All Songs Considered's Robin Hilton talks with NPR Music's Ann Powers and Stephen Thompson about the essential new albums out on Aug. 31, including music from Big Red Machine (a new side project of Bon Iver's Justin Vernon and Aaron Dessner of The National), the pop paradise of singer Troye Sivan, a tribute to Roger Miller and more. Featured Albums: Big Red Machine: Big Red Machine; Troye Sivan: Bloom; Saintseneca: Pillar of Na; Aaron Lee Tasjan: Karma for Cheap; Tash Sultana: Flow State; Various Artists: King of the Road: A Tribute to Roger Miller; Other Notable Releases for Aug. 31: Amos Lee: My New Moon; Madeleine Peyroux: Anthem; Bun B: Return of the Trill; Anna Calvi: Hunter; Idles: Joy as an Act of Resistance; Passenger: Runaway

After spending much of the past month on the Newport Folk Festival, 50th anniversary of The Band's Songs from Big Pink, Aretha Franklin, the Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women+ and more, we're finally back with an all-new mix. This week's episode includes the return of Cat Power, singer Laura Gibson, new music from Tiny Desk Contest winner Gaelynn Lea and more. Full playlist: 1. Gabby's World: "Rear View," 2. Cat Power: "Woman," 3. Anna Calvi: "Don't Beat The Girl Out Of My Boy," 4. Sam Phillips: "How Much Is Enough?" 5. Oh Pep!: "What's The Deal With David?" 6. Greg Laswell: "Royal Empress," 7. Gaelynn Lea: "The Last Three Feet," 8. Laura Gibson: "Tenderness"

All Songs Considered's Robin Hilton talks with Ann Powers, Jewly Hight, Sidney Madden and Stephen Thompson about the essential albums out on Aug. 24. This includes the drone rock of Nothing and delicate piano work of Icelandic composer Ólafur Arnalds, French-American rapper Bas, the return of DeVotchka and more. FEATURED ALBUMS: White Denim: Performance; Nothing: Dance on the Blacktop; Ólafur Arnalds: re:member; Bas: Milky Way; Interpol: Marauder; DeVotchka: This Night Falls Forever; Lucie Silvas: E.G.O. OTHER NOTABLE RELEASES FOR AUG 24: BTS: Love Yourself: ANSWER; Joey Dosik: Inside Voice; The Lemon Twigs: Go To School; Rubblebucket: Sun Machine; Blood Orange: Negro Swan; Tuung: Songs You Make At Night; Dee White: Southern Gentleman; Gabriel Kahane: Book of Travels; Glenn Jones: The Giant Who Ate Himself

On this week's show, All Songs Considered's Robin Hilton talks with Ann Powers, Marissa Lorusso and Sidney Madden about some of the greatest songs released by women and non-binary artists in the past 18 years. Earlier this summer NPR Music, along with dozens of other writers, compiled a list of the 200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women+ as part of our Turning the Tables series, an ongoing effort to make the canon of popular music more inclusive – and accurate. Together they share some of the songs that made the list, explain how they were chosen and discuss the ways women and non-binary musicians are still routinely undervalued and underrepresented.

New Music Friday returns from a two-week break with some of 2018's most anticipated releases, including Death Cab For Cutie's Thank You For Today, Mitski's Be The Cowboy, Ariana Grande's Sweetener and more.

All Songs Considered's Robin Hilton talks with NPR Music's Ann Powers and Lauren Onkey about the life and legacy of the Queen of Soul. Aretha Franklin passed away on Aug. 16 at the age of 76. In this career-spanning conversation, we share the songs and stories behind one of the most influential artists of all time, from her earliest days singing gospel in her father's church, through her '80s pop hits, later collaborations with artists like Lauryn Hill and much more.

Let's go back 50 years to a basement outside Woodstock New York — to the formation of a sound and an album that all these years later still shapes the musical landscape. The album is Music From Big Pink and the band is simply called The Band.

Hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton are joined by NPR Music's Stephen Thompson in this encore presentation of 'Songs We Should Retire.' Each picked a handful of classic and more recent tunes to debate longevity and overstayed welcomes in modern music history. Should "American Pie" be put out to pasture? Has John Lennon's "Imagine" been imagined one too many times? Does Pharrell's "Happy" still make us happy, or should we, as Stephen suggests, cryogenically freeze it so we never have to hear it again in our lifetimes?

We recently put out a call asking listeners to share their thoughts about the songs on Courtney Barnett's latest album, Tell Me How You Really Feel, and other tracks from her rich lyrical catalog. On this week's show, we share some of those listener stories and thoughts, and Courtney talks about what inspires her, the creative process and how her music can be interpreted.

On this week's New Music Friday, All Songs Considered's Robin Hilton talks to NPR Music guests Ann Powers and Stephen Thompson about the essential new releases for July 27, including the jangly guitar pop of Tony Molina, a celebration of queerness and the company we keep from Thin Lips and whimsical sing-a-longs from Raffi. Featured Artists/Albums: 1. Israel Nash: Lifted, featured song "Rolling On," 2. Phantastic Ferniture: Phantastic Ferniture, featured song "Bad Timing," 3. Thin Lips: Chosen Family, featured songs "Chosen Family" and "Gaslight Anthem (The Song Not The Band)," 4. Tony Molina: Kill The Lights, featured song "Nothing I Can Say," 5. Raffi: Dog On The Floor, featured song "Play Play Play," 6. Cody Jinks: Lifers, featured song "Head Case"