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Friday

'The Planets' At 100: A Listener's Guide To Holst's Solar System

Our solar system is the subject of composer Gustav Holst's The Planets, which premiered 100 years ago on Sept. 29, 1918. NASA/Wikimedia commons hide caption

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NASA/Wikimedia commons

Deceptive Cadence

'The Planets' At 100: A Listener's Guide To Holst's Solar System

Take an interplanetary trek through the English composer's symphonic blockbuster with the help of a conductor and an astronomer.

'The Planets' At 100: A Listener's Guide To Holst's Solar System

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'Matangi / Maya / M.I.A.' Documents A Complex Life In Pop Atop An Unrelenting World

The life of Matangi Arulpragasam, best known as M.I.A., is examined in the new documentary Matangi/Maya/M.I.A. Here, she performs in Denmark in 2011. PYMCA/UIG via Getty Images hide caption

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PYMCA/UIG via Getty Images

Review

'Matangi / Maya / M.I.A.' Documents A Complex Life In Pop Atop An Unrelenting World

In the new documentary Matangi / Maya / M.I.A., director Steve Loveridge examines the development, rise and oppositional success of the iconoclastic pop star — who was always something else entirely.

Wednesday

Taylor Swift Is The 21st Century's Most Disorienting Pop Star

Taylor Swift performs during the Grammy Awards in 2016. Photo Illustration: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images and Angela Hsieh/NPR hide caption

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Photo Illustration: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images and Angela Hsieh/NPR

The 200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women+

Taylor Swift Is The 21st Century's Most Disorienting Pop Star

Many people have surmised the mega-star learned her knack for extensive personalization from her country roots. But there's another genre that is perhaps equally responsible for her sound: hip-hop.

Taylor Swift Is The 21st Century's Most Disorienting Pop Star

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Tuesday

Monday

Jeremy Dutcher, The Newest Light In Canada's Indigenous Renaissance

Jeremy Dutcher, photographed at the conclusion of his performance during the 2018 Polaris Prize ceremony on Sep. 17, 2018, where he was given the evening's top prize. Dustin Rabin/Polaris Prize hide caption

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Dustin Rabin/Polaris Prize

Jeremy Dutcher, The Newest Light In Canada's Indigenous Renaissance

Dutcher spent five years researching, writing and recording his brilliant and ambitious debut album, Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa -- now, it has earned one of Canada's most prestigious prizes.

Jeremy Dutcher, The Newest Light In Canada's Indigenous Renaissance

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'The Times They Are A-Changin" Still Speaks To Our Changing Times

Jennifer Hudson performs during the the March for Our Lives rally in Washington, D.C. on March 24, 2018. Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

American Anthem

'The Times They Are A-Changin" Still Speaks To Our Changing Times

The Bob Dylan classic came out in 1963 and was embraced by the civil rights and anti-war movements. Decades later, young people are finding it vibrates with new meaning.

'The Times They Are A-Changin" Still Speaks To Our Changing Times

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Friday

Meg White Is The 21st Century's Loudest Introvert

Meg White performs in Australia in 2003. Photo Illustration: Bob King/Redferns/Getty Images and Angela Hsieh/NPR hide caption

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Photo Illustration: Bob King/Redferns/Getty Images and Angela Hsieh/NPR

The 200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women+

Meg White Is The 21st Century's Loudest Introvert

White's drumming made her one of the loudest musicians of this century, yet she's often remembered for being a quiet person — setting a no-apologies template for letting her work speak for itself.

Meg White Is The 21st Century's Loudest Introvert

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Thursday

Where Hurricane Maria First Made Landfall, Songs Memorialize The Tragedy

Singer Alberto Carrión performs Amanecer Borincano, his song about sunrise over Puerto Rico, at the point where Hurricane Maria made landfall one year ago. Adrian Florido/NPR hide caption

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Adrian Florido/NPR

National

Where Hurricane Maria First Made Landfall, Songs Memorialize The Tragedy

At 6:15 a.m. on Sept. 20, 2017, Hurricane Maria made landfall on the shores of Yabucoa, Puerto Rico. One year later to the minute, and at the same spot, a choir memorialized that tragedy with song.

Where Hurricane Maria First Made Landfall, Songs Memorialize The Tragedy

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The Anthemic Allure Of 'Dixie,' An Enduring Confederate Monument

The 2nd South Carolina String Band in July, onstage in the main tent of the annual reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg. Bilal Qureshi for NPR hide caption

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Bilal Qureshi for NPR

American Anthem

The Anthemic Allure Of 'Dixie,' An Enduring Confederate Monument

Despite its origins in the popular music of the North, the song became the unofficial anthem of the Confederacy during the Civil War and still endures as a divisive symbol in modern America.

The Anthemic Allure Of 'Dixie,' An Enduring Confederate Monument

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Wednesday

Hayley Williams Is The 21st Century's Pop-Punk Prophet

Hayley Williams of Paramore performs onstage in Chicago, Ill. in 2013. Photo Illustration: Timothy Hiatt/Getty Images for Clear Channel and Angela Hsieh/NPR hide caption

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Photo Illustration: Timothy Hiatt/Getty Images for Clear Channel and Angela Hsieh/NPR

The 200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women+

Hayley Williams Is The 21st Century's Pop-Punk Prophet

There is no precedent for the Grammy-winning, chart-busting, Hot Topic-surviving Williams, who didn't offer permission so much as show a generation of emo girls they did not have to ask for it.

Tuesday

The Voice Behind One Of Hip-Hop's Most Famous Hooks

Lyn Collins, pictured here in 1970, inspired the chorus to Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock's pioneering hip-hop hit "It Takes Two." Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images hide caption

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Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

The Voice Behind One Of Hip-Hop's Most Famous Hooks

Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock put out their debut album 30 years ago featuring "It Takes Two." The song's sample was so widely recognized, it revitalized the career of Lyn Collins, the original artist.

The Voice Behind One Of Hip-Hop's Most Famous Hooks

Listen · 3:50
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Thursday

Joanna Newsom Is The 21st Century's Timeless Voice

Joanna Newsom performs on Late Night with Seth Meyers on March 16, 2016. Photo Illustration: Lloyd Bishop/NBC via Getty Images and Angela Hsieh/NPR hide caption

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Photo Illustration: Lloyd Bishop/NBC via Getty Images and Angela Hsieh/NPR

The 200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women+

Joanna Newsom Is The 21st Century's Timeless Voice

An expert composer, Newsom challenges the independent music world's standards for feminine voices. Her music offers a particular gift, inspiring listeners to get lost on their own journeys.