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Hazel Cills Hazel Cills is an editor at NPR Music and a regular contributor to All Songs Considered.
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Hazel Cills

Friday

New Music Friday: The best albums out May 17

Rapsody (left) and Erykah Badu Courtesy of the artists hide caption

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Courtesy of the artists

All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: The best albums out May 17

NPR Music's Stephen Thompson and Hazel Cills discuss new releases by Billie Eilish, Portishead's Beth Gibbons and Rapsody.

New Music Friday: The best albums out May 17

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Wednesday

8 Tracks: What was the Steve Albini sound? Almost everything

Artists like Superchunk, Neurosis, Pixies, Low, Mogwai and Joanna Newsom came to recording engineer Steve Albini when they had something righteous or defiant to proclaim. Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty hide caption

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Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty

Music

8 Tracks: What was the Steve Albini sound? Almost everything

If an artist was willing to confront their truths, Albini was ready to take them into the gaping maw. The recording engineer, who died last week, left an indelible mark on how we hear music.

Friday

New Music Friday: The best albums out May 3

You could call Dua Lipa's third album, Radical Optimism, the further adventures in the pop music time machine. Tyrone Lebon/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Tyrone Lebon/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: The best albums out May 3

On the May 3 episode of New Music Friday, NPR Music's Hazel Cills and WRTI's Nate Chinen discuss the week's essential new albums, including Radical Optimism, from the dance-pop superstar Dua Lipa.

New Music Friday: The best albums out May 3

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Tuesday

Cruel songs for the cruelest month

Writer T.S. Eliot takes a reflective puff at a cigarette before starting work. Keystone Features/Getty Images hide caption

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Keystone Features/Getty Images

All Songs Considered

Cruel songs for the cruelest month

Is April, as T.S. Eliot put it, the cruelest month? We reflect on the question with a mix that's both cringe-inducing and hilarious, from the cruelest takedowns to the most insidious earworms.

Cruel songs for the cruelest month

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Friday

Music

Diving into Taylor Swift's 'Tortured Poets Department'

In the middle of a worldwide tour that has grossed more than one billion dollars, Taylor Swift has released her 11th album. It's called The Tortured Poets Department.

Diving into Taylor Swift's 'Tortured Poets Department'

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New Music Friday: Taylor Swift's 'Tortured Poets' and the best albums out April 19

Taylor Swift's new album, The Tortured Poets Department, immediately became one of the most anticipated releases of 2024 when she announced it on stage at the Grammy Awards in February. Beth Garrabrant/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: Taylor Swift's 'Tortured Poets' and the best albums out April 19

NPR Music's Ann Powers and Hazel Cills dig into Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department,' which hit streaming services last night, and share a handful of other new albums out Friday, April 19.

New Music Friday: Taylor Swift's 'Tortured Poets' and the best albums out April 19

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Tuesday

Tuesday

Relax: Songs to calm the nerves

Image from the cover to Laraaji's 2023 album, Segue to Infinity. Illustration by Jackie Lay/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Illustration by Jackie Lay/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

Relax: Songs to calm the nerves

It's music to the rescue on this week's All Songs Considered, with a mix of songs to slow the blood, including the one track scientists believe can reduce anxiety by up to 65%.

Relax: Songs to calm the nerves

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Monday

Friday

New Music Friday: The best albums out March 8

Kim Gordon's new album, The Collective, is out March 8. Danielle Neu/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Danielle Neu/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: The best albums out March 8

A wave of springtime releases might be just around the corner, but the biggest albums out this week are keeping things cool in an enticing variety of ways. Ann Powers and Hazel Cills discuss what Jack Antonoff, Norah Jones, Moor Mother's Camae Ayewa and Kim Gordon have in common, besides a common release date.

New Music Friday: The best albums out March 8

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Friday

Monday

Tuesday

Mix messages: Listeners share the songs that say 'I've got a crush on you'
Twentieth Century Fox

All Songs Considered

Mix messages: Listeners share the songs that say 'I've got a crush on you'

We asked listeners to tell us about a time they put a song on a mixtape or playlist to woo a crush. On this week's show, we share some of those songs ... and find out if they worked.

Mix messages: Listeners share the songs that say 'I've got a crush on you'

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Tuesday

The Contenders, Vol. 2: Our running list of the year's best songs

"Crowded Roomz," the latest single from Nia Archives, is one of the tracks we can't stop playing this week. Lola Banet/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Lola Banet/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

The Contenders, Vol. 2: Our running list of the year's best songs

Host Robin Hilton hangs with NPR's Hazel Cills and Sheldon Pearce to geek out about the new Billy Joel, Kim Gordon, Shygirl, Nia Archives and more.

The Contenders, Vol. 2: Our running list of the year's best songs

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Monday

Our 2024 Grammys Recap

Taylor Swift accepts the best pop vocal album award for Midnights onstage during the 66th Grammy Awards. Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy hide caption

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Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Our 2024 Grammys Recap

Every night is a big night for Taylor Swift. But this year's Grammy night proved especially big: Swift won album of the year for Midnights and announced her next album, titled The Tortured Poets Department. It may be time to pose the question: Have we reached peak Taylor Swift? Other major winners included Miley Cyrus, Billie Eilish and SZA. In fact, women swept all nine categories presented during Sunday night's telecast.

Our 2024 Grammys Recap

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