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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: Los Lobos, 'Tin Can Trust'

Los Lobos' latest album speaks to the experience of growing up American with Mexican roots. courtesy of the artist hide caption

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First Listen: Los Lobos, 'Tin Can Trust'

The band's latest album speaks to the experience of growing up American with Mexican roots. Inspired by the blues, rock 'n' roll and the American Southwest, David Hidalgo and Louie Perez are an adventurous songwriting team. Los Lobos' ability to fuse styles and translate vivid stories on Tin Can Trust can only come from playing for more than 30 years together.

First Listen: Lost In The Trees, 'All Alone In An Empty House'

Lost in the Trees plays orchestral folk -- and the "orchestral" part is no afterthought. courtesy of the artist hide caption

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First Listen: Lost In The Trees, 'All Alone In An Empty House'

Lost in the Trees is the music of Ari Picker, a songwriter from Chapel Hill on a bit of a mission: Take a pinch of the brilliance found in classical music and mix it with his own. Lost in the Trees is orchestral folk, but the "orchestral" part is not an afterthought. All Alone in an Empty House will stream here in its entirety until its release on Aug. 10.

First Listen: David Dondero, 'Number Zero With A Bullet'

Austin, Texas-based singer-songwriter David Dondero. courtesy of the artist hide caption

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First Listen: David Dondero, 'Number Zero With A Bullet'

Dondero is a brilliant storyteller and poet. His searching melodies and distinctive voice are both heartbreakingly beautiful and whimsically uplifting. But after releasing eight albums in the past decade, Dondero remains largely unknown. The Austin, Texas-based singer takes a funny swipe at his own obscurity on his latest album, Number Zero With a Bullet, available here in its entirety until Aug. 3.

First Listen: Kelli Scarr, 'Piece'

Kelli Scarr's enchanting, warmhearted debut will stream here in its entirety until its release on Aug. 3. courtesy of the artist hide caption

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First Listen: Kelli Scarr, 'Piece'

When Scarr sings, it sounds as if she's singing just for you: She has that whisper, that breath in her voice that feels close to the ear. Close your eyes, and it's as if she's standing next to you. The tasteful production on Piece serves that side of her voice well.

Wednesday

Monday

Sunday

First Listen: Cleveland Orchestra Performs Wagner

Measha Brueggergosman poignantly captures the unfulfilled longing that pervades Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder. Alex Gardner hide caption

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Alex Gardner

First Listen: Cleveland Orchestra Performs Wagner

The Cleveland Orchestra presents a diverse cross-section of Richard Wagner's operatic music in this live recording. At the heart of the album is an eloquent performance by Canadian soprano Measha Brueggergosman. Hear the album in its entirety, and download a song, until its release on July 27.

Sunday

Monday

First Listen: Admiral Radley, 'I Heart California'

Click the 'enlarge' link to see the full band. courtesy of the artist hide caption

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First Listen: Admiral Radley, 'I Heart California'

Grandaddy and Earlimart are two beautifully mopey bands that secretly just want to have fun. After years of releasing (usually) melancholy albums, members of both groups recently decided to get together and record a whole new batch of songs that are surprisingly playful and full of hope. I Heart California, coming out July 13 under the collective band name Admiral Radley, is breezy with a healthy dose of humor.

Monday

Sunday

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'

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.

Tuesday