
New Music Friday: The Top 9 Albums Out On March 27


The hip-hop producer, Knxwledge. His latest project, 1988, is on our shortlist of the best new albums out on March 27. Courtesy of the artist hide caption
What a week. It's been seven years since the grunge veterans Pearl Jam released a new album, but they return with a new one that's as fast and ragged as it is epic. Sufjan Stevens teams up with his stepfather, Asthmatic Kitty label cofounder and collaborator, Lowell Brams for a sprawling album of ambient and electronic instrumentals. There's also new music this week from the prolific hip-hop producer, Knxwledge, the electro-pop group Little Dragon, the soul and R&B singer known as Orion Sun and more. Host Robin Hilton is joined by NPR Music's Ann Powers and Stephen Thompson, along with Sam Sanders, host of NPR's It's Been A Minute, and John Morrison, host of XPN's Culture Cypher Radio and of the podcast Serious Rap S*** as they share their picks for the best new albums out on March 27.
Featured Albums:
- Pearl Jam — Gigaton
Featured Song: "Quick Escape" - Clem Snide — Forever Just Beyond
Featured Song: "Roger Ebert" - Little Dragon — New Me, Same Us
Featured Song: "Are You Feeling Sad?" - Sufjan Stevens and Lowell Brams — Aporia
Featured Songs: "Ousia," "Agathon" and "Misology" - Somni — Home
Featured Song: "Home" - Lilly Hiatt — Walking Proof
Featured Song: "P-Town" - Knxwledge — 1988
Featured Song: "Don't Be Afraid" - Orion Sun -- Hold Space for Me
Featured Song: "Grim Reaper" - Jacaszek — Music for Film
Featured Song: "The Iron Bridge"
Other notable releases for March 27: 5 Seconds of Summer — Calm; Basia Bulat — Are You In Love?; Bon Iver — Blood Bank 10th Anniversary Edition; Brian Fallon — Local Honey; Brooklyn Rider — Healing Modes; Cable Ties — Far Enough; Catholic Action — Celebrated by Strangers; Gold Cage — Social Crutch; Half Waif — The Caretaker; In this Moment — Mother; Jim Lauderdale — When Carolina Comes Home Again; Jessie Reyez — Before Love Came to Kill Us; Joyner Lucas — ADHD, Lakecia Benjamin — Pursuance: The Coltranes; Margaret Glaspy — Devotion; The Orb — Abolition of the Royal Familia; San Fermin — The Cormorant I & II; Vanessa Carlton — Love is an Art; Vikingur Olafsson — Debussy - Rameau; Waxahatchee — Saint Cloud.