Music Reviews : NPR

Walking Through Bad City In The First 'Iranian Vampire Western'

In A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night, Sheila Vand plays a vampire who wanders a town called, of all things, Bad City. Kino Lorber Inc. hide caption

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Kino Lorber Inc.

Walking Through Bad City In The First 'Iranian Vampire Western'

November 20, 2014 • Ana Lily Amirpour's first feature borrows from B-movies, vampire movies, westerns, pulp traditions, and vigilante stories. The vision may not always be coherent, but it's fascinating.

Music Review: 'Here is Barbara Lynn' Reissue

November 19, 2014 • Singer and guitarist Barbara Lynn is well-known for her classic late '60s soul music sound. Back then, she toured with James Brown and Otis Redding, and appeared on American Bandstand. Now, Atlantic Records has reissued her third album on vinyl.

Music Review: 'Here is Barbara Lynn' Reissue

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Bryan Ferry's new album, Avonmore, revisits his Roxy Music heyday. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

Bryan Ferry Slinks Home

November 18, 2014 • The 69-year-old singer returns to the brooding style he pioneered with Roxy Music in the 1970s and early '80s — and the result is some of his best solo work.

Bryan Ferry Slinks Home

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Inside The Wall: Pink Floyd's 'Final' Album Is Process On Display

Pink Floyd's new album is titled The Endless River. Albert Watson/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Albert Watson/Courtesy of the artist

Inside The Wall: Pink Floyd's 'Final' Album Is Process On Display

November 11, 2014 • While The Endless River may not satisfy song-hungry fans, it does make clear the group's knack for lush textural explorations.

Inside The Wall: Pink Floyd's 'Final' Album Is Process On Display

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Lee Ann Womack Scales Back And Goes Traditional And Moody

November 7, 2014 • Womack, who had the hit "I Hope You Dance," hasn't released a new album since 2008. The sound of her new album The Way I'm Livin' is different from the country music dominating the industry.

Lee Ann Womack Scales Back And Goes Traditional And Moody

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Re-Compositions, Not Covers: Sam Amidon's Personal Folk Collages

Sam Amidon's new album is titled Lily-O. Piper Ferguson/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Piper Ferguson/Courtesy of the artist

Re-Compositions, Not Covers: Sam Amidon's Personal Folk Collages

November 3, 2014 • On his new album, Lily-O, the folk musician approaches the genre with a sense of adventure, not reverence. In the process, he makes parts of our musical past viscerally present to us.

Re-Compositions, Not Covers: Sam Amidon's Personal Folk Collages

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Music

'Merry Widow' Operetta: Stage Versus Screen

October 31, 2014 • The Metropolitan Opera will be celebrating New Year's Eve with Franz Lehar's The Merry Widow in a new production starring soprano Fleming. But its greatest incarnations have been on film.

'Merry Widow' Operetta: Stage Versus Screen

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Music Of Honduran Singer Aurelio Rooted In Uplifting, Preserving His Culture

October 28, 2014 • Known only by his first name, Honduran singer Aurelio has been making music for a decade. Yet, Aurelio is not only known for his raspy voice and catchy cumbia melodies, but for his tireless work promoting the rights of his own people — the Garifuna. Now, the former parliament member is out with his latest album Landini.

Music Of Honduran Singer Aurelio Rooted In Uplifting, Preserving His Culture

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Grouper's new album, Ruins, comes out Oct. 31. Jason Bokros/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Jason Bokros/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

Review: Grouper, 'Ruins'

October 24, 2014 • Recorded with Liz Harris' voice, a piano and not much else, Ruins achieves striking intimacy, its emotional heft commanding attention throughout.

Ruins

Audio for First Listens is no longer available after the album is released.

Great Danes: Three Symphonic Albums By Danish Composers

A 1931 portrait of Danish composer Carl Nielsen by Sigurd Swane. Nielsen's symphonies are still undervalued. Alfredo Dagli Orti/The Art Arc hide caption

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Alfredo Dagli Orti/The Art Arc

Deceptive Cadence

Great Danes: Three Symphonic Albums By Danish Composers

October 23, 2014 • From tiny Denmark comes a big symphonic sound. Three recent albums offer a glimpse of the Nordic sound, from the undervalued Carl Nielsen, the experimental Per Nørgård and the accessible Poul Ruders.

Music Review: 'You're Dead!' By Flying Lotus

October 22, 2014 • Steven Ellison has built an impressive reputation among critics and fans in the know for mixing hip hop, jazz and electronica into something original. But even for the aforementioned followers, the new album from Ellison — better-known as Flying Lotus — is a surprise. It's all about death, not as something to be mourned but as a journey to be anticipated.

Music Review: 'You're Dead!' By Flying Lotus

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Restorations' new album, LP3, comes out Oct. 28. Andrew Swartz/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Andrew Swartz/Courtesy of the artist

Music Review: Lera Lynn's 'The Avenues'

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An Unofficial Memorial For Jazz Greats Jim Hall And Charlie Haden

October 14, 2014 • Hall and Haden performed as a duo at a concert in Montreal in 1990. Plans to release the album, Charlie Haden - Jim Hall, were in place before both artists passed away within the last year.

An Unofficial Memorial For Jazz Greats Jim Hall And Charlie Haden

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Bang The Drum Ever Faster In The Different Sports Arena Of 'Whiplash'

Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons face off in Damien Chazelle's impressive drumming-as-sport film, Whiplash. Daniel McFadden/Sony Pictures Classics hide caption

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Daniel McFadden/Sony Pictures Classics

Movie Reviews

Bang The Drum Ever Faster In The Different Sports Arena Of 'Whiplash'

October 9, 2014 • Damien Chazelle's heart-pounding teacher-student drama, Whiplash, sets a combination of a sports film and a genius tale like The Social Network in the world of jazz drumming.