Music Articles An Early Live Gem from a Band on the Verge October 31, 2006 • This live version of "Lowdown," a gem from My Morning Jacket's At Dawn, serves as a great way to bring the uninitiated into the band's chiming majesty. At times, the screaming-arrow lead guitars thoroughly overshadow Jim James' voice. Somehow, though, the unassuming and beautiful melody prevails.
Music Articles The Who Is Back October 31, 2006 • Forty years ago, The Who raised the bar on rock 'n roll behavior. They were the first to smash their guitars and the first to destroy their hotel rooms. They've just released their first album in 24 years, and some threads will be familiar to longtime Who fans. The Who Is Back Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/6407635/6411416" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
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Music Articles From Japan to L.A. in a Matter of Minutes October 30, 2006 • It may extol the virtues of a home far away, but Bennie K's "Osaga" is hardly foreign: It mixes the flavors of L.A. and Osaka, combining Yuki's powerful alto and the sharp articulations and vocal acrobatics of Cico's rapping, with infectious beats and repeated calls of "where you from," "represent" and "come on."
Music Articles 'Press Play' Finds Diddy in Good Company October 30, 2006 • Sean Combs, known as "Diddy" to his fans, has released his first album in five years. The rap star and entrepreneur has a net worth of more than a quarter of a billion dollars. He hopes to add to his wealth with his new CD Press Play. 'Press Play' Finds Diddy in Good Company Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/6407228/6407229" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
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Music Articles The Sound of an Angry Mob Gathering Strength October 27, 2006 • World/Inferno Friendship Society's countless members convene around Jack Terricloth, whose grinning, genial stage persona only amplifies what appears to be a sinister intent. It should be a mess, but it coalesces instead into a combination of Bruce Springsteen, The Pogues and the noise the devil makes as cities burn.
Music Articles A Powerful Look at an Imaginary Tragedy October 26, 2006 • Okkervil River takes on a daunting challenge in a new song making the rounds as an MP3 download: It looks at the impact of a horrific event — in this case a presidential assassination — that hasn't actually taken place.
Music Articles An Insomniac's Tender Midnight Ruminations October 25, 2006 • Elvis Perkins can't be accused of bowing down to folk-music cliches: His masterful songs are graceful and tender but never whiny or obvious, while Dylan, Cohen and both Buckleys linger as only slight influences. In "While You Were Sleeping," Perkins takes a poetic, meandering stroll through the tangled gardens of nostalgia.
Music Articles Alien and Familiar: The Music of Hazmat Modine October 25, 2006 • Hazmat Modine is a New York band fronted by two harmonica players. Their repertoire starts with blues and branches into various genres of Americana, but always with a difference: tuba bass lines, lacings of Eastern European hammer dulcimer, or Tuvan throat singing. The group's debut CD is Bahamut — reviewer Banning Eyre says its charm lies in how it lends an air of mystery and other-worldliness to familiar sounds. Alien and Familiar: The Music of Hazmat Modine Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/6383386/6383387" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
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Music Articles A Young Jazzman's Funky Throwdown October 24, 2006 • It's funny how the best track on Do the Boomerang, Don Byron's tribute to legendary R&B saxophonist Junior Walker, gives James Brown's "There It Is" a makeover. Byron, arguably his generation's premier jazz clarinetist, covers James Brown on one of the year's zestiest jazz discs.
Music Articles Playing the Violin the Way Bach Heard It October 24, 2006 • Musician and Day to Day contributor David Was reviews a new album of classic music written by Johann Sebastian Bach, recorded by violinist John Holloway on a Baroque-style instrument with traditional gut strings. The results sound much the way the great composer may have actually heard the instrument in his day. Playing the Violin the Way Bach Heard It Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/6375012/6375013" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
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Music Articles A Mournful Longing Beneath the Surface October 23, 2006 • Best known as a member of the Stars and Broken Social Scene, Millan draws on themes of love and loneliness, and gives in to her country whims with her own take on the whiskey-drenched confessional.
Music Articles Remaining Vital by Staying the Same October 20, 2006 • Simply by staying true to what she's always done, Jett has not only survived in a hostile industry, but has also been repeatedly claimed anew by generations of music fans while retaining her air of danger and rebellion.
Music Articles Dessay Takes Handel for a Ride, with Poetry October 20, 2006 • The music of Handel is the subject of a CD from Natalie Dessay. Music critic Tom Manoff says the music, with poetry by Vatican Cardinal, can seem opulent and highly ornate. The CD is Delirio, with music by George Frideric Handel. Dessay Takes Handel for a Ride, with Poetry Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/6355034/6355035" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
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Music Articles Teitur's Soundtrack to Pleasant Dreams October 19, 2006 • "Don't Want You To Wake Up" is almost stridently good-natured, with Teitur extolling the virtues of watching a lover sleep amid strummed acoustic guitars and subtly breezy strings. The track never accelerates beyond an agreeable amble, but it isn't about momentum anyway.
Music Articles Hold Steady's 'Boys and Girls' with Problems October 19, 2006 • The Hold Steady is led by a very wordy, not-so-great singer named Craig Finn. The group's latest CD is Boys and Girls in America — a title taken from a line by Jack Kerouac. The line goes, "Boys and girls in America have such a sad time together." Critic Robert Christgau says that despite the band sounding a bit more like Bruce Springsteen, the characters are strong and indeed quite sad. Hold Steady's 'Boys and Girls' with Problems Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/6344622/6344623" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
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