Bob Boilen

Do You Have A Favorite Record Label?

Bob Boilen — Wed, 15 May 2013 17:51:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT5A3Ikosj4

First Watch: Gary Clark Jr., 'Numb'

Bob Boilen — Wed, 08 May 2013 12:03:00 +0000

In the seven months since Gary Clark, Jr. released his major label debut, Blak and Blu, he's played for the President at the White House with Mick Jagger and blues legend B.B.

Song Premiere: Sharon Jones' Explosive 'Retreat'

Bob Boilen — Tue, 07 May 2013 11:24:00 +0000

If this song had just the tubular bells at the top and then that Motown guitar riff, I'd have been hooked and happy. But then, along comes Sharon Jones, the brilliant, powerful soul singer, and the song explodes. "Retreat!" is the perfect marriage of singer, song and band. A lot has happened to Sharon Jones and Bushwick's brilliant professors of soul, the Dap-Kings, in the three years since they last recorded. They played the Apollo, the Hollywood Bowl, Sydney Opera House and SXSW.

First Watch: Alpine's Mind-And-Body-Bending 'Gasoline'

Bob Boilen — Mon, 06 May 2013 21:59:00 +0000

A is for Alpine and it's also the name of Alpine's debut album. Alpine is a six-piece ensemble from Australia with an airy sound led by singers Phoebe Baker and Lou James. The group's album, A is for Alpine, has been out in their home since 2012, but it arrives in the U.S.

First Watch: The Handsome Family, 'Woodpecker'

Bob Boilen — Mon, 06 May 2013 16:03:00 +0000

The Handsome Family, the wife and husband duo of Rennie Sparks (vocals, bass and banjo) and Brett Sparks (vocals, guitar and keyboards), love telling stories, and they've been doing it in song for 20 years. A new album, Wilderness, is out May 14, and "Woodpecker," a song from the album, tells a fascinating tale about Mary Sweeney, who, in the 1890's, was known as the Wisconsin Window Smasher.

First Watch: Femi Kuti, 'The World Is Changing'

Bob Boilen — Fri, 03 May 2013 20:11:00 +0000

"'The World Is Changing' is groove with a message." That quote, a pretty good summary of the music of Femi Kuti in just nine words, comes from Juan Gélas, the creative director of a new video for Kuti's new song. Femi Kuti is a saxophonist, trumpeter, keyboard player and singer and songwriter. The son of legendary afrobeat musician Fela Kuti, he carries on the tradition of mixing Nigerian beats along with jazz and a healthy dose of politics.

Meet Until The Ribbon Breaks: Stark Music Paired With Enigmatic Images

Bob Boilen — Thu, 02 May 2013 20:40:00 +0000

Pete Lawrie Winfield makes music as Until The Ribbon Breaks, stark music with a good deep vibe; Massive Attack or James Blake would be good touchstones. Until The Ribbon Breaks doesn't have much music out yet, but "Pressure," a new song, has urgency. "'Pressure' was written at a time of upheaval and transition for me," Winfield writes. "I was sleeping at my studio and had no idea what I was going to do next.

Vampire Weekend On New York, Souls Of Mischief And The Secrets Of Its New Album

Bob Boilen — Wed, 01 May 2013 19:25:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weAsC-VTPw8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4xr2665JOk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mDxcDjg9P4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_AeEjN8Xvs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enwaAEQcQE0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mX46e4GtlXM

Father Figures: Tiny Desk Concert

Bob Boilen — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:03:00 +0000

In a small, packed Washington, D.C., living room late one December night, I heard a cacophony of horns, keys, drums and guitars that simply floored me. It was brash, zany, brainy, scary and danceable. At the end of a long year of amazing live music, this would turn out to be one of the most memorable concerts I'd seen.

I walked up to Adam Schatz, the man behind the saxophone and chief instigator in Father Figures, and told him his band needed to play the Tiny Desk. How this music would translate to the brightness of day — to say nothing of a busy office — was hard to anticipate.

Video: Music Meets Random Imagery In Yellowbirds' 'Young Men Of Promise'

Bob Boilen — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:03:00 +0000

Music videos are like funny math, where 1+1=3. That is, images have a meaning on their own, music has a meaning when you listen to it alone, but put images and music together and something new is born. 1+1=3. Try it randomly: put on a piece of music and watch a cartoon or an old movie ...

Interview: The Zombies Remember Their Odyssey

Bob Boilen — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 17:10:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8BkkFJI910

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWr1YovPECw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqnuI9K5ct4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtdWGGpvY1s

First Watch: People Get Ready, 'Middle Name'

Bob Boilen — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 22:34:00 +0000

It was probably the best performance piece I've seen in more than a decade. Specific Ocean, a piece by the dance troupe/rock band People Get Ready, which I saw at the New York Live Arts theater in the fall, was a model for the ways musicians can break from the standard, sometimes boring, format of playing on a stage. Some of the songs from Specific Ocean ended up on the group's 2012 self-titled album.

First Watch: Iron & Wine, 'Joy'

Bob Boilen — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 17:11:00 +0000

"Deep inside the heart of this crazy mess, I'm only calm when I get lost within your wilderness."

That's a key line in this song, "Joy," by Iron and Wine, the project of Sam Beam. Sam is a songwriter who has a way of making the personal very universal.

First Watch: Thao And The Get Down Stay Down, 'We The Common'

Bob Boilen — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 20:33:00 +0000

I first met Thao Nguyen in 2008, in the earliest days of the Tiny Desk Concert series. I was a big fan of her witty, catchy songs. After she finished playing the Tiny Desk, Thao said something that has endeared me to her forever. Walking toward the elevators on her way out of NPR, she said, "That was intimate and awkward ... a lot like my last boyfriend!"

Here's a new video for "We The Common (For Valerie Bolden)," with footage of Thao and her band, the Get Down Stay Down, on the road with friends and strangers both well-known (including Ira Glass and John Hodgman) and unknown.

Special Delivery: The Postal Service Story

Bob Boilen — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 16:41:00 +0000

The Postal Service was a band for a generation — the soundtrack to romance, tears and friendship. More than a million people bought its first album, 2003's Give Up, then waited anxiously for a follow-up that never arrived.

Now, a decade later, comes a new tour. Theaters, amphitheaters, sports arenas, auditoriums and pavilions all over the U.S. and U.K.

First Watch: Lord Huron, 'Lonesome Dreams'

Bob Boilen — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 21:22:00 +0000

Think of Lord Huron as an imaginary world as much as a rock band. Bandleader Ben Schneider has created characters and stories that fit together within an entire narrative filled with mystique. It's a bit dreamlike. To get an idea of how many layers there are in Schneider's invention, look at this website for author George Ranger Johnson. According to the site, George Ranger Johnson lives in Tuscon, Ariz. and writes adventure novels whose titles are identical to the song titles of the band Lord Huron.

How To Never Miss Another Concert

Bob Boilen — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 17:27:00 +0000

I love live music. Figuring out who's coming to town and when and where isn't so easy. I could go to every club's website to compile a list of upcoming shows, but that'd be cumbersome. Newspaper listing are often incomplete, don't look ahead and certainly don't filter or highlight by my musical tastes.

First Watch: Efterklang, "The Ghost"

Bob Boilen — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 17:47:00 +0000

"The video has a puzzle structure: the whole story progressively makes sense to the viewer as minutes go by."

That's director Victor Carrey telling us about the new video by the creative Danish band Efterklang for the song "The Ghost." The subject of ghosts is a fitting one for a band that spent over a week in what was basically a ghost town, gathering sounds and footage

New Sigur Rós, New Direction? Watch The Video For 'Brennisteinn'

Bob Boilen — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 16:13:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc6zXSdYXm8

Song Premiere: Paperhaus, "Helicopters"

Bob Boilen — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 20:13:00 +0000

The musicians in Paperhaus live in my hometown of Washington, D.C., so I've seen this dynamic band more than a few times. In fact, they put on some of the best house concerts in the city, over a hundred of them at their own venue, also called the Paperhaus, so I've seen them both in clubs and their intimate living room.

They're about to hit the road on their first major tour with a record and if they come to your home town, go see them.

Bob Boilen's 15 Essential Moments From SXSW 2013

Bob Boilen — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 23:39:00 +0000

Unlike any other festival, South by Southwest is unique to everyone who attends. And I love that about this festival. With over 2,200 bands spread out over 100 venues and five days of music, everyone sees something different and walks away with different joys and discoveries. You could go to a Brooklyn Vegan showcase and spend the whole day in one place. You could search out only Latino bands, or metal bands, hip hop or blues.

David Bowie's New Song Is...

Bob Boilen — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 06:03:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gH7dMBcg-gE

A Dance Video Inspired By An Encounter With An Oddball

Bob Boilen — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 20:28:00 +0000

I first saw Cat Martino at the best concert of my life. It was the summer of 2011 and Sufjan Stevens was performing at Celebrate Brooklyn. But within the spectacle -– a troupe of maybe a dozen performers on stage — was a singer and dancer named Cat Martino. I know that because a number of my friends at the show knew Cat and were screaming her name at the top of their lungs.

NPR Music Presents: Josh Ritter Live From New York City

Bob Boilen — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:10:00 +0000

NPR Music will present and webcast a "First Listen Live" concert from Josh Ritter and the Royal City Band on Monday, March 4, beginning at 8 p.m. ET in the intimate New York City venue (Le) Poisson Rouge. Josh Ritter and his band will play most of his new album, The Beast in Its Tracks.

The Real Instrument Behind The Sound In 'Good Vibrations'

Bob Boilen — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 22:29:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwrKKbaClME

After 22 Years, Is It Worth the Wait? Listen To My Bloody Valentine's 'MBV'

Bob Boilen — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 18:31:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBKjhgHGVZs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2FQ3ih0MoE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUc5y1NljXI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gH6UOatmAM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJ0axgeNbWU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpoOjoiYcWY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oXJus1ajIU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHlVpADx_jk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWyRfqfEC2s

Wanna Make An Album? Start Right Now!

Bob Boilen — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 19:43:00 +0000
I love a deadline and every February I get one. Thanks to The Wire, a small New Hampshire magazine that started the tradition in 2006, I make an album every year. They call it the RPM Challenge, and the challenge is this: write and record an album in the time between the first and last days of February. To qualify as an album, it just needs to be 10 songs or 35 minutes of music.

Listen: Thom Yorke And Friends Talk Atoms For Peace

Bob Boilen — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 21:58:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxWBd840E9g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4tW3mhp9io

Why I've Never Liked Fleetwood Mac's 'Rumours'

Bob Boilen — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 18:25:00 +0000
It has happened over and over again in the past few years. Someone in their 20s tells me how much they love Fleetwood Mac, and in particular its monster-selling album Rumours. My reaction is always the same. Their reaction is invariably deep surprise. I could never stand that record.
In 1977, when Fleetwood Mac's 11th studio album came out, I was working in a record store in Rockville, Md. Needless to say, I heard Rumours a lot. I know the songs all too well.

Watch The 1950s Get Its Mind Blown

Bob Boilen — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 20:01:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WF34N4gJAKE