NPR Music

Leon Bridges. Blondshell. Joy Oladokun. Host Stephen Thompson breaks down the best albums out Friday, Sept. 18 with DJs from around the NPR Music network: Erin Wolf from Radio Milwaukee, Jewly Hight from WPLN in Nashville and Liz Warner from WDET in Detroit. Plus, a handful of NPR Music writers and critics offer their personal picks in the lightning round.

The Starting 5

(00:53) Album No. 1
- Blondshell, 'Violins'

(07:43) Album No. 2
- Julia Jacklin, 'The Gem'

(15:13) Album No. 3
- Joy Oladokun, 'Hope Is A Heavy Thing'

(22:33) Album No. 4
- Leon Bridges, 'Happiness Anytime'

(28:52) Album No. 5
- Protomartyr, 'Hotel Usona'

(34:04) The Lightning Round

- Space Afrika, 'Quiet Storm'
- claire rousay & Martyna Basta, 'hotel room'
- Tinashe, 'Popstar'
- Mary Gauthier, 'Reckoning'
- Axel Boman & Superpitcher, 'Tell It To The Mountain'

Sample the albums via our New Music Friday playlist.

Credits:
Host: Stephen Thompson
Guests: Erin Wolf, Jewly Hight, Liz Warner
Audio Producer: Noah Caldwell
Digital Producer: Dora Levite
Editors: Elle Mannion, Otis Hart
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Special thanks to Sheldon Pearce and Ann Powers

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YEИDRY's music is almost as diverse she is. Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Italy, the singer’s repertoire of genre and sound pulls from multiple continents, and even more unique cultural roots. It’s complicated to explain so many mixed identities, but, as we know quite well at Alt.Latino, music is an easy way to tell a complex story. From the first song she ever heard to a track that brings her peace, we’re presenting a playlist of YEИDRY, the artist and the person. It’s raw, unprepped, and just like YEИDRY: alive and constantly evolving.


Songs discussed in this episode:

- "Ese Hombre" by LA INDIA

- "Guitarra" by Yoskar Sarante

- "Weird Fishes / Arpeggi" by Radiohead

- "Bam Bam" by Sister Nancy

- "To Zion (feat. Carlos Santana)" by Ms. Lauryn Hill, Carlos Santana

- "Paloma" by Angélica Garcia


This podcast episode was produced by Noah Caldwell. Suraya Mohamed is the executive producer of NPR Music.

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Our latest mix of the week’s best new songs swings from the shoegaze rock of rising LA band untitled (halo) to Bach’s “Air on the G String” performed by pianist Víkingur Ólafsson. We’ve also got singer Lizzy McAlpine’s breathtaking ode to her late father, the laid-back grooves of polymath Sen Morimoto, the extraordinary voice of Scottish singer Beth Taylor and more.

NPR Music’s Tom Huizenga joins host Robin Hilton.

Tell us what you think with a review on Apple or Spotify wherever you listen to podcasts. 

Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: allsongs@npr.org

Featured artists and songs:

(00:00) Intro

(02:05) Sen Morimoto: “Chewing Gum”

(09:27) Víkingur Ólafsson: “Air on the G String” (Johann Sebastian Bach)

(16:56) Lizzy McAlpine: “The crowd”

(25:51) Beth Taylor: “My Lagan Love”

(33:49) untitled (halo): “easy rider”

(41:58) inti figgis-vizueta: “Samara (maple seed) mvmt. III - find roots”

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In September 2025, the electro-pop duo Sylvan Esso made headlines with the announcement that it was removing its catalog from Spotify. The world’s most popular music streamer wasn’t new to criticism, but the temperature changed last year with the revelation that then-CEO Daniel Ek was a major investor in Helsing, an AI software company that designs military weapons systems. A year later, the band has returned bearing new music and another small bombshell: A week after the release of 'Ow ∞,' Sylvan Esso’s fifth studio album, came the news that all of its music was returning to Spotify beginning Sept. 18. In a conversation with reporter Brian Burns from NPR member station WUNC in Chapel Hill, N.C., members Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn (also a married couple) describe that return as the result of a series of sobering discoveries — but also stress how much they learned on the road to this moment.

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Beck. Carly Rae Jepsen. Beabadoobee. Host Stephen Thompson breaks down the best albums out Friday, Sept. 18 with DJs from around the NPR Music network: Robert Moore from 90.9 The Bridge in Kansas City, Amelia Mason from WBUR in Boston, and Brian Burns from WUNC in Chapel Hill. Plus, a handful of of NPR Music writers and critics offer their personal picks in the lightning round.

The Starting 5

(01:01) Album No. 1
- Beck, 'Ride Lonesome'

(07:10) Album No. 2
- beabadoobee, 'Pylon'

(13:01) Album No.3
- Carly Rae Jepsen, 'Day and Night'

(21:32) Album No. 4
- Tove Lo, 'ESTRUS'

(28:22) Album No. 5
- Rhiannon Giddens, 'Hope is the Thing with Feathers'

(34:18) The Lightning Round

- Jake Xerxes Fussell, 'The Old Beloved Path'
- Jóhann Jóhannsson & Adam Wiltzie, 'Friendship Survival Guide'
- YENDRY, 'Como agua'
- Krallice, 'Scour Order'
- Son Lux, 'Out Into'

Sample the albums via our New Music Friday playlist and see our Long List of notable releases on NPR.org

Credits:
Host: Stephen Thompson
Guests: Robert Moore, Amelia Mason, Brian Burns
Audio Producer: Noah Caldwell
Digital Producer: Dora Levite
Editors: Elle Mannion, Otis Hart
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Special thanks to Anamaria Sayre, Lars Gotrich and Robin Hilton

Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy