NPR Music

In the days since Chidlish Gambino debuted a new song on Saturday Night Live – as well as a shocking video online – fans and music critics have been trying to unspool what it all means. On this week's show, NPR Music's Rodney Carmichael joins us to try to make sense of "This Is America" and to explain why people will be dissecting both the song and video for months. Full playlist: 1. Ages And Ages: "Needle And Thread," 2. pronoun: "Wrong," 3. Car Seat Headrest: "My Boy (Twin Fantasy)," 4. Childish Gambino: "This Is America," 5. Cautious Clay: "Silos," 6. Alice Ivy: "Chasing Stars (feat. Bertie Blackman)," 7. LUMP: "Late To The Party."

Featured Albums: Frank Turner: 'Be More Kind,' Shakey Graves: 'Can't Wake Up,' Lucrecia Dalt: 'Anticlines,' Leon Bridges: 'Good Thing,' Damien Jurado: 'The Horizon Just Laughed,' Parker Milsap: 'Other Arrangements,' Belly: 'Dove,' Other Notable Releases For May 4: Gaz Coombes: 'World's Strongest Man,' Jessica Risker: 'I See You Among The Stars,' Pinkshinyultrablast: 'Miserable Miracles,' Trampled By Turtles: 'Life Is Good On The Open Road,' Lake Street Dive: 'Free Yourself Up,' John Hopkins: 'Singularity,' Eleanor Frieberger: 'Rebound'

The release of Dirty Projectors' self-titled album last year came after a five-year hiatus and the departure of longtime singer Amber Coffman. The songs, which documented that departure, were heart-breaking, dark and cathartic. But frontman David Longstreth is already back with a follow-up, and a brighter one at that. Lamp Lit Prose (out July 13) suggests he's emerged with a newfound optimism, and on this week's show we've got the first single from it: "Break-Thru." Full playlist for this episode: 1. Dirty Projectors: "Break-Thru," 2. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks: "Middle America," 3. Sofi Tukker: "Benadryl," 4. Shannon & The Clams: "Onion," 5. Valley Queen: "Supergiant," 6. Jessica Risker: "I See You Among The Stars," 7. Red Baraat: "Kala Mukhra"

From the sounds of blues guitarist and singer Lead Belly to recordings of Southwestern Woodhouse Toads, Smithsonian Folkways has been capturing the sounds of global history for the past 70 years. These recordings are among 60,000 treasured tracks the label has in its library — and it promises they'll never go out of print — from the labor songs of Woody Guthrie and children's songs of Ella Jenkins to New Orleans hot jazz, songs of the civil rights movement, the Honk Horn music of Ghana and so much more.The label was officially started on May Day 1948, so its current director and curator, Huib Schippers, joins us to look back and celebrate this National Treasure's rich history.

On this week's New Music Friday, All Songs Considered's Robin Hilton runs through some of the best albums out on April 27 with NPR Music's Rodney Carmichael, Felix Contreras, Lars Gotrich, Marissa Lorusso, and Ann Powers. Featured albums include the potent and political rock of Speedy Ortiz, the ethereal sounds of Grouper, Janelle Monae's highly anticipated Dirty Computer, Post Malone and more. Featured Albums: 1. Speedy Ortiz: Twerp Verse, 2. Grouper: Grid Of Points, 3. Willie Nelson: Last Man Standing, 4. Post Malone: Beerbongs And Bentleys, 5. Tom Rush: Voices, 6. Janelle Monae: Dirty Computer, 7. Half Waif: Lavender. Also notable for April 27: Okkervil River: In The Rainbow Rain, Forth Wanderers: Forth Wanderers, Dr. Dog: Critical Equation, Dylan Carlson: Conquistador, Steve Angello: Human, Eomac: Reconnect

We open this week's show with a look at our 2018 Tiny Desk Contest winner, Naia Izumi. He's an artist based out of Los Angeles with a phenomenal voice and breathtaking technique on guitar. Naia is also incredibly charming with a profoundly moving personal story about how he came to music and what it has meant to him over the years. Full playlist: 1. Naia Izumi - "Soft Spoken," 2. Tank And The Bangas - "Smoke.Netflix.Chill," 3. Rafiq Bhatia - "Before Our Eyes," 4. Wellesl - "Seventeen," 5. Stevie Wolf - "Yves Klein Blue," 6. Beach House - "Dark Spring"

On this week's quick run through some of the best new albums out on April 20, All Songs Considered's Robin Hilton chats with NPR Music's Ann Powers and Stephen Thompson about the primal pop of Kimbra, dark and majestic songs from Exitmusic, Nashville veterans The Old Crow Medicine Show, the rock-and-soul of Shuggie Otis and more. Featured Albums: 1. Kimbra: Primal Heart, 2. Exitmusic: The Recognitions, 3. Old Crow Medicine Show: Volunteer, 4. Sera Cahoone: The Flora String Sessions, 5. Bishop Briggs: Church Of Scars, 6. DRINKS: Hippo Lite, 7. Ashley Monroe: Sparrow, 8. Shuggie Otis: Inter-Fusion. Also notable for April 20 – J. Cole: K.O.D., Lord Huron: Vide Noir, Brothers Osborne: Port Saint Joe, The HIRS Collective: Friends. Lovers. Favorites

The band Lord Huron is known for its cinematic story songs. Ben Schneider, creator of the project, talks with All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen about some of the music by other artists that informed the tales on Lord Huron's latest album.

Laura Gibson recounts the tale of how one lousy concert in Austin wound up birthing The Tiny Desk Concert series.

We asked listeners what song they want played at their funeral. On this edition of All Songs Considered, we share some of the incredible responses we got, along with the stories behind them.