NPR Music

Our resident Viking, Lars Gotrich, connects epic Japanese storytelling, soul-sampling powerviolence, ambient rap and beautiful noise through thematic webs of history and memory.

Featured Artists and Albums:

• Matmos: "Music or Noise?" from Return to Archive
• PoiL Ueda: "Kokô part 2" from Yoshitsune
• Mayssa Jallad: "Baynana" from Marjaa: The Battle of the Hotels
• Ruth Anderson & Annea Lockwood: "For Ruth" from T​ê​te​-​à​-​t​ê​te
• Zulu: "Lyfe Az a Shorty Shun B So Ruff" from A New Tomorrow
• Yungwebster: "Stay FOCUSSSS [fast+reg]" from Yungwebster
• Liis Ring: "after-image I: nothing stands still" from Homing
• Chuquimamani-Condori: "Breathing" from DJ E
• Sunwatchers: "World People" from Music Is Victory over Time

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We asked listeners to tell us about a song they ugly cried to or just couldn't stop playing in 2023. On this episode, we share some of their picks and the stories behind them.

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While 2022 may have been a year completely dominated by a certain sad summer reggaeton album, 2023 drew its power from a set of familiar sounds that took on new prominence: tubas, accordions and a whole lot of lively, sneakily danceable beats.

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Our annual celebration of the season returns with a trip back to the snowy cabin in the woods where it all began, as we attempt once again to throw a holiday party for the ages.

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You know all those tubas and brass instruments you hear behind your favorite regional Mexican hits? That's banda sinaloense and this week Alt.Latino wraps up the Regional Goes Global series with a visit to Sinaloa, Mexico, the birthplace of the genre.

Anamaria Sayre and Felix Contreras visit the picturesque town Mocorito, a pueblo magico where tradition and pride in the musical heritage runs deep. That's the case even among members of the drug cartels, which are responsible for some of the country's societal ills. It's a complex story as passionate and heartfelt as the music that stretches from the hills of Sinaloa to this side of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Joaquin Cotler, with production support from Lilly Quiroz, Suraya Mohamed, Josephine Nyounai and Natalia Fidelholtz. The editor for this episode is Jacob Ganz, and our project manager is Grace Chung. Hazel Cills is the podcast editor and digital editor for Alt.Latino. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins.

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NPR Music's Hazel Cills and Sheldon Pearce join Alt.Latino's Anamaria Sayre and host Robin Hilton to spin and discuss the best songs of the year, from Olivia Rodrigo, 100 gecs, Noname, J Noa and more.

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It's that time of year again. Over the next few weeks at NPR.org and here on the All Songs Considered podcast, we'll be sharing lists of and conversations about the best music of 2023.

We're kicking things off with the standout albums of the year. Gathered on the show are NPR Music's three main critics: Rodney Carmichael, who writes about hip-hop and R&B; Nate Chinen of WRTI, who covers jazz and classical and Ann Powers, maven of pop, rock, folk, country and a little of everything else. Speaking with editor Daoud Tyler-Ameen, the trio dives into a heavy and heady year to discuss the releases that inspired the most vivid feelings, and together make a case — in an era when singles and playlists drive the industry numbers — for the album as a still-indispensable art form.

The fun won't stop there. Stay tuned for more conversations about the songs that made us drop everything and the tours that turned into vessels for community. There will be lists of our favorite releases on NPR.org and conversations about the sounds and stars that defined the year, enough to keep you listening well into 2024.

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For the second episode of Alt.Latino's regional Mexican music series, hosts Anamaria Sayre and Felix Contreras interview the rising family band Yahritza y Su Esencia in its hometown of Yakima, Washington. The two discover that the U.S.-Mexico border looms large in this regional Mexican moment, especially for Yahritza y Su Esencia — not strictly because of the music's obvious Mexican roots, but also the ways in which the border can create an "us" and "them" dynamic. The band's struggles with musical and personal identity also reflect the real struggles that millions of US-born folks with Mexican heritage face. And what started as a musical journey for Ana and Felix, has now become a personal journey.

Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Joaquin Cotler, with production support from Janice Llamoca, Shelby Hawkins, Suraya Mohamed and Natalia Fidelholtz. The editor for this episode is Jacob Ganz and our project manager is Grace Chung. Hazel Cills is the podcast editor and digital editor for Alt.Latino. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins.

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Peter Gabriel is back with I/O, his first studio album of all-new songs in more than 20 years. To mark the occasion, we're revisiting a conversation and guest DJ session we with did with the singer when he was touring for the 25th anniversary of his album So.

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Sure, there are lots of songs for Christmas and other holidays, but what about Thanksgiving? On this episode we share stories and songs that remind our listeners of time spent with families.

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