First Listen : NPR

First Listen: Buff1 And DJ Rhettmatic, 'Crown Royale'

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First Listen: Buff1 And DJ Rhettmatic, 'Crown Royale'

November 28, 2010 • While the time for questioning hip-hop's vitality may be over, the Athletic Mic League King and the World Famous Beat Junkie know there's still a void to be filled. Hear Buff1 and DJ Rhettmatic's much-delayed collaborative album in its entirety until Dec. 7.

First Listen: Calle 13, 'Entren Los Que Quieran'

Calle 13 is a duo of step-brothers René Pérez Joglar (on the left) and Eduardo José Cabra Martínez. courtesy of the artist hide caption

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First Listen: Calle 13, 'Entren Los Que Quieran'

November 19, 2010 • It indiscriminately pokes fun at icons of Latin entertainment, but Calle 13 isn't just a group of crude rebels. The band applies its irreverent wittiness to sexual innuendo and political protest alike on its new album, available for streaming here.

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Max Vadukul

First Listen: Keith Urban, 'Get Closer'

November 14, 2010 • As straightforward as Urban's poppy country might seem at first blush, his new album pulls off an impressive feat: He almost always finds a way to make songs for his movie-star wife sound like radio-ready odes to top-down teenage bliss. Hear Get Closer in its entirety until Nov. 23.

First Listen: William Tyler, 'Behold The Spirit'

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Rebecca Gillespie

First Listen: William Tyler, 'Behold The Spirit'

November 14, 2010 • The quietly thoughtful Behold the Spirit is Tyler's first acoustic-guitar record to be released under his own name.

Review: Agalloch, 'Marrow Of The Spirit'

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Veleda Thorsson

Review

Review: Agalloch, 'Marrow Of The Spirit'

November 14, 2010 • Agalloch's folk-inspired black metal is highly atmospheric — the musical equivalent of fire emerging from fog. Marrow of the Spirit works to dispense healing through melancholy.

Stereolab recorded the songs on Not Music in the same 2007 session that yielded Chemical Chords. Steve Double hide caption

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Steve Double

First Listen: Stereolab, 'Not Music'

November 7, 2010 • Many groups constantly change their identity, but it's reassuring that the pioneering post-rock band's longevity comes from its devotion to meticulous tinkering and refinement.

First Listen: Bruce Springsteen Revisits 'Darkness' With 'The Promise'

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Frank Stefanko

First Listen: Bruce Springsteen Revisits 'Darkness' With 'The Promise'

October 31, 2010 • The Promise, subtitled The Lost Sessions: Darkness on the Edge of Town, is not the usual odds-and-ends reissue package. It pieces together a classic album that could have been made during the fruitful period after Bruce Springsteen's seminal Born to Run. Hear 15 select tracks until Nov. 16.

First Listen: Cee Lo Green, 'The Lady Killer'

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First Listen: Cee Lo Green, 'The Lady Killer'

October 31, 2010 • Cee Lo returns with a solo album starring a new character, The Lady Killer. The first single from the record, "F--- You," was a huge viral hit over the summer, and now you can stream the entire record until its release on Nov. 9.

Salome is (left to right) Kat, Aaron Deal and Rob Moore. Josh Sisk hide caption

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Josh Sisk

Review: Salome, 'Terminal'

October 31, 2010 • On Terminal, the Virginia-based doom-metal trio Salome demands your skull bleached white from its blasted, dark vibrations.

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Nino Andres

First Listen: A Tribute To Os Mutantes

October 31, 2010 • Kurt Cobain begged its members to get back together. Beck described listening to them as a revelation. The Brazilian band Os Mutantes opened doors for generations of rockers. Now, a tribute album (available for streaming here until Nov. 9) honors an essential Latin rock act.

First Listen: Brian Eno, 'Small Craft On A Milk Sea'

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Sergio Dionisio

First Listen: Brian Eno, 'Small Craft On A Milk Sea'

October 24, 2010 • Unlike many of Eno's ambient albums, this one has many shifting moods -- sometimes it lulls quietly, other times it's fierce. These tracks can affect how you see the world. Hear the entire album here until it is released on Nov. 2.

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First Listen: Black Dub, 'Black Dub'

KCRW

October 24, 2010 • With his new project, Black Dub, Lanois brings together a deeply connected collective of musicians. Renowned Louisiana bass player Daryl Johnson and New Orleans virtuoso drummer Brian Blade are longtime Lanois collaborators, while young Trixie Whitley, provides the spiritual continuum.

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First Listen: Weekend, 'Sports'

October 24, 2010 • At the core of this San Francisco trio's debut album Sports is a persistent tug-of-war between the forces of punk and shoegaze. It's one release not to be overlooked this November.

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First Listen: Bryan Ferry, 'Olympia'

October 19, 2010 • Hear Ferry's sensuous, densely layered, sophisticated new album until its release on Oct. 26. Naturally, at the center of Olympia is the veteran singer's elegant voice.

First Listen: The Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger

Sean Lennon and Charlotte Kemp Muhl record and perform together as The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger. courtesy of the artist hide caption

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First Listen: The Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger

October 17, 2010 • Together, Sean Lennon and Charlotte Kemp Muhl have produced a finely calibrated mix of blissful psych-pop, complete with sweet two-part harmonies and wistful, wandering melodies inspired by '60s French pop. Hear their new album in its entirety until its release on Oct. 26.

First Listen

Sunday November 28, 2010

First Listen: Buff1 And DJ Rhettmatic, 'Crown Royale'

Friday November 19, 2010

First Listen: Calle 13, 'Entren Los Que Quieran'

Sunday November 14, 2010

First Listen: Keith Urban, 'Get Closer'

First Listen: William Tyler, 'Behold The Spirit'

Review

Review: Agalloch, 'Marrow Of The Spirit'

Sunday November 7, 2010

First Listen: Stereolab, 'Not Music'

Sunday October 31, 2010

First Listen: Bruce Springsteen Revisits 'Darkness' With 'The Promise'

First Listen: Cee Lo Green, 'The Lady Killer'

Review: Salome, 'Terminal'

First Listen: A Tribute To Os Mutantes

Sunday October 24, 2010

First Listen: Brian Eno, 'Small Craft On A Milk Sea'

First Listen: Black Dub, 'Black Dub'

KCRW

First Listen: Weekend, 'Sports'

Tuesday October 19, 2010

First Listen: Bryan Ferry, 'Olympia'

Sunday October 17, 2010

First Listen: The Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger