Song Of The Day Burnett Returns, with a Purpose May 31, 2006 • "Fear Country" is the sort of polemic that would come off as clumsy in lesser hands, but singer/producer T Bone Burnett smartly juices the song with sinister, shuffling rhythms that somehow maintain the intensity while taking the edge off.
Senegal's Cheikh Lo Brings 'Lamp Fall' May 31, 2006 • Cheikh Lo is from Senagal, but his music is steeped in rhythms from all over the world. In fact, many of the rhythms for his new CD came from work he did in Brazil with producer Nick Gold, known for his work with the Buena Vista Social Club. Senegal's Cheikh Lo Brings 'Lamp Fall' Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/5442736/5442737" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Senegal's Cheikh Lo Brings 'Lamp Fall' Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/5442736/5442737" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Song Of The Day A Bacharach Classic, Reinvented (Again) May 30, 2006 • El Michels Affair covers a Burt Bacharach classic, stripping the song down to the essence of its rhythmic thump and melodic sizzle. Still, it feels vibrant and vigorous even without the string accompaniment that helped define Isaac Hayes's take.
Song Of The Day Scenes from a Jaunty Rock Opera May 25, 2006 • In his new project, Sunset Rubdown, Wolf Parade's Spencer Krug expands his compositional grasp to create a full-fledged rock opera. The jaunty "They Took a Vote and Said No" arrives complete with a hummable chorus and a sinister underbelly.
Song Of The Day Sounds of a Perfect Summer Day May 24, 2006 • Luisito Quintero's Afro-Latin-inflected "Love Remains the Same" captures the carefree bliss of strolling through crowds on a warm, breezy afternoon, when everyone sparkles with a sun-kissed glow and each hour unfolds with newfound wonder.
Song Of The Day Finding Redemption in Rock 'n' Roll May 23, 2006 • The English rock band Art Brut erupts with a fireball of adolescent rage on "My Little Brother." Singer Eddie Argos sneers and shouts, with sarcastic, often-humorous observations that mock, yet ultimately glorify, the unique power of rock 'n' roll.
Neko Case's 'Fox Confessor' Fresh Air May 23, 2006 • Neko Case grew up in Tacoma, Wash., attended art school in Vancouver and performs and records with the Canadian pop-rock band The New Pornographers. As a solo artist, her music has often tended to be more influenced by country and folk music. Her new CD, Fox Confessor Brings The Flood, is her fourth studio album. Our music critic says it contains some of her most complex and beautiful music to date. Neko Case's 'Fox Confessor' Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/5425313/5425314" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Neko Case's 'Fox Confessor' Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/5425313/5425314" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Song Of The Day A Song for the Shoplifters May 22, 2006 • The Coup realizes what the best blues and soul artists always knew: Focus on everyday people, and you'll never run out of stories. For nearly 15 years, the duo has provided one of the lone voices speaking to the trials and tribulations of working-class, inner-city black life.
Song Of The Day A 'Time' for Sweetly Subtle Devastation May 19, 2006 • Even when she was singing in the poppy punk band Tiger Trap, Rose Melberg had a flair for sad, gentle melodies. During a career evolution that's taken her through stints as leader of Go Sailor and the appropriately named Softies, those melodies have only gotten sadder and gentler.
Song Of The Day Hands Clap, Then Wave in the Air May 18, 2006 • The Little Ones' "Lovers Who Uncover" recalls the work of Built to Spill in more ways than one: It occasionally brings to mind the Idaho rock bands odd sound, but it also spawns a similar sense of excitement and discovery.
Song Of The Day A Psychic Meltdown, Joined in Progress May 17, 2006 • With each beautiful and jarring chord change, Paul Simon and unlikely collaborator Brian Eno evoke raging rivers metaphorical and literal. It's easy to imagine this song — one of his best — carrying on for hours, an index of torments natural and manmade.
Song Of The Day A Wrenching Voice That Leaves a 'Bruise' May 16, 2006 • The Mountain Goats' John Darnielle is best known for his searing songs about troubled souls: speed freaks, co-dependent couples, abusers and the abused. "Sometimes I Still Feel the Bruise" displays his gifts as an interpreter, as well.
Song Of The Day Anti-Consumerism in an Accessible Package May 15, 2006 • The London duo Johnny Boy releases a single that's as catchy as its title is long. With a sound rooted in '60s pop, the result is an underground rock masterpiece: Sly and timeless, it works on multiple levels.
Song Of The Day Let the Summer of Sound Team Begin May 12, 2006 • Every summer has that album: one that defines the season while hearkening back to the mysteries and epiphanies of summers past. The newest incarnation may well be the work of Sound Team, which transforms indie-rock into a meatier, more inventive genre.
Song Of The Day Hushed Pop That Spans Continents May 11, 2006 • Jose Gonzalez was born in Sweden to Argentine parents and raised on bossa nova and Joy Division. Haunting and ominous yet seductively heartening, "Heartbeats" finds him reworking a song originally performed by the Swedish electro-pop band The Knife.