San Francisco.

Music & Culture

Stream The Outside Lands Festival This Weekend, Including Sets From Bon Iver, Future

2:45pm August 09, 2018

by Emily Abshire

Those of us not heading to San Francisco this weekend can stream sets from headliners Bon Iver and Future, as well as Father John Misty, Mac DeMarco, Margo Price, Tycho and more.

Lady Gaga performs in Los Angeles. Two of her songs — "Bad Romance" and "Born This Way" — are included in NPR's list of the greatest songs by 21st-century women and non-binary artists.

Music & Culture

'More A Conversation Than A Canon:' How Do We Decide Greatness In The Present Tense?

1:49pm August 09, 2018

by Talia Schlanger

To celebrate our list of the 200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women+, a group of contributors gathered to talk about the artists who are defying labels, blazing trails and reclaiming history today.

Music & Culture

Nick Lowe And Los Straitjackets On World Cafe

1:43pm August 09, 2018

by Stephen Kallao

Los Straitjackets has been backing Lowe for the last few years of touring, so it was only natural that he and the band would record together for this session.