NPR Music

Margaret Glaspy has just surprised fans with three new songs on a brand new EP called Born Yesterday. She describes it as a bookend to Emotions And Math — the stunning, 2016 debut full-length that launched her career, a world tour and landed on many top 10 lists for the year, including mine.I spoke with Margaret Glaspy about these new songs, how they end one chapter of her life but also lead to the next adventure.

Singer-songwriter Kacey Musgraves has been pushing the boundaries of contemporary country music since releasing her remarkable, 2013 major label debut, Same Trailer, Different Park. She's back now with a new album and two new songs that solidify her place in the "new" Nashville sound by digging even deeper into sparkly, spikey pop. We've got one of the two new singles, "Butterflies," which she calls an "ode to the right person giving me wings and the first song I wrote after meeting my now husband." Full playlist: 1. Editors "Hallelujah (So Low)," 2. Parquet Courts "Almost Had To Start A Fight/In And Out Of Patience," 3. Richard Russell and Sampha "Close But Not Quite," 4. Yuno "No Going Back," 5. Kacey Musgraves "Butterflies," 6. Yo La Tengo "Shades Of Blue"

All Songs Considered's Robin Hilton talks with NPR Music's Stephen Thompson, Lars Gotrich and Joshua Bote about the essential new albums out for Feb. 23. Full playlist: 1. Screaming Females 'All At Once,' 2. Dessa 'Chime,' 3. S. Carey 'Hundred Acres,' 4. The Lovely Eggs 'This Is Eggland,' 5. SOB x RBE 'Gangin,' 6. Nanook Of The North 'Nanook Of The North,' 7. Turnstile 'Time And Space.'

Since releasing her incredible, 2015 debut album Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit, Courtney Barnett has released a collaboration record with Kurt Vile and a one-off single called "How To Boil An Egg." But she's back now with a new full-length solo album. Tell Me How You Really Feel is due out May 18 and we've got the first single from it, "Nameless, Faceless. "Also on the show: The long wait for new music from the brooding dreamscape duo Exitmusic is over. After releasing a stunning debut called Passage in 2012, the band largely disappeared. But Exitmusic is finally back with a worthy followup born out of heartache and loss. The Recognitions is due out April 20 and the first single is a densely layered, soaring elegy, "I'll Never Know." Full Playlist: 1. Exitmusic "I'll Never Know," 2. Courtney Barnett "Nameless, Faceless," 3. Okkervil River "Don't Move Back To LA," 4. Half Waif "Keep It Out," 5. Kero Kero Bonito "You Know How It Is," 6. Clint Heidorn "North Hudson," 7. Anna von Hausswolf "The Truth, The Glow, The Fall"

NPR Music's Rodney Carmichael and Sidney Madden talk with Snow about his stunning new album, Dear Annie.

All Songs Considered's Robin Hilton runs through the essential new albums out on Feb. 16 with NPR Music's Ann Powers and Rodney Carmichael. Featured albums: 1. Rejjie Snow 'Dear Annie,' 2. Brandi Carlile 'By The Way, I Forgive You,' 3. Superchunk 'What A Time To Be Alive,' 4. Nipsey Hussle 'Victory Lap,' 5. Loma 'Loma,' 6. Marlon Williams 'Make Way For Love,' 7. Car Seat Headrest 'Twin Fantasy (Face To Face)'

And now, a conversation and sing-a-long with First Aid Kit!It's been just about six years since First Aid Kit knocked me out with the duo's performance at the Tiny Desk. The two Swedish sisters, Klara and Johanna Söderberg, make remarkable, American country-flavored music. Their latest songs can be found on their album Ruins. That record includes performances by Wilco percussionist Glenn Kotche and former R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck, and it was produced by Tucker Martine, known for his work with The Decemberists, My Morning Jacket, Spoon and many others.In this conversation, the two sisters talk about working with Tucker Martine in Portland, Ore. and how his participation helped broaden and empower their sound.But what was so much fun about this guest DJ show were the Swedish songs they brought in and the sing-a-long that seemed to spontaneously happen for every tune they played.

Melina Duterte, best known for her project Jay Som, and Michelle Zauner of Japanese Breakfast felt like the perfect choice to talk to us this week: They both know how to write about love, and they're both playfully entertaining on social media. They each sent me a list of love songs, with neither aware of what the other had picked. This conversation took place in three cities: Melina was at NPR West in Culver City, California, while Michelle was at our NPR bureau in New York City. In fact, they'd begun the conversation before host Bob Boilen arrived at NPR's studio in Washington, D.C. It was a conversation that included everything from songs they know from middle school to song choices inspired by their parents' love.

All Songs Considered's Bob Boilen talks with NPR Music's Sidney Madden and Marissa Lorusso about the essential new albums out on Feb. 9, including the Black Panther soundtrack, MGMT's 'Little Dark Age,' the crazy polyrhythms or Palm and more. Albums mentioned on this episode: 1. Kendrick Lamar et al 'Black Panther: The Album,' 2. Palm 'Rock Island,' 3. MGMT 'Little Dark Age,' 4. Son Lux 'Brighter Wounds,' 5. SHIRT 'Pure Beauty'

Former members of the legendary Fugazi, new semi-found-sound collages and Blood Orange collaborates with Girlpool.