NPR Music

NPR Music Presents: Josh Ritter In Concert

3.3.13 at 11:00pm by Stephen Thompson

Ritter's new album, The Beast in Its Tracks, is by any definition a breakup record; he wrote it following his own divorce, and every song finds him picking through a relationship's wreckage in pursuit of root causes and a way forward. Watch him perform the album's songs live on Monday, March 4 in an exclusive First Listen Live show for NPR Music.

First Listen: Richard Thompson, 'Electric'

1.30.13 at 12:45am by Stephen Thompson

The title of Thompson's 21st solo album promises a change of pace while doubling as a mission statement. And, sure enough, the record finds the great guitarist, singer and songwriter plugging in and indulging his rock 'n' roll side, complete with occasional solos that qualify as workouts.

First Listen: Mavis Staples, 'One True Vine'

6.17.13 at 11:20am by Stephen Thompson

Produced by Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, One True Vine radiates reverence while summoning a slow burn well-suited to Staples' rich, dusky voice. Then, as the album blooms into something more celebratory, joy peeks through like slivers of sunshine.

First Listen: Bosnian Rainbows, 'Bosnian Rainbows'

6.16.13 at 11:45pm by Jasmine Garsd

Though both are powerful and iconoclastic performers, The Mars Volta's Omar Rodriguez Lopez and Le Butcherettes' Teri Gender Bender find a way to join together without crowding each other out.

First Listen: Smith Westerns, 'Soft Will'

6.16.13 at 11:45pm by Stephen Thompson

The Chicago band's third album unleashes a sparkly charm offensive that practically rolls down your car windows for you. Sweet and dreamy, slick and sunny, Soft Will is the sound of weaponized agreeability.

First Listen: Primal Scream, 'More Light'

6.9.13 at 10:45pm by Stephen Thompson

Overstuffed at 69 minutes, the Scottish band's 10th album plays out like a larger-than-life celebration of survival. Like the group itself, More Light is erratic and given to excess, but still reaching for transcendence — and vital enough to find what it's looking for.

First Listen: Lemuria, 'The Distance Is So Big'

6.9.13 at 10:45pm by Daoud Tyler-Ameen

The band's third album continues a tradition of songs that unfold like mini-suites, hopscotching from one melodic figure or time signature to the next with a playwright's sense of structure.

First Listen: Austra, 'Olympia'

6.9.13 at 10:45pm by Stephen Thompson

The Canadian band's second album showcases Katie Stelmanis' massive voice and increasingly personal lyrics in style, keeping one foot in the conservatory even as both are occupied on the dance floor.

First Listen: Statik Selektah, 'Extended Play'

6.9.13 at 10:45pm by Frannie Kelley

Mutual respect pervades Extended Play, an inviting, prideful album that's never snobby. Statik is something special — he makes functional, real-deal records that sound like the triumphant persistence of New York and the strains of nostalgia in a sunny day.

Rhye, Live In Concert

6.4.13 at 9:06am by Bob Boilen

The soulful band, known for being visually enigmatic in the media, requested that its New York City performance be filmed entirely in silhouette, with the lights dimmed low and shadows dancing to an evening of heartfelt love songs.