Rock Rock, pop, and folk music performances and features from NPR news, NPR cultural programs, and NPR Music stations.
Rock
Clockwise from upper left: Big Thief, Shannon Lay, Queen of Jeans, Brittany Howard Courtesy of the artists hide caption
Sturgill Simpson's new album and movie, Sound & Fury, comes out Sept. 27. Semi Song/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Kim Gordon's No Home Record comes out Oct. 11. Natalia Mantini/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
A ripper from Lightning Bolt's Sonic Citadel is featured on this week's playlist. Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi (left, credit: Karen Cox), King Princess (top right, credit: Gabriela Barbieri), Cage The Elephant (bottom right, credit: Gabriela Barbieri ) Courtesy of the artists / WXPN hide caption
Kark Denson On World Cafe
Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker of Sleater-Kinney. Nikko LaMere/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Burn, Don't Freeze: Sleater-Kinney On Making Art In The Midst Of Change
Boston rapper Cousin Stizz. His latest release, Searching For My Next Thrill, is on our shortlist for the best new albums out this week. Courtesy of the artist hide caption
T Bone Burnett Josh Cheuse/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
T Bone Burnett On World Cafe
Sleater-Kinney performs on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on June 19, 2019. On July 1, drummer Janet Weiss announced her departure from the band after more than 20 years. Andrew Lipovsky/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images hide caption
Beirut Olga Baczynska/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Beirut On World Cafe
The title track from Arctic Sleep's Kindred Spirits appears on this week's playlist. Jennifer Weiler/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Bon Iver's Justin Vernon replaces the last album's airless, cluttered laptop-orchestra sound with more organic, approachable textures on i,i. Graham Tolbert /Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Jimmy Eat World's song "The Middle," from its 2001 album Bleed American, was a popular listener pick this week. Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Shovels & Rope inside the World Cafe Performance Studio Galea McGregor/WXPN hide caption
Shovels & Rope On World Cafe
Performing "Rebel Girl" felt risky in Bikini Kill's early years, Kathleen Hanna says. "There were confrontations, things thrown at us, stuff like that. So doing that song always felt like putting my superhero cape on." Jason Frank Rothenberg/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Fascination, Friendship And Desire: Kathleen Hanna On The Reign Of 'Rebel Girl'
half•alive plays a Tiny Desk Concert on June 21, 2019 (Shuran Huang/NPR). Shuran Huang/NPR hide caption
"If you think about it, it's almost like Dr. Seuss," Beauty Pill's Chad Clark notes about one of David Berman's lyrics, "if Dr. Seuss had become seriously depressed." Edd Westmacott/Getty Images hide caption
Pure Bathing Culture performing live for a WXPN Free At Noon Concert, recorded live for this World Cafe Session. Emily DeHart/WXPN hide caption
Pure Bathing Culture On World Cafe
The Regrettes' new album is titled How Do You Love? Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Among Authors plays a Tiny Desk Concert on June 20, 2019 (Olivia Falcigno/NPR). Olivia Falcigno/NPR hide caption
Susto inside the World Cafe Performance Studio Galea McGregor /WXPN hide caption