NPR Music

This week's episode of Alt.Latino is a tribute to host Felix Contreras, who just received the Hispanic Heritage Award for Journalism from the Hispanic Heritage Foundation. Co-host Anamaria Sayre and the Alt.Latino team surprised Felix with guest appearances from Juanes, Daymé Arocena, Chucho Valdés, Dolores Huerta and more.

This podcast was produced by Noah Caldwell. The executive producer of NPR Music is Suraya Mohamed.

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Hear the songs we just had to share this week. NPR Music’s Dora Levite joins host Robin Hilton to update our running list of the year’s best songs, with head-spinning, shape-shifting wonders from Asher White, transcendent ambient sounds from Early Fern, the first new solo album from Neko Case in eight years and more.

Featured artists and songs:

1. Asher White: “Beers with my name on them,” from ‘8 Tips for Catastrophe Living’

2. Neko Case: “Wreck,” from ‘Neon Grey Midnight Green'

3. caroline: “Total Euphoria,” from ‘caroline 2’

4. Sturle Dagsland: “Hugging Horses,” from ‘Dreams And Conjurations’

5. Model/Actriz: “Doves,” from ‘Piourette’

6. Early Fern: “Teasel,” from ‘Wetland Interiors’

Weekly reset: Horses are really having a moment

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What songs take us back to 2008? Robin Hilton and Stephen Thompson recall a pretty folk-heavy year with lots of groundbreaking debuts.

Note: This is a recurring feature in celebration of the show's 25th anniversary. A shorter version of this episode ran earlier in the year.


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Big Thief. David Byrne. El Michels Affair. WFUV's Alisa Ali joins Stephen Thompson to discuss their favorite albums coming out Friday, Sept. 5.

The Starting 5:

• Big Thief, 'Double Infinity'

• El Michels Affair, '24 Hr Sports'

• Curtis Harding, 'Departures & Arrivals: Adventures of Captain Curt'

• Lucrecia Dalt, 'A Danger to Ourselves'

• David Byrne, 'Who Is The Sky?'


The Lightning Round:

• Saint Etienne, 'International'

• james K, 'Friend'

• Ivy, 'Traces of You'

• Anaïs & The Hoops, 'Growing Pains'

• V/A, 'I Will Swim To You: A Tribute to Jason Molina'

See the long list of albums out Sept. 5 and sample dozens of them via our New Music Friday playlist on npr.org.

Credits

Host: Stephen Thompson
Guest: Alisa Ali, WFUV
Audio Producer: Noah Caldwell
Digital Producer: Elle Mannion
Editor: Otis Hart
Production Assistant: Dora Levite
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed

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Felix shares the music that's helped him recover from a serious illness. Anamaria shares some new exquisite (and, in one case, slightly toxic) love songs.

Featured artists and songs:

• Blood Orange, "I Can Go" (feat. Mabe Fratti & Mustafa)

• Draco Rosa, "Quiero Vivir"

• Caetano Veloso, "Voce E Linda" (Remixed Original Album)

• Tim Bernardes, "BB (Garupa de Moto Amarela)"

• Tim Bernardes, "Última Vez"

• Santana, "Goodness and Mercy"

• Xavi, "Ojitos de Miel"

• Los Lobos, "Bertha" (Live at the Carefree Theatre, 1992)

This podcast was produced by Noah Caldwell. The executive producer of NPR Music is Suraya Mohamed.


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We get a jump on the upcoming fall releases we’re most excited about, including new ones from Skullcrusher, S. Carey, Silvana Estrada and more.

Featured artists and albums:


1. Snōōper: ‘Worldwide’ (Oct. 3)
2. Sudan Archives: ‘The BPM’ (Oct. 17)
3. Claire Rousay: ‘Little Death’ (Oct. 31)
4. Crushed: ‘No Scope’ (Sept. 26)
5. Cate Le Bon: ‘Michelangelo Dying’ (Sept. 26)
6. S. Carey: ‘Watercress’ (Oct. 3)
7. Emily Sprague: ‘Cloud Time’ (Oct. 10)
8. Skullcrusher: ‘And Your Song Is Like A Circle’ (Oct. 17)
9. Silvana Estrada: ‘Vendrán Suaves Lluvias’ (Oct. 17)

Weekly reset: Walking through the woods on an autumn afternoon

Enjoy the show? Share it with a friend and leave us a review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: [email protected]


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The songs that take us back to 2007, the golden age of indie pop and rock.

Note: This is a recurring feature in celebration of the show's 25th anniversary. A shorter version of this episode ran earlier in the year.

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Sabrina Carpenter. The Beaches. Margo Price. This week, Stephen Thompson chats with NPR Music's Hazel Cills and WMOT's Jessie Scott about the best new albums out this new music Friday.

The Starting 5:

• The Beaches, 'No Hard Feelings'

• The Beths, 'Straight Line Was A Lie'

• Margo Price, 'Hard Headed Woman'

• Rodney Crowell, 'Airline Highway'

• Anna Tivel, 'Animal Poem'

Read more about WMOT's live webcast from AMERICANAFEST 2025.

The Lightning Round:

• Blood Orange, 'Essex Honey'

• Jaelee Roberts, 'Let Me Be Lonely'

• Brad Mehldau, 'Ride Into the Sun'

• CMAT, 'EURO-COUNTRY'

• Tiwa Savage, 'This One Is Personal'

See the long list of albums out Aug. 29 and sample dozens of them via our New Music Friday playlist on npr.org.

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This week, NPR Music reporter Isabella Gomez-Sarmiento is back on the mic, bringing host Anamaria Sayre new music in the vein of her 2010s Tumblr era. Think emo bangs, bright blue skinny jeans and a Warped Tour T-shirt. Sonically, this week’s picks run through bedroom pop, sultry balladry and Bronx-Dominican rap over post-punk basslines.

Featured artists and songs:

• Titanic (I. la Católica and Mabe Fratti), “Escarbo dimensiones"

• Mon Laferte, “Esto Es Amor"

• Planta Industrial, “Teteo in The Bronx”

• Santi Muk and Zenon Pereyra, “seu carinho,” “CUÁNTO FALTA PARA CONOCERTE?” and “ANA BAILABA”

• Maria Usbeck, “Mar”

• LATIN MAFIA and Omar Apollo, “Hecho para ti”

This episode was produced by Noah Caldwell and edited by Otis Hart. Suraya Mohamed is the Executive Producer of NPR Music and the madrina of Alt.Latino.

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We update our running list of the year’s best songs with a bunch of glitched-out ear candy, raging rock, and tracks that seek real, human connections in an increasingly artificial landscape.

Featured artists and songs:

1. Disiniblud: “Give-upping (feat. Julianna Barwick),” from ‘Disniblud’
2. ear: “Fetish” (single)
3. Emily Yacina: “Talk Me Down,” from ‘Veilfall’
4. Anamanaguchi: “Rage (Kitchen Sink),” from ‘Anyway’
5. james K: “Play,” from ‘Friend’

Weekly reset: A day at the county fair

Enjoy the show? Share it with a friend and leave us a review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: [email protected]

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