Amy LaVere, Throwing 'Anchors & Anvils' Fresh Air May 31, 2007 • Anchors & Anvils is the jazzy, torchy, after-a-breakup second album by singer, actress and stand-up bassist Amy LaVere. Jim Dickinson, who's worked with Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones and the Replacements, produced the disc. Amy LaVere, Throwing 'Anchors & Anvils' Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/10576937/10576940" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
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Song Of The Day A 'Winter' Song for Summer Drives May 31, 2007 • The band's quaint pop sound, as heard on "Winter on Victoria Street," recalls an era before psychedelic rock, earning comparisons to the boy-meets-girl love songs of the early to mid-'60s.
Song Of The Day A Distinctive Ode to Destructive Freedom May 30, 2007 • Mando Diao departs from rock 'n' roll formula on "Good Morning, Herr Horst," adopting haunting chord progressions punctuated by klezmer rhythms. Below the song's whimsical melody and rhythm lies a dark message about the opportunities that come with squalor.
Song Of The Day Heartfelt Emotion in an Orchestral Arrangement May 29, 2007 • The songs of Canadian songwriter Barzin Hosseini present an ideal marriage of alt-country and slow-paced soundscapes. When his beautifully hypnotic "My Life in Rooms" is over, it continues to linger in the air like a sepia-toned daydream.
Music Interviews Satellite Party Is Latest Mission for Farrell May 29, 2007 • Singer Perry Farrell and his new band, Satellite Party, have taken up a noble cause. They aim to save the world, but the way they plan to do it is a little offbeat. They plan to meet their lofty goal by throwing parties. Satellite Party Is Latest Mission for Farrell Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/10512495/10512496" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
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World Cafe Apostle of Hustle: Indie-Rock Heads South XPN May 28, 2007 • The guitarist for Broken Social Scene, Andrew Whiteman became enraptured with Latin music after spending time in Cuba. The result is Apostle of Hustle, whose expansive and inventive sound encompasses traditional island folk and Cuban pop as well as indie-rock. Apostle of Hustle in Studio on World Cafe - 05/28/2007 Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/10515951/10516305" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
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Song Of The Day An Imaginary Cup of Tea for Two May 25, 2007 • Everyone on earth seems to have recorded "Tea for Two," but the multilingual lounge act Pink Martini makes it clear that the cloying classic is a fantasy. Paired with angel-voiced Jimmy Scott, singer China Forbes invests the song with a delicate intimacy.
Song Of The Day Power-Pop's Lone Wolf Issues a Warning May 24, 2007 • An acolyte of the Todd Rundgren school of lone-wolf power-pop, Richard X. Heyman has gone it mostly alone for two decades now. Often playing nearly every instrument on his records, he's produced a slim but sturdy catalogue of superior pop music.
Three Guys Named Willie, Merle and Ray May 23, 2007 • Willie Nelson is 74; Ray Price is 81; and Merle Haggard is a mere 70. The three of them have collaborated on a new double-CD, Last of the Breed. But despite the many years that the trio share between them, the music is pretty fresh. Three Guys Named Willie, Merle and Ray Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/10357987/10357990" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
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Culture Ibrahim Ferrer, 'Mi Sueño' Fresh Air May 23, 2007 • Music critic Milo Miles reviews Mi Sueño, the posthumous album from Cuban singer Ibrahim Ferrer, who made a name for himself in his later years as a member of the Buena Vista Social Club. Ferrer died in 2005, at age 78. Ibrahim Ferrer, 'Mi Sueño' Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/10347277/10347280" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
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Song Of The Day Vintage Keyboards and a Reverb-Driven Mantra May 22, 2007 • The band's tripped-out music is as mysterious as its members' bizarre personas. Recording under strange monikers, they use old keyboards to craft a psychedelic electronic mixture.
'Revenge,' Served Alt-Country Style Fresh Air May 22, 2007 • Robbie Fulks' 2-CD set of live performances gets a review from critic Ken Tucker. 'Revenge,' Served Alt-Country Style Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/10322850/10322851" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
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Song Of The Day The Back Woods Meet DJ Culture May 21, 2007 • The boisterous, California-based acid-jazz collective Greyboy Allstars delves deep into vintage soul on "How Glad I Am." Drawing on a snazzy groove, chicken-scratch guitar riffs and fatback horns, the song brings to mind the loose funk of Charles Wright's 103rd Street Rhythm Band.
World Cafe Brazzaville: Adventure and Experimentation XPN May 21, 2007 • With members from America and Spain, Brazzaville crafts spirited, unpredictable bossa nova music. Working from a foundation of guitars, bass, drums, keyboards, violin and the occasional brass instrument, Brazzaville has been lauded for its songs' texture and complexity. Brazzaville: Adventure and Experimentation Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/10307391/10307419" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
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New Music Jangly Rock with Frantic Intensity and Lusty Vocals May 18, 2007 • On "The Plot," White Rabbits' members demonstrate a fondness for twinkling keyboards, room-filling rock and snarling but seductive vocals. Playing a kind of pitch-perfect indie-soul, they draw inspiration from disparate sources like calypso and ska along the way.