The singer talks with NPR Music's Ann Powers about Harvey's album I Inside the Old Year Dying, a ragged, highly crafted adaptation of her epic poem Orlam. It's a work that runs on the rhythm of the seasons and captures the beauty, fantastical rawness and occasional horror of English rural life.

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PJ Harvey on how she turned her epic poem 'Orlam' into a potent new album

Since launching in 2000, All Songs Considered has been NPR's flagship program for music discovery, artist interviews and conversations with friends and fellow music lovers about the really big questions, like what was the best decade for music, are there albums everyone can agree on, and what do you put on when you need a good cry? Weekly, with host Robin Hilton and the NPR Music family.

Music

NPR Music's Ann Powers and Lars Gotrich are your guides to this week's new releases.

Featured albums:
• Arooj Aftab, 'Night Reign'
• Shaboozey, 'Where I've Been, isn't Where I'm Going'
• Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Nathan Salsburg & Tyler Trotter, 'Hear the Children Sing The Evidence'

Other notable albums out May 31:
• Richard Thompson, 'Ship To Shore'
• Dos Monos, 'Dos Atomos'
• Anna Tivel, 'Living Thing'
• Beak>, '>>>>'
• Swamp Dogg, 'Blackgrass'
• Thou, 'Umbilical'
• Chris Housman, 'Blueneck'
• Psychic Temple, 'Doggie Paddlin' Thru the Cosmic Consciousness'
• John Muq, 'Flying Away'
• Robin Holcomb, 'One Way or Another, Vol. 2'

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New Music Friday: The best albums out May 31

The Library of Congress' National Recording Registry is more than just a collection of music and sound — it's a reflection of who we are as a country. In April, two new Spanish language songs were added to the registry: Juan Gabriel's "Amor Eterno" and Héctor Lavoe's "El Cantante."

This week on Alt.Latino, Felix and Ana take the opportunity to dive into the Spanish language songs that have made it into the historic collection, as well as share their dream picks for what should be chosen next.

Songs featured in this episode:

•Héctor Lavoe, "El Cantante"
•Juan Gabriel, "Amor Eterno (En Vivo [En el Palacio de Bellas Artes])"
•Buena Vista Social Club, "Chan Chan"
•Buena Vista Social Club, "Orgullecida"
•Buena Vista Social Club, "El Carretero"
•Santana, "Oye Como Va"
•Lydia Mendoza, "Mal Hombre (Cold-Hearted Man)"
•Dizzy Gillespie feat. Chano Pozo, "Manteca"
•Ivy Queen, "Quiero Bailar"
•Jose Feliciano, "El Reloj"

Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Joaquin Cotler, with editorial support from Hazel Cills. Our project manager is Grace Chung. NPR Music's executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins.

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The National Recording Registry's best Spanish language songs (and what it's missing)

Our biweekly update of the year's best tracks is a mix full of "the hurries and the worries" from Alkaline Trio, wistful reflections from Lake Street Dive, Cindy Lee's sprawling double album and more.

Like the show? Tell your friends and leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts.

Feedback always welcome: allsongs@npr.org

Featured artists and songs:
1. Alkaline Trio: "Teenage Heart," from 'Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs'
2. Lake Street Dive: "Twenty-Five," from 'Good Together'
3. Les Savy Fav: "Void Moon," from 'OUI, LSF'
4. La Luz: "Poppies," from 'News of the Universe'
5. Cindy Lee: "Wild Rose," from 'Diamond Jubilee'
6. Four Tet: "Loved" from 'Three'

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The Contenders, Vol. 10: The songs we can't stop playing this week

On our survey of the week's most exciting new albums, WRTI's Nate Chinen and NPR Music's Sheldon Pearce get all wrapped up in the amniotic embrace of a new album by a guru of the L.A. ambient-jazz scene.

The new album by Carlos Niño & Friends is called Placenta. If you know anything about Niño, you'll probably be able to guess that the subject that title suggests — pregancy and childbirth — are taken very seriously. Those "Friends" are crucial too: Niño has become a central figure in a scene whose reverberations are starting to be felt well beyond the community itself, and are drawing more artists in. You can hear Niño on André 3000's flute album New Blue Sun, and André returns the favor here.

Also this week: The fourth album by DIIV sees the indie rock group leaning into shoegaze-inspired sounds, and Andrew Bird creates an album in tribute to the "Golden Era" jazz tunes of the 1930s and '40s he heard on Sunday morning radio shows as a young adult in Chicago.

Featured Albums:
• Carlos Niño & Friends, Placenta
• DIIV, Frog in Boiling Water
• Andrew Bird Trio, Sunday Morning Put-On 

Other notable albums out May 24: 
• Tiny Habits, All For Something
• Vince Staples, Dark Times
• Alex Sipiagin, Horizons
• Machinedrum, 3FOR82
• Joshua Moshier, semipermanence
• Nathy Peluso, Grasa

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New Music Friday: The best albums out May 24

We asked listeners to tell us about a song they ugly cried to or just couldn't stop playing. On this episode, we share some of their picks and the stories behind them.

Note: This episode originally ran on Dec. 26, 2023

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PJ Harvey on how she turned her epic poem 'Orlam' into a potent new album

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