NPR Topics: Music Reviews http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1104&ft=1&f=1104 Music reviews of the best new albums in pop, rock, folk, jazz, blues, classical, world, and urban music. Song of the day, artist interviews, video sessions, and album reviews. Copyright 2009 NPR - For Personal Use Only NPR API RSS Generator 0.93 Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:00:00 -0500 http://media.npr.org/images/npr_news_123x20.gif Music Reviews http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1104&ft=1&f=1104 Jon Hopkins: Ethereal Tones, Grimy Rhythms Hopkins' atmospheric "Insides" lumbers with a beat that's 50 stories tall; each gruff bass note hits like a defibrillator to the brain, with subtle glitches providing aftershocks. The music breathes erratically as the rhythmic stomps start to thrash. An astral chorus reaches for the heavens, but everything sputters to a halt, leaving a single note to whisper in solitude. Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120708265&ft=1&f=1104 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120708265&ft=1&f=1104 Hopkins' atmospheric "Insides" lumbers with a beat that's 50 stories tall; each gruff bass note hits like a defibrillator to the brain, with subtle glitches providing aftershocks. The music breathes erratically as the rhythmic stomps start to thrash. An astral chorus reaches for the heavens, but everything sputters to a halt, leaving a single note to whisper in solitude.

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]]> Liam Finn And Eliza Jane: Shards Of Sound "Imagine what is possible if you could separate time," the two sing at the outset of "Long Way to Go." They provide a glimmer of what they have in mind during their live performances, wherein Finn samples himself playing one instrument before hopping over to the next, folding moments over on themselves until he's created a temporal loop of multiple Finns existing in one fragmented moment. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120701735&ft=1&f=1104 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120701735&ft=1&f=1104 "Imagine what is possible if you could separate time," the two sing at the outset of "Long Way to Go." They provide a glimmer of what they have in mind during their live performances, wherein Finn samples himself playing one instrument before hopping over to the next, folding moments over on themselves until he's created a temporal loop of multiple Finns existing in one fragmented moment.

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]]> Shakira: Just Following The Pack? On <em>She Wolf</em>, Shakira teams up again with songwriter-producer Wyclef Jean, but it sounds as if they're trying to recapture the magic of her global smash "Hips Don't Lie." The duo replaces the Latin and Middle Eastern beats with generic dance-pop diva moves. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:59:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120700449&ft=1&f=1104 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120700449&ft=1&f=1104 On She Wolf, Shakira teams up again with songwriter-producer Wyclef Jean, but it sounds as if they're trying to recapture the magic of her global smash "Hips Don't Lie." The duo replaces the Latin and Middle Eastern beats with generic dance-pop diva moves.

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]]> Jemina Pearl: Winning Friends With Iggy Pop There's just something about Iggy Pop. It's that voice: implacable, tomblike, capable of conferring gravity upon the slightest slip of a song. In this case, the song is the cheery ode to misanthropy "I Hate People," by 22-year-old Jemina Pearl, former frontwoman of the short-lived, much-loved Be Your Own Pet. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:32:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120682525&ft=1&f=1104 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120682525&ft=1&f=1104 There's just something about Iggy Pop. It's that voice: implacable, tomblike, capable of conferring gravity upon the slightest slip of a song. In this case, the song is the cheery ode to misanthropy "I Hate People," by 22-year-old Jemina Pearl, former frontwoman of the short-lived, much-loved Be Your Own Pet.

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]]> The Decade In Music: Beyonce's 'Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)' (2009) Sure, "Single Ladies" actually came out in 2008. But since we don't have numbers on this year yet, it's fair to argue that it's the jam of 2009. (Though, admittedly, some would argue that it's neck and neck with Miley Cyrus' "Party In The U.S.A.") Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:12:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120618331&ft=1&f=1104 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120618331&ft=1&f=1104 Sure, "Single Ladies" actually came out in 2008. But since we don't have numbers on this year yet, it's fair to argue that it's the jam of 2009. (Though, admittedly, some would argue that it's neck and neck with Miley Cyrus' "Party In The U.S.A.")

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]]> Exclusive First Listen: Fever Ray, 'Live At Lulea' Taking time out from the icy synth-pop duo The Knife to perform as Fever Ray, Karin Dreijer-Andersson makes electronic pop music imbued with haunted fragility. Hear a revealing example of Fever Ray's mysterious aesthetic, <em>Live at Lulea</em>, in its entirety until Nov. 24. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:10:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120453312&ft=1&f=1104 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120453312&ft=1&f=1104 Taking time out from the icy synth-pop duo The Knife to perform as Fever Ray, Karin Dreijer-Andersson makes electronic pop music imbued with haunted fragility. Hear a revealing example of Fever Ray's mysterious aesthetic, Live at Lulea, in its entirety until Nov. 24.

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]]> The Decade In Music: Gnarls Barkley's 'Crazy' (2006) When it was announced that Goodie Mob's Cee-Lo Green and producer Danger Mouse were going to collaborate as Gnarls Barkley, there was no predicting the massive success of "Crazy." It was a song <em>everyone</em> seemed to like, and it remains a left-field wonder of psychedelic soul. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:32:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120469364&ft=1&f=1104 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120469364&ft=1&f=1104 When it was announced that Goodie Mob's Cee-Lo Green and producer Danger Mouse were going to collaborate as Gnarls Barkley, there was no predicting the massive success of "Crazy." It was a song everyone seemed to like, and it remains a left-field wonder of psychedelic soul.

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]]> Egberto Gismonti: Guitars That Dazzle Few sounds get under the skin quite as readily as that of bare hands plucking nylon strings. Gismonti and his son make listeners feel the sensuousness of every note. Their palette of sounds and ideas is so varied that the music is impossible to classify. This session features some of the most exciting guitar playing you're likely to hear all year. Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:22:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120317487&ft=1&f=1104 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120317487&ft=1&f=1104 Few sounds get under the skin quite as readily as that of bare hands plucking nylon strings. Gismonti and his son make listeners feel the sensuousness of every note. Their palette of sounds and ideas is so varied that the music is impossible to classify. This session features some of the most exciting guitar playing you're likely to hear all year.

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]]> The Decade In Music: 50 Cent's 'In Da Club' (2003) "In Da Club" was a ubiquitous presence on seemingly every commercial radio station, at every hour of the day. The song made 50 Cent out to be a loveable, huggable roughneck the likes of which the ladies hadn't seen since Method Man. "I'm into having sex, I ain't into making love," he drawls, adding, "So come give me a hug." Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:54:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120354750&ft=1&f=1104 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120354750&ft=1&f=1104 "In Da Club" was a ubiquitous presence on seemingly every commercial radio station, at every hour of the day. The song made 50 Cent out to be a loveable, huggable roughneck the likes of which the ladies hadn't seen since Method Man. "I'm into having sex, I ain't into making love," he drawls, adding, "So come give me a hug."

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]]> The Decade In Music: Jimmy Eat World's 'The Middle' (2002) Mainstream rock was in dire straits in the early 2000s, but out of a world of jaw-wired-shut self-plagiarizers and rap-rockers came arguably the power-pop anthem of the decade. Jimmy Eat World's "The Middle" is a hopeful, energetically poppy punk song about being yourself. Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:18:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120291047&ft=1&f=1104 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120291047&ft=1&f=1104 Mainstream rock was in dire straits in the early 2000s, but out of a world of jaw-wired-shut self-plagiarizers and rap-rockers came arguably the power-pop anthem of the decade. Jimmy Eat World's "The Middle" is a hopeful, energetically poppy punk song about being yourself.

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]]> Tito x 2: Celebrating The Kings Of Mambo Again Music critic Milo Miles reviews two new collections of tunes from the late Latin pioneers Tito Rodriguez and Tito Puente. The two were rivals on the bandstand of the Palladium, the epicenter of the 1950s mambo craze. Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:43:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120307511&ft=1&f=1104 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120307511&ft=1&f=1104 Music critic Milo Miles reviews two new collections of tunes from the late Latin pioneers Tito Rodriguez and Tito Puente. The two were rivals on the bandstand of the Palladium, the epicenter of the 1950s mambo craze.

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]]> The Best Live Rock Record Ever? Nirvana's <em>Bleach</em> (reissued this month) didn't make much of a splash when it was released in 1989. But with hindsight, the album shows a band clearly hurtling toward greatness. A mere two years later, Nirvana headlined England's Reading Festival; by then, the greatness was obvious. Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:41:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120278141&ft=1&f=1104 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120278141&ft=1&f=1104 Nirvana's Bleach (reissued this month) didn't make much of a splash when it was released in 1989. But with hindsight, the album shows a band clearly hurtling toward greatness. A mere two years later, Nirvana headlined England's Reading Festival; by then, the greatness was obvious.

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]]> Strong And Simple As A 'Shadow On The Ground' You may not recognize the name James Hand, but that's just because you've never heard anything like him. The 57-year-old Texan has been in hidden away in country music scene for years, and if his third album <em>Shadow of the Ground</em> shows his age, critic Ken Tucker says it's just that Hand doesn't care what you think. Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120274118&ft=1&f=1104 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120274118&ft=1&f=1104 You may not recognize the name James Hand, but that's just because you've never heard anything like him. The 57-year-old Texan has been in hidden away in country music scene for years, and if his third album Shadow of the Ground shows his age, critic Ken Tucker says it's just that Hand doesn't care what you think.

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]]> The Decade In Music: OutKast's 'So Fresh, So Clean' (2001) As the music industry began to break apart and go niche, it's remarkable that a group as artistically ambitious as OutKast could break through the way it did. But <em>Stankonia</em> was one of those game-changing records that made everyone perk up and pay attention. Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:32:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120255173&ft=1&f=1104 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120255173&ft=1&f=1104 As the music industry began to break apart and go niche, it's remarkable that a group as artistically ambitious as OutKast could break through the way it did. But Stankonia was one of those game-changing records that made everyone perk up and pay attention.

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]]> Losing Jazz's Preconceptions With 'Historicity' In the last few years, some enterprising younger players have reinvented the piano-bass-drums jazz combo. It's not just that these trios play contemporary pop; it's also a shift in attitude. Vijay Iyer's trio doesn't worry about swinging all the time, although the buoyancy of swing inflects its rhythms as much as hip-hop does. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120240432&ft=1&f=1104 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120240432&ft=1&f=1104 In the last few years, some enterprising younger players have reinvented the piano-bass-drums jazz combo. It's not just that these trios play contemporary pop; it's also a shift in attitude. Vijay Iyer's trio doesn't worry about swinging all the time, although the buoyancy of swing inflects its rhythms as much as hip-hop does.

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