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First Listen archive

Georgia Anne Muldrow and Dudley Perkins' new album as G&D, The Lighthouse, comes out May 21.

Listen First Listen: G&D, 'The Lighthouse'

May 12, 2013 – Georgia Anne Muldrow and Dudley Perkins engineer an idea-packed collision of funky, soulful sounds.

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Piñata Protest's new album, El Valiente, comes out May 21.

Listen First Listen: Piñata Protest, 'El Valiente'

May 12, 2013 – The Texas band freshens traditional Mexican music with an ear toward punk energy and intense power.

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The Handsome Family's new album, Wilderness, comes out May 14.

Listen First Listen: The Handsome Family, 'Wilderness'

May 12, 2013 – The duo returns with an album about wildlife, with an emphasis on nature's capacity for destruction.

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Glenn Jones' new album, My Garden State, comes out May 14.

Read First Listen: Glenn Jones, 'My Garden State'

May 5, 2013 – The American Primitive guitarist wrote My Garden State while caring for his mother in New Jersey.

Eluvium's new album, Nightmare Ending, comes out May 14.

Read First Listen: Eluvium, 'Nightmare Ending'

May 5, 2013 – Amorphous and instrumental, Eluvium's songs suggest a sea of emotions: joy, sorrow, fear, love, awe.

Classixx's new album, Hanging Gardens, comes out May 14.

Read First Listen: Classixx, 'Hanging Gardens'

May 5, 2013 – At once, Hanging Gardens feels vibrant and vintage, unmistakably young and inexplicably nostalgic.

The soundtrack to Baz Luhrmann's film The Great Gatsby, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, comes out May 7.

Read First Listen: Music From Baz Luhrmann's Film 'The Great Gatsby'

May 2, 2013 – The soundtrack to Baz Luhrmann's film transplants Jazz Age sensibilities to the hip-hop era.

Natalie Maines' new album, Mother, comes out May 7.

Read First Listen: Natalie Maines, 'Mother'

April 28, 2013 – The Dixie Chicks singer shows how her fearlessness blends with compassion and stunning vocal chops.

She & Him's new album, Volume 3, comes out May 7.

Read First Listen: She & Him, 'Volume 3'

April 28, 2013 – Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward's new Volume 3 seems to be floating through AM speakers at all times.

Mikal Cronin's new album, MCII, comes out May 7.

Read First Listen: Mikal Cronin, 'MCII'

April 28, 2013 – The multi-instrumentalist applies a beachy sparkle to 37 minutes of fresh, fun rock 'n' roll.

La Vida Boheme's new album, Sera, comes out May 14.

Read First Listen: La Vida Boheme, 'Sera'

April 28, 2013 – The inventive, politically inclined Venezuelan band has done well by doing whatever it pleases.

Colin Stetson's new album, New History Warfare, Vol. 3: To See More Light, comes out April 30.

Read First Listen: Colin Stetson, 'New History Warfare Vol. 3: To See More Light'

April 21, 2013 – The saxophonist uses circular breathing to craft muscular soundscapes that bulge and roar ominously.

Iggy & The Stooges' new album, Ready To Die, comes out April 30.

Read First Listen: Iggy & The Stooges, 'Ready To Die'

April 21, 2013 – With humor intact and the guitars loud, Ready to Die reunites Iggy Pop with his Stooges' guitarist.

Deerhunter's new album, Monomania, comes out May 7.

Listen First Listen: Deerhunter, 'Monomania'

April 21, 2013 – Monomania has a dirtier, wirier, less fussed-over feel than the band has cultivated in recent years.

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David Lang's new album, Death Speaks, comes out April 30.

Read First Listen: David Lang, 'Death Speaks'

April 21, 2013 – Aided by Schubert and four stellar musicians, the Pulitzer-winning composer ponders the afterlife.

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