First Listen : NPR

William Baker

First Listen: Kylie Minogue, 'Aphrodite'

June 28, 2010 • Aphrodite, Minogue's 11th album in a career spanning more than two decades, is meant to bring the international pop superstar back to her dance-floor roots. Hear the album in its entirety here until its release on July 6.

First Listen: Danger Mouse And Sparklehorse Team Up With David Lynch For 'Dark Night Of The Soul'

Left to right: David Lynch, Danger Mouse (Brian Burton), Sparklehorse (Mark Linkous). courtesy of EMI Records hide caption

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courtesy of EMI Records

Review

First Listen: Danger Mouse And Sparklehorse Team Up With David Lynch For 'Dark Night Of The Soul'

June 27, 2010 • It took more than a year of closely guarded negotiations, but Dark Night of the Soul, the mysterious album from Danger Mouse, Sparklehorse and David Lynch, is finally getting an official release. It was initially announced in the spring of 2009 but never came out because of an unspecified dispute between EMI Records and producer Brian Burton (a.k.a. Danger Mouse). The album will now be released on July 13. In the meantime, you can hear the whole thing here as part of NPR Music's First Listen series.

First Listen: Quantic Presenta Flowering Inferno, 'Dog With A Rope'

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courtesy of the artist

First Listen: Quantic Presenta Flowering Inferno, 'Dog With A Rope'

June 27, 2010 • Will Holland (a.k.a. Quantic) is now based in Cali, Colombia, where he started his latest project, Quantic Presents Flowering Inferno. Its new album, Dog With a Rope, features local musicians playing over his genre-blending production. Hear the album in its entirety until its release on July 13.

First Listen: 'Shangaan Electro: New Wave Dance Music From South Africa'

A girl dances to Shangaan music in the Soweto section of Johannesburg, South Africa. Sarah Fakray hide caption

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Sarah Fakray

First Listen: 'Shangaan Electro: New Wave Dance Music From South Africa'

June 27, 2010 • The World Cup is far from the only reason to party in Johannesburg. A new brand of dance music from Soweto has people moving like never before.

First Listen: The Pinker Tones, 'Modular'

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First Listen: The Pinker Tones, 'Modular'

June 22, 2010 • Modular, the new album by Spanish electronica group The Pinker Tones, is a light but satisfying musical dish, perfect for summer listening. On a bed of sweet beats, the tongue-in-cheek lyrics help make the album feel like a day at the beach -- in Ibiza. Hear the album in its entirety until its release on June 29.

First Listen: Alejandro Escovedo, 'Street Songs Of Love'

Alejandro Escovedo's Street Songs of Love features songwriting collaborations with Chuck Prophet, as well as guest artists such as Bruce Springsteen and Ian Hunter. Marina Chavez hide caption

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Marina Chavez

First Listen: Alejandro Escovedo, 'Street Songs Of Love'

June 20, 2010 • From the beginning, Escovedo has been writing crafty, intelligent music. Yet he's still the kind of easygoing performer who can be found walking down the street without an entourage. His latest album, in collaboration with Chuck Prophet, may well increase the number of music lovers who claim him as their own. Street Songs of Love will stream here in its entirety until its June 29 release.

First Listen: David Guetta, 'One Love (Bonus Mix)'

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Ellen Von Unwerth

First Listen: David Guetta, 'One Love (Bonus Mix)'

June 17, 2010 • DJ and producer David Guetta started spinning records in French nightclubs when he was only 17. Now, at 42, he's risen to the top of the nightclub world through his ability to mix Top 40 pop music with more aggressive electro sounds, bridging a gap between the underground house scene and the mainstream. Hear an album-length bonus mix from Guetta's latest release, One Love.

First Listen: The Chemical Brothers, 'Further'

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Hamish Brown

First Listen: The Chemical Brothers, 'Further'

June 13, 2010 • The Chemical Brothers' members are pioneers of the "big beat" scene that rose out of Britain in the mid-'90s. The duo's new album keeps the big beat sound, while exploring more psychedelic aspects of dance music. Hear the pair's knack for fusing dance styles on Further, available here in its entirety.

First Listen: David Karsten Daniels And Fight The Big Bull, 'I Mean To Live Here Still'

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First Listen: David Karsten Daniels And Fight The Big Bull, 'I Mean To Live Here Still'

June 13, 2010 • When a folky singer-songwriter in California and an adventurous nine-piece jazz band from central Virginia set Henry David Thoreau's poetry to music, the results were exuberant, messy and glorious. Hear the album in full leading up to its June 22 release.

First Listen: Herbie Hancock, 'The Imagine Project'

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Douglas Kirkland

First Listen: Herbie Hancock, 'The Imagine Project'

June 13, 2010 • Hancock has always had his feet planted firmly in both jazz and pop. His new album, a collection of collaborations with superstar vocalists, is unmistakably a pop record, but one that's as musically challenging as it is engaging and accessible. Hear The Imagine Project in its entirety until its release on June 22.

First Listen: 'Broken Hearts And Dirty Windows: Songs Of John Prine'

June 13, 2010 • A new tribute album features some of the best young singers in America, as they tackle a few of Prine's finest works: Josh Ritter performs "Mexican Home," Conor Oberst sings "Wedding Day in Funeralville," The Avett Brothers' members tackle "Spanish Pipedream" and so on. Hear the album in its entirety here until its release on June 22.

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First Listen: Stars, 'The Five Ghosts'

June 13, 2010 • The Montreal band's fifth album spends a good deal of time on the idea of being haunted. It works on multiple levels -- as ebullient pop music and as frank, dark-hearted analysis of the way the past never stops creeping into life in the present day. Hear The Five Ghosts in its entirety here until its June 22 release.

Jason Moran and The Bandwagon. Clay Patrick McBride hide caption

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Clay Patrick McBride

First Listen: Jason Moran, 'Ten'

June 13, 2010 • If you follow modern jazz, be of good cheer: Moran's new album, which celebrates 10 years of his Bandwagon trio, is as brilliant as anything he's done. If you don't already know about this guy, start here; he's an impressive jazz pianist who thinks way beyond jazz. Hear Ten in its entirety until its release on June 22.

First Listen: The Gaslight Anthem, 'American Slang'

American Slang centers around the fleeting nature of youth. Ashley Maile hide caption

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Ashley Maile

First Listen: The Gaslight Anthem, 'American Slang'

June 6, 2010 • The New Jersey band makes music for car stereos, plain and simple. Its timeless, barreling rock 'n' roll anthems are all about conflating familiar subject matter with disarmingly wise observations on life and death. Beneath the big, galloping fun of American Slang lies a unifying theme about the fleeting nature of youth. Hear the album in its entirety until its release on June 15.

First Listen: Laurie Anderson, 'Homeland'

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Tim Knox

First Listen: Laurie Anderson, 'Homeland'

June 6, 2010 • The pieces on the singer's new record emerge from performances she's given on tour in recent years; they deal with foreign policy, freedom and cynicism with surprising and disarming humor. On Homeland, Anderson gets help from other provocative innovators, including Antony Hegarty, Lou Reed, John Zorn and Tuvan throat singers. Hear the album in its entirety until its June 22 release.

First Listen

Monday June 28, 2010

First Listen: Kylie Minogue, 'Aphrodite'

Sunday June 27, 2010

Review

First Listen: Danger Mouse And Sparklehorse Team Up With David Lynch For 'Dark Night Of The Soul'

First Listen: Quantic Presenta Flowering Inferno, 'Dog With A Rope'

First Listen: 'Shangaan Electro: New Wave Dance Music From South Africa'

Tuesday June 22, 2010

First Listen: The Pinker Tones, 'Modular'

Sunday June 20, 2010

First Listen: Alejandro Escovedo, 'Street Songs Of Love'

Thursday June 17, 2010

First Listen: David Guetta, 'One Love (Bonus Mix)'

Sunday June 13, 2010

First Listen: The Chemical Brothers, 'Further'

First Listen: David Karsten Daniels And Fight The Big Bull, 'I Mean To Live Here Still'

First Listen: Herbie Hancock, 'The Imagine Project'

First Listen: 'Broken Hearts And Dirty Windows: Songs Of John Prine'

First Listen: Stars, 'The Five Ghosts'

First Listen: Jason Moran, 'Ten'

Sunday June 6, 2010

First Listen: The Gaslight Anthem, 'American Slang'

First Listen: Laurie Anderson, 'Homeland'