NPR Music

Host Robin Hilton, NPR Music's Lyndsey McKenna, Ann Powers and Stephen Thompson run through their picks for the best new albums out on April 5. FEATURED ALBUMS: Martha: Love Keeps Kicking; Khalid: Free Spirit; Lee Fields and the Expressions: It Rains Love; Weyes Blood: Titanic Rising; PUP: Morbid Stuff; Molly Tuttle: When You're Ready; Ages and Ages: Me You They We. OTHER NOTABLE RELEASES FOR APRIL 5: Brooks & Dunn: Reboot; Girli: Odd One Out; Idlewild: Interview Music; Lady Lamb: Even in the Tremor; Lissie: When I'm Alone: The Piano Retrospective; Priests: The Seduction of Kansas; Reba McEntire: Stronger Than the Truth.

Songs includeNatural by Julia ShapiroSIDEWINDER by Cautious ClayThe River St. Johns by Jake Xerxes FussellHenryk Górecki: Symphony No. 3 sung by Beth GibbonsThe Weight of Things by The GloamingTorched and Wrecked by Third Coast Percussion

FEATURED ALBUMS: Mekons: Deserted; Billie Eilish: When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go? Quelle Chris: Guns; Shafiq Husayn: The Loop; Marvin Gaye: You're The Man; Fennesz: Agora; Son Volt: Union.OTHER NOTABLE ALBUMS OUT MARCH 29: Beth Gibbons & The Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra: Henryk Gorecki: Symphony No. 3; Billy Woods & Kenny Segal: Hiding Places; Choosey & Exile: Black Beans; DJ Muggs & Mach-Hommy: Tuez-Les Tous; Joni Void: Mise En Abyme; Karyyn: The Quanta Series; Laura Stevenson: The Big Freeze; MED & Guilty Simpson: Child of the Jungle; Mdou Moctar: Ilana; Saweetie: Icy; Small Feet: With Psychic Powers; Steve Earle & The Dukes: GUY.

Songs for this Episode"Summon the Fire" by The Comet Is Coming"Weird Little Idea" by Radiator Hospital "Give A Chance" by Jesse Mac Cormack"Daylight Matters" by Cate Le Bon"House Of Angels" by Lee "Scratch" Perry"Outside" by Mormor

It's a packed release week with a whole bunch of notable albums to highlight, including the rock guitar heroics on Ex Hex's It's Real, the wistful wisdom of Jenny Lewis, Andrew Bird's "finest work yet," mind-blowing sonics from the genre-bending composers Emily Wells and Lafawndah, the German electronic artist Apparat and much more. Hosts Robin Hilton and Stephen Thompson share their top picks for the best albums out on March 22 on this episode of New Music Friday. FEATURED ALBUMS: Ex Hex: It's Real; Jenny Lewis: On The Line; American Football: American Football; Lafawndah: Ancestor Boy; Andrew Bird: My Finest Work Yet; Emily Wells: This World Is Too ______ For You; Apparat: LP5; Lambchop: This (Is What I Wanted To Tell You). OTHER NOTABLE ALBUMS OUT MARCH 22: Bill McKay: Fountain Fire; Dean Lewis: A Place We Knew; Ibibio Sound Machine: Doko Mien; Lucy Rose: No Words Left; Nilufer Yanya: Miss Universe; Rich The Kid: The World Is Yours 2; Strand Of Oaks: Eraserland; Wallows: Nothings Happens

We've returned from our weeklong grind through the South by Southwest music festival happy, though a little dazed, with ringing ears, and a whole bunch of incredible discoveries. On this All Songs Considered we run through some of the most memorable music and performances, from the shredded noise rock of Rev Rev Rev and thundering soul of Yola Carter to the Afro-Cuban grooves of Cimafunk and the remarkable voice of Tamino. Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson and I each saw around 100 different shows in just a few short days, way more than we could ever share in a single episode. But you can hear more in our Late Night Dispatches from SXSW, including a playlist of songs, and the Austin 100. You can find our complete coverage of the SXSW festival here, including video highlights from our first-ever Tiny Desk Family Hour, a series of Tiny Desk alums performing at Austin's Central Presbyterian Church, including Wyclef Jean, John Paul White and more. -- Robin Hilton

With another SXSW in the books, a truncated and reconstituted All Songs Considered gang — Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson and Jessi Whitten of Colorado Public Radio — gathered late Saturday night (early Sunday morning, really) for one last joyous huddle to share notes on the day's highlights. Since Jessi wasn't on the night before, she had to share at least one major discovery from Friday: The Jazzrauch Bigband, who put on one of the best shows she'd seen in years. (On Saturday, she loved the singer who goes by the name Del Water Gap, as well as Dreamer Boy and Ings.) Bob had raves for Indigo Sparke, THERE and the ever-evolving Miya Folick, while Stephen recommended Jerusalem-based composer and looper ORI, skirts and the soul singer Celeste.

Bob Boilen, Robin Hilton and Stephen Thompson regale each other with tall tales about Friday night's escapades at SXSW.

For the third installment of All Songs Considered's late-night dispatches from SXSW 2019, the gang gathered in a hotel lobby to avoid the cold and sing the praises of Thursday's standout performances. Bob Boilen loved seeing Lonnie Holley with Mary Lattimore, KOKOKO!, John Vanderslice and David Keenan; Robin Hilton sang the praises of Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires, Durand Jones & The Indications and perennial SXSW favorite Calliope Musicals; Katie Presley reveled in performances by Fatai, Xenia França, King Princess and the mighty Lizzo; and Stephen Thompson couldn't say enough nice things about Another Sky, Bixiga 70, Fanclub and Mourning [A] BLKstar.

This week's somewhat abbreviated edition of New Music Friday includes an ambitious collaboration between Yeah Yeah Yeahs singer Karen O and producer Danger Mouse; the British electronic duo The Cinematic Orchestra returns with its first new album in more than a decade, featuring singer Moses Sumney, rapper Roots Manuva and other guests; and Pavement's Stephen Malkmus injects his woozy rock with a strange jolt of electronica. Host Robin Hilton is joined by NPR Music's Stephen Thompson as they share their picks for the best new albums out on March 15. FEATURED ALBUMS: Karen O & Danger Mouse, Lux Prima Featured Songs: "Woman" and "Lux Prima;" The Cinematic Orchestra, To Believe Featured Songs: "A Caged Bird/Imitations of Life," "To Believe" and "The Workers of Art;" Stephen Malkmus, Groove Denied Featured Songs: "Rushing the Acid Frat" and "Belziger Faceplant;" Finn Andrews, One Piece at a Time Featured Song: "One Piece at a Time;" CHAI, Punk Featured Song: "CHOOSE GO!" OTHER NOTABLE RELEASES FOR MARCH 15: Koffee, Rapture EP; Matmos, Plastic Anniversary; The Comet Is Coming, Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery; Todd Snider, Cash Cabin Season Vol. 3.