Jan 5th, 2009 · We start the new year with a new mix, featuring an exclusive preview of Andrew Bird's latest album, Noble Beast. The classically trained violinist and singer performs a quirky mix of whistled melodies, Gypsy ballads, folk and art-rock. We've got the song "Oh No" here, but you can also hear the entire album as part of our "first listen" series. Also on the show: classic folk-rock singer Benjy Ferree, the Afro-funk rhythms of Chopteeth, an eclectic mixtape from Malawi-born singer Esau Mwamwaya, the haunting guitars of Begushkin, and the jazz trio Bad Plus covers the music of Pink Floyd.
Keywords: whistle · music · Africans · Jazz · Singer · Malawi · songs · Preview · album · folk · melodies · trio
Jan 3rd, 2009 · For the last two years, James Fallows has followed China's astounding double-digit growth in a series of quirky essays for the Atlantic Monthly. His stories are now collected in a new book, Postcards From Tomorrow Square.
Keywords: China · economic · James Fallows · postcards · quirky · digital · astounding · emPostcards · emAtlantic · From Tomorrow Square
Dec 23rd, 2008 · Bird is a classically trained violinist and former swing-jazz musician whose sonic palette includes a quirky mix of Gypsy ballads, jazz, folk and whistled melodies. It's a sound that leaves critics swooning and fans giddy with the kind of devotion normally reserved for pop idols. On Jan. 20, 2009, the singer will release his fifth full-length studio album. Hear Noble Beast in its entirety here, exclusively on NPR Music.
Keywords: whistle · music · Jazz · Singer · NPR Music · entirety · album · folk · studio · melodies · 2009 · beast
Nov 25th, 2008 · The Chicago rapper's new album, 808s and Heartbreak features him singing instead of rapping, but he's filtered his vocals through the voice processing system known as Auto-Tune, an increasingly popular trend among pop artists. The result is a melancholy, intimate and decidedly quirky effort.
Keywords: Chicago · artists · rapper · departure · album · quirky · heartbreaking · melancholy · intimate · Kanye · em808s · Auto Tune
Nov 6th, 2008 · Ever since the success of her hit "Fidelity," singer-songwriter Regina Spektor has attracted widespread attention for her smart, quirky, emotionally engaging music. In a session from WFUV, Spektor talks about growing up in the Bronx and performs some of her new music.
Keywords: music · Singer · songwriter · quirky · Bronx · Fidelity · Regina Spektor · Regina · spektor · WFUV
Nov 5th, 2008 · Louisiana native Brooke Waggoner studied composition and orchestration at LSU before moving to Nashville to advance her career as a performing songwriter. Her quirky sense of song structure and her experimental nature bring to mind the wide range of influences that Mountain Stage host Larry Groce mentions in his introduction: from Chopin to Simon & Garfunkel to Rogers & Hammerstein.
Keywords: naturalized · mountains · Louisiana · songs · songwriter · native · Nashville · composition · quirky · orchestral · Introduction · LSU
Oct 23rd, 2008 · Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Adaption) is known for his disjointed narratives and quirky characters. Now he brings that off-beat sensibility to his directorial debut, Synecdoche, New York.
Keywords: York · quirky · Charlie · directorial · John Malkovich · Kaufman · Disjointed · emB · Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman · emSynecdoche
Oct 10th, 2008 · Sarah Silverman's Comedy Central show — quirky, snarky, often wildly inappropriate — strikes some audiences as clueless and tasteless. To fans, including Fresh Air host Terry Gross, it's really funny satire.
Keywords: satirical · Sarah Silverman · quirky · Tasting · Terry Gross · Comedy Central · Silverman · clueless · inappropriate · emFresh · snarky
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