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Nothing on mainstream radio sounded like Beck's "Loser" when it dropped in 1994. Thirty years later, we explain why, look at its impact on the rise of slacker rock and how we still hear it today.

With KEXP's Cheryl Waters, NPR's Stephen Thompson and host Robin Hilton.

Beck tracks featured in this episode:
From 'Mellow Gold':
"Loser"
"Truck Driving Neighbor Downstairs (Yellow Sweat)"
"Beercan"
"Black Hole"
From 'Stereopathetic Soulmanure':
"Satan Gave Me A Taco"
"Rowboat"
From 'One Foot in the Grave':
"One Foot in the Grave"
Also featured:
Basehead: "Brand New Day" from 'Play with Toys'
Ween: "Push Th' Little Daisies" from 'Pure Guava'
King Missile: "Detachable Penis" from 'Happy Hour'
Pussy Galore: "Brick" from 'Sugars*** Sharp'
The Lemonheads: "Half The Time" from 'Lovey'
Guided By Voices: "#2 in the Model Home Series" from 'Vampire on Titus'
Sebadoh: "Soul and Fire" from 'Bubble & Scrape'
Pavement: "Cut Your Hair" from 'Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain'
Alex G: "Runner" from 'God Save the Animals'
Courtney Barnett: "History Eraser" from 'The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas'
Frankie Cosmos: "Apathy" from 'Vessel'
Beck: "F**** With My Head (Mountain Dew Rock)" from 'Mellow Gold'

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Ann Powers and Daoud Tyler-Ameen discuss Hurray for the Riff Raff's career-defining new album The Past Is Still Alive, along with a trio of other thrilling new releases that reveal the distinct strengths of the musicians behind them.

Featured albums:
1. Hurray for the Riff Raff, The Past Is Still Alive
2. Erika de Casier, Still (released Wednesday, Feb. 21)
3. Real Estate, Daniel
4. Mary Timony, Untame The Tiger

Other notable releases out Feb. 23:
• Daymé Arocena, Alkemi
• glaive, a bit of a mad one
• Glitterer, Rationale
• Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru, Souvenirs
• Corb Lund, El Viejo
• Mama Zu, Quilt Floor
• MGMT, Loss of Life
• Laetitia Sadier, Rooting for Love
• Nadine Shah, Filthy Underneath
• Rafael Toral, Spectral Evolution
• TWICE, With YOU-th

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Felix Contreras and Anamaria Sayre round up their favorite new music, including Southern Cone rock and cumbia, atmospheric vocals from the U.S. and even some delicate yet emotionally powerful music from the Catalan region of Spain.

Featured songs:
El Cuarteto de Nos: "Chivo Expiatorio (En Vivo)"
Helado Negro: "Best For You and Me"
La Yegros: "Bodas de Plumas"
Lau Noah: "If a tree falls in love with a river"
Daymé Arocena: "A Fuego Lento" (feat. Vicente García)
Residente: "Ron En El Piso"

Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Joaquin Cotler. Hazel Cills is the podcast editor and digital editor for Alt.Latino and our project manager is Grace Chung. NPR Music's executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins.

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Host Robin Hilton hangs with composer and artist Julia Holter and NPR's Lars Gotrich to gab about their favorite new music, including the calming sounds of Helado Negro, Daisy Rickman and more.

Featured artists and songs:
1. Jessica Pratt: "Life Is" from 'Here In The Pitch'
2. Deerlady: "Masterpieces" from 'Greatest Hits'
3. Helado Negro: "Colores Del Mar" from 'Phasor'
4. Julia Holter: "Spinning" from 'Something in the Room She Moves'
5. Daisy Rickman: "Signpost to the Stars" from 'Howl'
6. Frances Chang: "Spiral in Houston" from 'Psychedelic Anxiety'
7. Jessika Kenney & Eyvind Kang: "Ocean" from 'Azure'

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NPR Music's Felix Contreras and WRTI's Nate Chinen run down new albums by Gaby Mareno, Les Amazones d'Afrique and more. Then, Nate Chinen is joined by NPR Music's Tom Huizenga to discuss the legacy and controversy around George Gershwin's masterpiece, "Rhapsody in Blue," which celebrated its centennial this week.

Featured albums out Feb. 16:
• Gaby Moreno, 'Dusk'
• Mike McGinnis +9, 'Outing: Road Trip II'
• Mike LeDonne and the Groover Quartet, 'Wonderful!'
• Nathalie Joachim, 'Ki moun ou ye'
• Les Amazones d'Afrique, 'Musow Danse'


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We asked listeners to tell us about a time they put a song on a mixtape or playlist to woo a crush. On this week's show, we share some of those songs ... and find out if they worked.

Featured Songs:

1. Peter Gabriel: "In Your Eyes"
2. Depeche Mode: "Somebody"
3. Erykah Badu: "Kiss Me On My Neck"
4. Madness: "It Must Be Love"
5. Mirah: "Dreamboat"
6. Q-Tip: "Vivrant Thing"
7. The Kinks: "Tired of Waiting for You"
8. The Magnetic Fields: "I Don't Want To Get Over You"
9. The Modern Lovers: "I Wanna Sleep In Your Arms"
10. Mazzy Star: "Fade Into You"

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Ann Powers and Sheldon Pearce listen to the new albums out on Feb. 9 — including Brittany Howard's What Now — and find themselves wondering about the cultural value of virtuosity in 2024.

Featured albums:
1. Brittany Howard, What Now
2. Joel Ross, nublues
3. Boldy James & Nicholas Craven, Penalty of Leadership (released Jan. 12)
4. Kali Malone, All Life Long
5. Sonic Youth, Walls Have Ears
6. Usher, Coming Home

Other notable albums out Feb. 9:
• Helado Negro, PHASOR
• Chelsea Wolfe, She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She
• Madi Diaz, Weird Faith
• Declan McKenna, What Happened To The Beach?
• Little Simz, Drop 7 EP
• Shygirl, Club Shy EP
• Kelela, RAVE:N, The Remixes
• Mk.gee, Two Star & The Dream Police
• Ducks Ltd., Harm's Way
• David Nance & Mowed Sound, David Nance & Mowed Sound
• Split System, Vol. 2
• The Telescopes, Growing Eyes Become String

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Nothing captures the agony of love, loss, hope and redemption like the song form known across all of Latin America: the bolero.

Last December, UNESCO declared the bolero "an intangible cultural heritage of humanity" and "an indispensable part of the Latin American sentimental song." And given that Valentine's Day is coming up, Felix Contreras and Anamaria Sayre did something special this week, in honor of this news: they asked some of their favorite artists and show listeners to share their most-loved boleros, and break down exactly what makes them so special. Join Felix and Ana as they laugh, cry and sing a little to the love songs of the ages.

And be sure to check out the playlists we made for this episode, feature Ana and Felix's picks, as well as the selections from featured artists and listeners, on Spotify and Apple Music.

Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Joaquin Cotler. Hazel Cills is the podcast editor and digital editor for Alt.Latino and our project manager is Grace Chung. NPR Music's executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins.

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Host Robin Hilton hangs with NPR's Hazel Cills and Sheldon Pearce to geek out about the new Billy Joel, Kim Gordon, Shygirl, Nia Archives and more.

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Our friends at NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour break down the major winners and highlights from the 2024 Grammy Awards.

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