First Listen : NPR

Martha Wainwright's new album, Come Home to Mama, comes out Oct. 16.

Read First Listen: Martha Wainwright, 'Come Home To Mama'

First Listen: Martha Wainwright, 'Come Home To Mama'

October 7, 2012 – Loss, hope and rebirth flow through the veins of Wainwright's first studio album since 2008.

Tame Impala's new album, Lonerism, comes out Oct. 9.

Read First Listen: Tame Impala, 'Lonerism'

First Listen: Tame Impala, 'Lonerism'

September 30, 2012 – The Australian band makes alienation and introversion sound both alluring and, ironically, inviting.

Lord Huron's new album, Lonesome Dreams, comes out Oct. 9.

Read First Listen: Lord Huron, 'Lonesome Dreams'

First Listen: Lord Huron, 'Lonesome Dreams'

September 30, 2012 – Lonesome Dreams mixes the beachy lightness of summer with the bittersweet plaintiveness of autumn.

Freelance Whales' new album, Diluvia, comes out Oct. 9.

Read First Listen: Freelance Whales, 'Diluvia'

First Listen: Freelance Whales, 'Diluvia'

September 30, 2012 – Diluvia's songs sound worked-over and impeccable, yet ultimately land in a place of unfettered joy.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' new album, The Heist, comes out Oct. 9.

Read First Listen: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, 'The Heist'

First Listen: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, 'The Heist'

September 30, 2012 – The Heist, a new album from the versatile Seattle duo, has layers of humor, emotion and hooks.

Ultraísta's self-titled debut comes out Oct. 2.

Read First Listen: Ultraísta, 'Ultraísta'

First Listen: Ultraísta, 'Ultraísta'

September 26, 2012 – Producer Nigel Godrich's new project takes its inspiration from a surreal variation on minimalism.

Flying Lotus' new album, Until The Quiet Comes, comes out Oct 2.

Read First Listen: Flying Lotus, 'Until The Quiet Comes'

First Listen: Flying Lotus, 'Until The Quiet Comes'

September 23, 2012 – The producer's new album beats with a heart unique to its creator: adventurous but never muddled.

Beth Orton's new album, Sugaring Season, comes out Oct. 2.

Read First Listen: Beth Orton, 'Sugaring Season'

First Listen: Beth Orton, 'Sugaring Season'

September 23, 2012 – Ornate but not wispy, these songs aren't merely pretty; they also convey power that builds subtly.

Mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli's new album, Mission, comes out Oct. 2.

Read First Listen: Cecilia Bartoli, 'Mission'

First Listen: Cecilia Bartoli, 'Mission'

September 23, 2012 – The celebrated mezzo unearths music from a mysterious composer who doubled as a diplomat.

Read First Listen: Miguel, 'Kaleidoscope Dream'

First Listen: Miguel, 'Kaleidoscope Dream'

September 23, 2012 – The singer gleefully smashes together R&B, pop and rock to make love songs about the early days.

Efterklang's new album, Piramida, comes out Sept. 25.

Read First Listen: Efterklang, 'Piramida'

First Listen: Efterklang, 'Piramida'

September 16, 2012 – The Danish band explores a lost world, literally, and captures its sounds in the pursuit of beauty.

Melody's Echo Chamber's self-titled debut album comes out Sept. 25.

Read First Listen: Melody's Echo Chamber, 'Melody's Echo Chamber'

First Listen: Melody's Echo Chamber, 'Melody's Echo Chamber'

September 16, 2012 – The debut album by Paris-based Melody Prochet nods to many traditions without ever adhering to one.

Dependent and Happy, the latest full-length album from electronic producer Ricardo Villalobos, comes out Sept. 25.

Listen First Listen: Ricardo Villalobos, 'Dependent And Happy'

First Listen: Ricardo Villalobos, 'Dependent And Happy'

September 16, 2012 – Constructed to be absorbed in one sitting, the album picks up depth as it unfurls toward oblivion.

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Sera Cahoone's new album, Deer Creek Canyon, comes out Sept. 25.

Read First Listen: Sera Cahoone, 'Deer Creek Canyon'

First Listen: Sera Cahoone, 'Deer Creek Canyon'

September 16, 2012 – Hers is a voice of honeyed reassurance; of comfort and grace in the face of life's wearying churn.

Grizzly Bear's new album, Shields, comes out Sept. 18.

Read First Listen: Grizzly Bear, 'Shields'

First Listen: Grizzly Bear, 'Shields'

September 9, 2012 – The band's fourth album rewards listeners with strange surprises and a few hooky, expansive ringers.

First Listen archive

First Listen: Martha Wainwright, 'Come Home To Mama'

First Listen: Tame Impala, 'Lonerism'

First Listen: Lord Huron, 'Lonesome Dreams'

First Listen: Freelance Whales, 'Diluvia'

First Listen: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, 'The Heist'

First Listen: Ultraísta, 'Ultraísta'

First Listen: Flying Lotus, 'Until The Quiet Comes'

First Listen: Beth Orton, 'Sugaring Season'

First Listen: Cecilia Bartoli, 'Mission'

First Listen: Miguel, 'Kaleidoscope Dream'

First Listen: Efterklang, 'Piramida'

First Listen: Melody's Echo Chamber, 'Melody's Echo Chamber'

First Listen: Ricardo Villalobos, 'Dependent And Happy'

First Listen: Sera Cahoone, 'Deer Creek Canyon'

First Listen: Grizzly Bear, 'Shields'

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