Review Song Of The Day A Grimly Lilting Ode to Loneliness February 29, 2008 • A sense of bittersweet resignation envelops The Everybodyfields' "Lonely Anywhere" like a fog, but the song is no mere downer. The song builds at a pace that seems almost glacial, until it swells into an affecting rumination on the ways a bad relationship is worse than no relationship at all. 'Lonely Anywhere' by The Everybodyfields Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/87796328/87795870" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
'Lonely Anywhere' by The Everybodyfields Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/87796328/87795870" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Review The 80th Annual Academy Awards Oscar-Winning Words of Hard-Won Hope February 25, 2008 • When Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova recorded the songs that would fill the soundtrack for the film Once, few expected that they'd find a wide audience. Now an unlikely Oscar-winner, "Falling Slowly" is a star-making showcase for Hansard and Irglova's bittersweet, beautiful music. 'Falling Slowly' by Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/19335238/5770430" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
'Falling Slowly' by Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/19335238/5770430" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Songs Of Love And Loathing So Your Tiny Black Heart Is Broken February 12, 2008 • These five songs are for those wishing to wallow in Valentine's Day's sheer, soul-wrecking brutality. Each has been carefully selected to provide a vivid soundtrack for those moments when alcohol isn't even necessary, so drunk is the listener on his or her own misery.
Review Song Of The Day Melancholy Gloom, Beautiful and Bruised January 15, 2008 • In "Serpentine," it takes about 40 seconds for Chris Bathgate to introduce himself as a skilled purveyor of lovely gloom. Throughout the song, a variety of handsome instrumental window dressing obscures a sad rumination on estrangement. 'Serpentine' by Chris Bathgate Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/18109388/18109276" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
'Serpentine' by Chris Bathgate Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/18109388/18109276" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Best Music of 2007 Songs of the Year: 2007's Best Music December 24, 2007 • Best-ofs tend to be most effective when the selections are purely a matter of personal taste — "favorites" rather than "best." 'Adventures in Solitude' by The New Pornographers Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/17577124/12588936" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
'Adventures in Solitude' by The New Pornographers Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/17577124/12588936" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Holiday Music 18 Hours of Christmas Music: My Holiday Hellride December 13, 2007 • The week of Thanksgiving, NPR Music producer Stephen Thompson completed a daunting task: He listened to nothing but new holiday CDs for an entire 18-hour drive. The trip yielded prizes and punishments, and even a minor Christmas miracle. 18 Hours of Christmas Music: My Holiday Hellride Listen Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/17180168/17196800" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
18 Hours of Christmas Music: My Holiday Hellride Listen Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/17180168/17196800" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Holiday Music A Very Tolerable Christmas November 30, 2007 • Great holiday music comes in many genres. But these five soft, pop-tinged selections hang together just right, making up a wintry mix of songs that, when heard collectively, simulate a soothing bath in a tub of warm cocoa.
Review Song Of The Day 'The Weight of Lies' and an Unforgettable Past November 29, 2007 • The Avett Brothers' reputation has been staked on its unhinged live shows, which mix a rock band's power with the frenetic speed of bluegrass. But the North Carolina trio's best songs, like "The Weight of Lies," are nuanced and incisive, showcasing uncommon wisdom. 'The Weight of Lies' by The Avett Brothers Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/16730901/16710842" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
'The Weight of Lies' by The Avett Brothers Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/16730901/16710842" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Review Song Of The Day A Sort of Homecoming, on the 'Day After Tomorrow' November 23, 2007 • Like so many great songs about complex issues, Linda Thompson's cover of Tom Waits' "Day After Tomorrow" views the ethics and impact of war on the smallest possible scale, functioning entirely from the perspective of a disillusioned soldier preparing to return home. 'Day After Tomorrow' by Linda Thompson Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/12444780/12444982" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
'Day After Tomorrow' by Linda Thompson Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/12444780/12444982" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Review Song Of The Day Mick Turner: Brooding Portent And A Stormy Cataclysm November 19, 2007 • In "Swing (Parts 1 & 2)," guitarist Mick Turner plucks out a simple, dreamy hook as a violin radiates unease. Meanwhile, drummer Jim White helps ratchet up the tension over the course of several eerie minutes. As a solo act, Turner expertly emulates his band, Dirty Three. 'Swing (Parts 1 & 2)' by Mick Turner/Tren Brothers Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/11825764/11825779" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
'Swing (Parts 1 & 2)' by Mick Turner/Tren Brothers Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/11825764/11825779" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Review Song Of The Day Scott Matthews' Study in Worried Beauty November 12, 2007 • In "Elusive," Matthews strips down to the essentials of his songwriting: a dusky croon, gently strummed guitar strings, a hypnotic melody. Opening with a beleaguered sigh and getting only incrementally more cheerful from there, "Elusive" is a study in dreamy beauty. 'Elusive' by Scott Matthews Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/16214229/16170621" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
'Elusive' by Scott Matthews Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/16214229/16170621" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Music It's Halloween, So Be of Good Cheer October 31, 2007 • Pumpkins are on doorsteps. Movie screens are aglow with zombies and torture devices. Virtually every show on television has a Halloween theme. For one last day, Halloween is everywhere. But where's the Halloween music? It's Halloween, So Be of Good Cheer Listen Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/15793556/15800028" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
It's Halloween, So Be of Good Cheer Listen Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/15793556/15800028" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Review Song Of The Day 'Take These Thoughts,' Drenched in Harmony October 23, 2007 • From its name to its stripped-down acoustic Americana, the L.A.-based duo Chris & Thomas revels in straightforward simplicity. But make no mistake: There's nothing easy about writing songs as purely infectious as "Take These Thoughts." 'Take These Thoughts' by Chris & Thomas Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/12028419/12028762" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
'Take These Thoughts' by Chris & Thomas Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/12028419/12028762" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Review Song Of The Day Obsessive Love in a Soft-Spoken Disguise October 10, 2007 • Fionn Regan's "Put a Penny in the Slot" has to be one of the most shyly nonchalant songs ever written from the perspective of a clinging ex-lover. Along the way, he casually slips in his underlying meaning: "I can't help from crying / I wish you were mine." 'Put a Penny in the Slot' by Fionn Regan Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/10345695/10345864" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
'Put a Penny in the Slot' by Fionn Regan Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/10345695/10345864" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Review Song Of The Day Rilo Kiley and the Joy of Liberation October 4, 2007 • For a band prone to sad confessionals, Rilo Kiley sounds downright gleeful on "Breakin' Up." Granted, it's a kiss-off song that practically fetishizes rationalization. But there's something uplifting about hearing singer Jenny Lewis "wash the blues away," for once. 'Breakin' Up' by Rilo Kiley Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/14983500/14968783" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
'Breakin' Up' by Rilo Kiley Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/14983500/14968783" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
