First Listen : NPR

First Listen: Cloud Boat, 'Model Of You'

Cloud Boat's new album, Model of You, comes out July 8. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: Cloud Boat, 'Model Of You'

June 29, 2014 • On its second album, the U.K. art-rock duo dwells deep inside some otherworldly, mysterious, metaphysical murk, an aura that's inviting and impenetrable at the same time.

Model Of You

Audio for First Listens is no longer available after the album is released.

Cold Beat's new album, Over Me, comes out July 8. Madeline Allard/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Madeline Allard/Courtesy of the artist

Review

Review: Cold Beat, 'Over Me'

June 29, 2014 • Cold Beat, the new project of Grass Widow bassist Hannah Lew, represents the best of new wave — in title, metaphor and roster of influences alike. It's an exercise in controlled chaos.

Over Me

Audio for First Listens is no longer available after the album is released.

Braid's new album, No Coast, comes out July 8. Mitchell Wojcik/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Mitchell Wojcik/Courtesy of the artist

Review

Review: Braid, 'No Coast'

June 29, 2014 • The emo band's first full-length album in 16 years is a measured and often gorgeous set of songs, each well-positioned to remind fans why they fell in love with Braid in the first place.

OOIOO's new album, Gamel, comes out July 1. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

Review: OOIOO, 'Gamel'

June 22, 2014 • On its new album, the experimental pop band explores elements of gamelan, a chromatically tuned metallophone music that's been played in Asia's Pacific Rim since roughly the 8th century.

Gamel

Audio for First Listens is no longer available after the album is released.

First Listen: Old Crow Medicine Show, 'Remedy'

Old Crow Medicine Show's new album, Remedy, comes out July 1. Andrea Behrends/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Andrea Behrends/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: Old Crow Medicine Show, 'Remedy'

June 22, 2014 • Like a big, friendly sheepdog that just can't help itself, the Virginia roots-rock group's music bounds right up to you and licks your face. This is a band with little use for muted gestures.

Remedy

Audio for First Listens is no longer available after the album is released.

First Listen: Jim Lauderdale, 'I'm A Song'

Jim Lauderdale's new album, I'm A Song, comes out July 1. Scott Simontacchi/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Scott Simontacchi/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: Jim Lauderdale, 'I'm A Song'

June 22, 2014 • On his new country album, the roots-music veteran still touches nerves, carefully but firmly. Lauderdale continually shows that the trappings surrounding a song are only as meaningful as its core.

I'm A Song

Audio for First Listens is no longer available after the album is released.

First Listen: Corb Lund, 'Counterfeit Blues'

Corb Lund's new album, Counterfeit Blues, comes out July 1. Courtest of the artist hide caption

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Courtest of the artist

First Listen: Corb Lund, 'Counterfeit Blues'

June 22, 2014 • The Canadian roots-country singer spins boisterous yarns out of the mundane muck of agrarian existence. Recorded at Sun's Memphis studios, Counterfeit Blues recasts Lund's songs in vintage settings.

Corb Lund, ‘Counterfeit Blues’

Audio for First Listens is no longer available after the album is released.

Phox's self-titled debut comes out June 24. Jade Ehlers/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Jade Ehlers/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: Phox, 'Phox'

June 15, 2014 • Soft and dreamy, with a pace that rarely rises above a moody midtempo swoon, Phox's self-titled debut has a way of seeping under the skin and dazzling with maximum gentility.

Phox

Audio for First Listens is no longer available after the album is released.

First Listen: Rolê, 'New Sounds Of Brazil'

Lucas Santtana appears on the new compilation Rolê: New Sounds Of Brazil, out June 24. Cristiano Caniche/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Cristiano Caniche/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: Rolê, 'New Sounds Of Brazil'

June 15, 2014 • This album, like so many others being made in Brazil these days, upends traditional sounds with music that is vaguely familiar but also so very new and vital.

Rolê: New Sounds Of Brazil

Audio for First Listens is no longer available after the album is released.

Review: Brownout, 'Brownout Presents Brown Sabbath'

Brownout's new album, Brownout Presents Brown Sabbath, comes out June 24. Courtney Chavanell/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtney Chavanell/Courtesy of the artist

Review: Brownout, 'Brownout Presents Brown Sabbath'

June 15, 2014 • A Latin funk, Black Sabbath tribute reminds listeners of the timeless sound the iconic heavy metal band made, with horns, congas and attitude.

Strand Of Oaks' new album, Heal, comes out June 24. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: Strand Of Oaks, 'Heal'

June 15, 2014 • The ten songs that comprise Heal had their genesis in personal crisis, with frontman Timothy Showalter's marriage crumbling apart while he was thousands of miles from home on an endless tour.

Heal

Audio for First Listens is no longer available after the album is released.

First Listen: Circulatory System, 'Mosaics Within Mosaics'

Circulatory System's new album, Mosaics Within Mosaics, comes out June 24. Stacey-Marie Piotrowski/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Stacey-Marie Piotrowski/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: Circulatory System, 'Mosaics Within Mosaics'

June 15, 2014 • Elephant 6 veteran Will Cullen Hart returns again as Circulatory System with a masterfully orchestrated, 31-song cycle that touches upon dreamlife and waking fears.

Mosaics Within Mosaics

Audio for First Listens is no longer available after the album is released.

Phish's new album, Fuego, comes out June 24. Peter Yang/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Peter Yang/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: Phish, 'Fuego'

June 15, 2014 • Twelve albums and more than 1,500 shows into its career, Phish has never seemed more at ease embracing what it does best, while still trying to refine and reinvent its own formulas.

Fuego

Audio for First Listens is no longer available after the album is released.

The Antlers' new album, Familiars, comes out June 17. Marc Lemoine/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Marc Lemoine/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: The Antlers, 'Familiars'

June 8, 2014 • Each of Familiars' deliberately paced songs sprawls to between five and eight minutes, and each takes a thoughtful journey in the process. The result mixes subtlety, grandiosity and beauty.

Familiars

Audio for First Listens is no longer available after the album is released.

First Listen: Meridian Brothers, 'Salvadora Robot'

Meridian Brothers' new album, Salvadora Robot, comes out June 16. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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First Listen: Meridian Brothers, 'Salvadora Robot'

June 8, 2014 • The Colombian band thoroughly understands musical traditions. How better to eviscerate them? Meridian Brothers' off-kilter melodies veer from the inviting to the dissonant in a matter of seconds.

Salvadora Robot

Audio for First Listens is no longer available after the album is released.

First Listen

Sunday June 29, 2014

First Listen: Cloud Boat, 'Model Of You'

Model Of You

Review

Review: Cold Beat, 'Over Me'

Over Me

Review

Review: Braid, 'No Coast'

Sunday June 22, 2014

Review: OOIOO, 'Gamel'

Gamel

First Listen: Old Crow Medicine Show, 'Remedy'

Remedy

First Listen: Jim Lauderdale, 'I'm A Song'

I'm A Song

First Listen: Corb Lund, 'Counterfeit Blues'

Corb Lund, ‘Counterfeit Blues’

Sunday June 15, 2014

First Listen: Phox, 'Phox'

Phox

First Listen: Rolê, 'New Sounds Of Brazil'

Rolê: New Sounds Of Brazil

Review: Brownout, 'Brownout Presents Brown Sabbath'

First Listen: Strand Of Oaks, 'Heal'

Heal

First Listen: Circulatory System, 'Mosaics Within Mosaics'

Mosaics Within Mosaics

First Listen: Phish, 'Fuego'

Fuego

Sunday June 8, 2014

First Listen: The Antlers, 'Familiars'

Familiars

First Listen: Meridian Brothers, 'Salvadora Robot'

Salvadora Robot