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First Listen Enjoy select, upcoming albums, in their entirety.
First Listen

First Listen

Hear upcoming albums in their entirety

Sunday

First Listen: Erin McKeown, 'Manifestra'

Erin McKeown's Manifestra comes out Jan. 15, 2013. Merri Cyr/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Merri Cyr/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: Erin McKeown, 'Manifestra'

Manifestra often mutes the singer-songwriter's genre-shredding side in favor of pointed folk songs about foreign policy, the death penalty and income inequality. Still, there's a certain springiness to the arrangements, thanks to a crack band whose horns, keyboards and strings exude elasticity.

Erin McKeown, 'Manifestra'

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Review: Broadcast, 'Berberian Sound Studio'

Detail from the Berberian Sound Studio poster. Broadcast was working on the soundtrack music for the film when singer Trish Keenan died in early 2011. Warp hide caption

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Warp

Review

Review: Broadcast, 'Berberian Sound Studio'

Though it was recorded as the soundtrack to a psychological thriller, Berberian Sound Studio actually works best when the listener's eyes stay shut.

Broadcast, 'Berberian Sound Studio'

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First Listen: Original Soundtrack, 'Hecho En Mexico'

Ranchera singer Lila Downs appears on the Hecho En Mexico soundtrack. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: Original Soundtrack, 'Hecho En Mexico'

The documentary film features a mix of traditional sounds and modern Mexican alternative artists.

'Hecho En Mexico,' Disc 1

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Sunday

First Listen: Tracey Thorn, 'Tinsel And Lights'

Tracey Thorn's album Tinsel and Lights was released Oct. 30. Edward Bishop/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Edward Bishop/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: Tracey Thorn, 'Tinsel And Lights'

Not since Aimee Mann's One More Drifter in the Snow has a collection of seasonal music been so finely engineered to locate the holidays' melancholy side. But Tinsel and Lights is as warmly rendered as it is achingly bittersweet.

Tracey Thorn, 'Tinsel And Lights'

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First Listen: KEM, 'What Christmas Means'

KEM's first holiday album, What Christmas Means, was released Oct. 16. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: KEM, 'What Christmas Means'

The R&B singer and songwriter's album goes down smooth. The vibe that we're used to from a lifetime of Christmas music — Eskimos figure large, children cannot sleep — is here, but these songs wear it lightly.

KEM, 'What Christmas Means'

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Sunday

First Listen: Tim Hecker & Daniel Lopatin, 'Instrumental Tourist'

Tim Hecker and Daniel Lopatin's new album, Instrumental Tourist, comes out Nov. 20. Spencer C. Yeh/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Spencer C. Yeh/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: Tim Hecker & Daniel Lopatin, 'Instrumental Tourist'

Few performers manipulate sound quite as aggressively or effectively as these electronic musicians; they form a single enveloping organism even as they dump their own distinct ideas into the mix.

Tim Hecker & Daniel Lopatin, 'Instrumental Tourist'

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First Listen: The Evens, 'The Odds'

The Evens' new album, The Odds, comes out Nov. 20. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: The Evens, 'The Odds'

On their third album, Ian MacKaye and Amy Farina confront what it means to be a grown-up punk: how to question authority while accepting adult responsibility.

The Evens, 'The Odds'

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Sunday

First Listen: Jozef Van Wissem & Jim Jarmusch, 'The Mystery Of Heaven'

Jozef Van Wissem and Jim Jarmusch's new album, The Mystery of Heaven, comes out Nov. 13. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: Jozef Van Wissem & Jim Jarmusch, 'The Mystery Of Heaven'

Van Wissem plays the lute with his heart equally in the 17th and 21st century. Jarmusch is a filmmaker whose work frequently blurs the line between movies and music. Together, they make a rich, appropriately cinematic sound on The Mystery of Heaven.

Jozef Van Wissem & Jim Jarmusch, 'The Mystery Of Heaven'

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Sunday

First Listen: Andy Stott, 'Luxury Problems'

Andy Stott's new album, Luxury Problems, comes out Nov. 6. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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First Listen: Andy Stott, 'Luxury Problems'

The British electronic producer mixes high, heavenly voices with deep, throbbing bass vibrations. From a sonic standpoint, you won't hear anything else like Luxury Problems this year.

Andy Stott, 'Luxury Problems'

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First Listen: Bomba Estéreo, 'Elegancia Tropical'

Bomba Estéreo's new album, Elegancia Tropical, comes out Nov. 6. Rafael Piñeros, Mulato Films/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Rafael Piñeros, Mulato Films/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: Bomba Estéreo, 'Elegancia Tropical'

For the Colombian band, life is more than a party, as Bomba Estéreo takes on thought-provoking themes and examines subtleties of pulse and tempo. Even a sweaty dance-floor cooker like "Rocas" conveys a deeply sensual sway.

Bomba Estéreo, 'Elegancia Tropical'

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Sunday

First Listen: Cody ChesnuTT, 'Landing On A Hundred'

Cody ChesnuTT's new album, Landing on a Hundred, comes out Oct. 23. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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First Listen: Cody ChesnuTT, 'Landing On A Hundred'

Landing on a Hundred is a dynamite collection of timeless, celebratory, searching soul music that yearns for meaning, views life as a circuitous journey, and finds cause to seek hope and give thanks along the way.

Cody ChesnuTT, 'Landing On A Hundred'

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First Listen: Charles Mingus, 'The Jazz Workshop Concerts, 1964-65'

Charles Mingus' The Jazz Workshop Concerts, 1964-65 comes out Oct. 30. Ray Avery/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Ray Avery/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: Charles Mingus, 'The Jazz Workshop Concerts, 1964-65'

In 1964, a jazz great tried his hand at his own record label. A new seven-CD box set of live recordings from Charles Mingus Enterprises, much of it previously unreleased, is a monumental example of how a genius dedicated his life to his art. Hear a full 1965 concert recording from the collection.

Charles Mingus, 'The Jazz Workshop Concerts, 1964-65'

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Thursday

First Listen: Café Tacvba, 'El Objeto Antes Llamado Disco'

Cafe Tacvba's new album, El Objeto Antes Llamado Disco, comes out Oct. 22. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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First Listen: Café Tacvba, 'El Objeto Antes Llamado Disco'

The band's first album in five years pulls off a remarkable feat: Coming two decades into Café Tacvba's career, it's as honest, humble and refreshing as the group's debut.

Café Tacvba, 'El Objeto Antes Llamado Disco'

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