Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'album'

David Cook: 'Idol' Busy With New Album

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST

Every fall, the latest winner of the American Idol competition arrives with an album. This year it's David Cook, who won by the largest margin in the show's seven-year history. Tom Moon

Exclusive Previews: Neil Young, Loney Dear

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:27:00 EST

A spectacular live recording of Neil Young performing in 1968, made just before the release of his very first solo album, is about to be made available for the first time ever. Sugar Mountain won't be out until December, but we've got the title track for you here as a sneak preview. We've also got an exclusive preview of new music from Sweden's Loney, Dear. The new album, Dear John, is due out in January, but you can hear the track "Airport Surroundings" now.

The Low Anthem: Makeshift Americana

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 11:38:00 EST

Three albums in, The Low Anthem again proves itself a quintessential purveyor of rootsy rock. Oh My God, Charlie Darwin celebrates the band's influences — Tom Waits, Neil Young, Bob Dylan — and captures The Low Anthem in a makeshift studio.

Unbunny: 'The Path'

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 20:47:00 EST

Seattle-based Unbunny is primarily the work of singer and songwriter Jarid del Deo. His latest album, Sensory Underload, is a compilation of previously unreleased material spanning Unbunny's 12-year career and takes a look at many of del Deo's personalities: from introspective folk musician to pop humorist.

Exclusive First Listen: Paul McCartney

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:08:00 EST

When The Fireman released its 1993 debut (the instrumental dance and electronica mix Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest), the band's identity was a mystery. U.K. music magazine Melody Maker eventually exposed it as a duo featuring the bassist and producer known as Youth and, to everyone's surprise, Paul McCartney. Now, a decade after releasing its last album, The Fireman is back with a new studio album. Hear Electric Arguments in an exclusive sneak preview of the entire album.

Matthew Ryan On Mountain Stage

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 12:32:00 EST

Ten years since his last visit, singer Matthew Ryan makes his long-awaited return to Mountain Stage. Accompanied by Molly Thomas on piano and vocals, Ryan performs a humorous, if sometimes bumpy, set that features music from his latest album, Matthew Ryan vs. The Silver State.

Pink Aims For The 'Truth' In New Album

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 12:00:00 EST

Pop star and singer Pink gets even more real with fans with her latest release, Funhouse. The Doylestown, Pa., native talks about her music, how her personal life plays an important part in her career and why this CD is so important.

Concha Buika's African-Inspired Flamenco

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 13:30:00 EST

Concha Buika's sultry voice and varied musical influences have earned her worldwide acclaim. Her latest album, La Nina de Fuego, fuses the musical traditions of Africa and Spain with jazz, soul and dance and has been nominated for the Latin Grammy Album of the Year.

Judith Owen On Mountain Stage

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:23:00 EST

Welsh singer-songwriter Judith Owen has a knack for entertaining her audience with self-deprecating humor just before enchanting it with her elegant and emotional songs. In her third Mountain Stage appearance, Owen plays songs from her latest album, Mopping Up Karma.

The Great Depression: 'Forever Altered'

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 20:56:00 EST

A quartet originally formed in Madison, Wis. in 1996, The Great Depression is now based in Denmark. The moniker is an especially fitting one, as the ten songs on the Great Depression's third and latest full-length album, Forever Altered, all drift through gray and somber landscapes. But its melancholia is sophisticated rather than melodramatic.

Alternate Routes, Katie Herzig On Mountain Stage

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:36:00 EST

The Alternate Routes have a knack for harmonies, hooks and creating stylistically diverse, feel-good rock 'n' roll. Katie Herzig, part of an emerging scene of alternative pop music out of Nashville, performs three songs from her latest album, Apple Tree.

Harry Belafonte Remembers Miriam Makeba

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 09:00:00 EST

Singer Miriam Makeba is a woman whose influence extends far beyond the world of music. Fans called her "Mama Africa," the South African apartheid government banned her albums and exiled her, and Black Panther Stokely Carmichael chose her as his wife. Makeba died this week at age 76. For more, Farai Chideya speaks with Harry Belafonte about the passing of the South African singer, and we revisit a News & Notes interview with Makeba herself.

The Year's Overlooked Gems

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 13:59:00 EST

We receive several hundred CDs a week at All Songs Considered and do our best to listen to a bit of everything. But there's only enough time and space on the show to cover a tiny fraction of them. That means a lot of great albums get missed. Fortunately, as we compile our ballot for the year's best CDs, NPR listeners have been helping us find some of those buried and overlooked musical gems. On this edition of All Songs Considered we share some of those picks: the best of the CDs we missed this year, including music from Flobots, Department of Eagles, Human Highway, and more.

Alexander Tucker: 'Veins To The Sky'

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 13:34:00 EST

Alexander Tucker got his start in the early 1990s in a hardcore band called Suction. Later he played synths in a space-rock group in Detroit. These days he lives in the U.K. where he writes and records as a solo artist. Tucker recently released his third album, Portal, through the London-based ATP Recordings. It's a rich mix of styles, featuring the finger-picking folk of Tucker's guitar, along with psychedelic rock, drones, detuned guitars, and sound loops.

Sonya Kitchell, The Slip On Mountain Stage

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 12:57:00 EST

Kitchell is a singer-songwriter seasoned beyond her years, having previously joined Herbie Hancock on a worldwide tour. For her appearance in Charleston, W.Va., she brought along the Boston-based indie-rockers in The Slip, who appeared on Mountain Stage in 2006. Together, they promote Kitchell's latest album, This Storm.

These United States: Pop's Particle Accelerator

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 09:55:00 EST

The Washington, D.C., band These United States writes novelistic songs packed with dense narratives and loose, ragged-edged folk, rock and Americana. While Jesse Elliott is the main creative foundation, the group is known to rotate in any number of musicians it picks up. The band discusses and performs songs from its new album, Crimes.

Kyle Andrews: 'Sushi'

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 13:25:00 EST

Real Blasty, the sophomore full-length release from Chicago-born Kyle Andrews, is an upbeat album for sad people who just want to dance. A lesser artist could get weighed down by the broody lyrics covering unrequited love, insecurities and general enui. But Andrews pulls it off by pairing his angst with bright electro-pop rhythms and irresistible hooks.

Live Monday: Conor Oberst In Concert

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 12:53:00 EST

Best known as the prolific and gifted frontman for the country-rock band Bright Eyes, Oberst ventured out on his own this summer. He released his first solo album in more than a decade: an eponymous sketchbook of introspective folk and rock, steeped in Americana. The new collection of songs will be the centerpiece of a full concert by Oberst and his backing group, The Mystic Valley Band, webcast live on NPR.org Monday, Nov. 10. The performance will begin online at approximately 10 p.m. ET.

Drew Emmitt On Mountain Stage

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 11:49:00 EST

Combining wide-ranging influences like reggae and roots music into an electric/acoustic hybrid, the Drew Emmitt Band recently performed on Mountain Stage in an appearance recorded at the Morgantown, W.Va., campus of WVU. The band played music from Emmitt's latest album, this year's Long Road.

Jackson Browne's Personal And Political 'Time'

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:59:00 EST

Browne's latest album, Time the Conqueror, is an exploration of past and present world events that have defined generations. Most of the songs offer personal reactions to political events, but others are introspective confessionals about his own life. In a session with David Dye, Browne performs songs from the new album.

Absentee: 'Shared'

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:31:00 EST

The most immediately striking thing about London-based pop quintet Absentee is singer Dan Michaelson's deep and gravelly voice. A little bit Leonard Cohen, a little bit Johnny Cash, Michaelson immediately takes hold of listeners on Victory Shorts, the band's sophomore album which navigates the flurry of emotions following failed relationships.

Steve Lillywhite On Big Country's 'The Crossing'

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 13:24:00 EST

In 1983, Big Country wrote anthemic rock songs, but featured an unlikely lead instrument — the bagpipes. The unexpected sound of "In a Big Country" became a Top 20 single, but their debut album, The Crossing, offered so much more beyond its novelty.

Was Guns N' Roses' 'Democracy' Worth The Wait...

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST

Fourteen torturous years in the making, at a reported cost of 14 million dollars, the latest album from Guns N' Roses' will finally come out on Nov. 23. As rock's answer to J.D. Salinger, Axl Rose kept Chinese Democracy under close wraps, but the anticipation outweighs the final product.

Matthew Sweet's Ringing Guitars Return

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 13:15:00 EST

Power-pop singer-songwriter Matthew Sweet spent the late '90s and early '00s avoiding the instrument that defined his early sound: the chiming guitar. His latest album, Sunshine Lies, marks his welcome return to the guitar as a primary instrument. Sweet performs new songs and discusses the influence of nature on the CD.

Dion Pays Homage To Guitar-Rock Giants

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 16:49:00 EST

With his band the Belmonts, singer-songwriter Dion rose to fame as a '60s teen idol, topping charts with hits like "The Wanderer" and "I Wonder Why." The latest album in his long career is Heroes: Giants Of Early Guitar Rock.