New Mix: Music From M. Ward, Nothing, Marissa Nadler, A Chat With Mitski & More
New Mix: Music From M. Ward, Nothing, Marissa Nadler, A Chat With Mitski & More
Clockwise from upper left: Marissa Nadler, M. Ward, Mitski, Kyle Craft, Nothing Courtesy of the artists hide caption
This week on All Songs Considered, Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton call up Mitski to talk about her new song "Your Best American Girl" from her just announced album, Puberty 2. We also play a new song by Kyle Craft, former singer of one of our SXSW 2013 picks Gashcat, whose first recordings as a solo artist display his talent for great melodies and haunting lyrics. We also play a song from the first M. Ward solo record in four years, the warm, synth-laced "Girl From Conejo Valley."
Also on the show: Marissa Nadler nestles her voice into the dense darkness of her new sound and Robin highlights the catchy noise rock of Philadelphia's Nothing. Plus, Stephen Thompson breaks into the studio to talk about the Austin 100 (his annual playlist of great music that will be featured at the upcoming SXSW music festival) and one of the artists he discovered, Odetta Hartman.
There's more news from NPR Music: Mitski will be playing our SXSW Showcase on Wednesday, March 16 (the full lineup to be announced this Friday). Plus, we're announcing the winner of the Tiny Desk Contest on Thursday, so stay tuned for more great music and news!
Songs Featured On This Episode
New Mix: Music From M. Ward, Nothing, Marissa Nadler, A Chat With Mitski & More
Kyle Craft
- Song: Pentecost
- from Dolls of Highland
"Pentecost" sees Kyle Craft (whose band Gashcat would perform the song as a live rarity) return to his hometown in Louisiana, haunted by the ghost of a friend who took his own life. Paired with his knack for great melodies, it demonstrates Craft's emotional power as a songwriter.
Dolls of Highland is out April 29 on Sub Pop.
New Mix: Music From M. Ward, Nothing, Marissa Nadler, A Chat With Mitski & More
M. Ward
- Song: Girl From Conejo Valley
- from More Rain
The rolling thunder of the drums and the glowing synthesizers on "Girl From Conejo Valley" are classic M. Ward sounds, and as with everything he does, Ward injects the song with an incredible amount of warmth. Bob and Robin agree that his latest album, More Rain, may be his best work in the last 10 years.
More Rain is out March 4 on Merge Records.
New Mix: Music From M. Ward, Nothing, Marissa Nadler, A Chat With Mitski & More
Marissa Nadler
- Song: Janie In Love
- from Strangers
Marissa Nadler's beautiful, ethereal voice nestles snugly into the dark density of "Janie In Love." On Strangers, she trades in a delicate folk sound for something more atmospheric. Bob thinks it's a good exchange, and one that might finally win Nadler the love she deserves.
Strangers is out May 20 on Sacred Bones.
New Mix: Music From M. Ward, Nothing, Marissa Nadler, A Chat With Mitski & More
Mitski
- Song: Your Best American Girl
- from Puberty 2
Mitski uses "Your Best American Girl' to tackle the dualities in her identity: as a Japanese-American who doesn't feel fully American and as an artist torn between who she is and who she and others think she should be. It makes for potent subject matter, and she continues to demonstrate her incredible lyrical gift.
Listen to the full show to hear Mitski talk about the song, her changing writing style and the recording of her new album, Puberty 2.
Puberty 2 is out June 17 on Dead Oceans.
New Mix: Music From M. Ward, Nothing, Marissa Nadler, A Chat With Mitski & More
Odetta Hartman
- Song: Creektime
- from 222
Every year, in the months leading up to SXSW, NPR Music's Stephen Thompson listens to over 1800 songs to construct the Austin 100, his annual playlist of the best music you'll hear at the festival. His favorite discovery from this year's batch of songs was this one by Odetta Hartman. In only two minutes, "Creektime" takes you on a grand journey from the front porch to experimental horizons.
222 is out now on Northern Spy Records and the Austin 100 is live on the NPR Music main site.
New Mix: Music From M. Ward, Nothing, Marissa Nadler, A Chat With Mitski & More
Nothing
- Song: Vertigo Flowers
- from Tired of Tomorrow
The Philadelphia-based band Nothing had finished writing and had began recording its second LP in San Francisco when lead singer Domenic Palermo suffered intense head trauma during an assault. The subsequent vertigo and mental cloud hung over the sessions, leading Palermo to re-write many of the songs as a way to exorcise the haze from his head. The result is a dreamier noise rock, which you can hear on "Vertigo Flowers."
Tired of Tomorrow is out May 13 on Relapse Records.