NPR Music

All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen shares his favorite new tunes of the week, including a profoundly moving reflection on Hurricane Katrina, a new story-song from Andy Shauf and more.

Featured Songs And Artists:
1. 79rs Gang: "Stop The Water" (Single)
2. Andrea von Kampen: "Water Flowing Downward," from That Spell
3. Opium Moon: "Night," from Night + Day
4. Claire Cronin: "Bloodless," from Bloodless
5. Andy Shauf: "Spanish On The Beach" (Single)
6. Marc Farre: "Prayer Flags," (Single)

Our picks for the best new albums out this week come from the British rapper LIttle Simz, jazz pianist Kirk Lightsey, rising reggaeton singer Jhay Cortez, metal veterans Iron Maiden and more.

Featured Albums:
1. Little Simz — Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
Featured Songs: "Introvert" and "The Rapper That Came To Tea"
2. Jhay Cortez — Timelezz
Featured Song: "Los Bandoleros"
3. Kirk Lightsey — I Will Never Stop Loving You
Featured Song: "I Will Never Stop Loving You"
4. Iron Maiden — Senjutsu
Featured Song: "Days Of Future Past"
5. Lady Blackbird — Black Acid Soul
Featured Songs: "Five Feet Tall" and "Blackbird"
6. Baby Queen — The Yearbook
Featured Song: "Raw Thoughts"
7. L'Orange — The World Is Still Chaos, But I Feel Better
Featured Song: "Talk To Friendly Walls"

Other notable releases for Sept. 3: Damu The Fudgemunk — Conversation Peace; Imagine Dragons — Mercury, Act I; Lady Gaga — Dawn Of Chromatica (remix album)

Every month, we ask the NPR Music staff: What's the one song you couldn't escape? What's the one album to which you'll return all year? In August, we got vulnerable with James Blake, leveled up with Foxing, cooed with PinkPantheress, discovered an obscure Polish composer via pianist Lucas Debargue, memorialized a member of Injury Reserve and went back in time to Lee Morgan's weekend residency at the Lighthouse.

Songs heard on this episode:
• James Blake: "Life is Not the Same" from Friends That Break Your Heart
• Foxing: "Beacons" from Draw Down the Moon
• PinkPantheress, "Just for me"
• Lucas Debargue: "Nostalgie du pays" from Zal — The Music of Miłosz Magin
• Injury Reserve: "Knees" from By the Time I Get to Phoenix
• Lee Morgan: "Absolutions (Friday, Set 2)" from The Complete Live at the Lighthouse

Follow the #NowPlaying blog for the NPR Music staff's favorite new songs.

Before we announce this year's winner, we're asking our judges to share their favorite entries in a weekly livestreamed series. In this episode, last year's winner, Linda Diaz, shares her picks.

NPR Music's picks for the best albums out on Aug. 27 include new ones from CHVRCHES, Indigo De Souza, Terence Blanchard and more.

Featured Albums
1. CHVRCHES — Screen Violence
Featured Song: "Final Girl"
2. Madi Diaz — History Of A Feeling
Featured Song: "Woman In My Heart"
3. Chapel Hart — The Girls Are Back In Town
Featured Song: "You Can Have Him Jolene"
4. Tré Burt — You, Yeah, You
Featured Song: "Sweet Misery"
5. GRIP — I Died For This?!
Featured Song: "The Lox! (feat. Tate 228)"
6. Indigo De Souza — Any Shape You Take
Featured Song: "Way Out"
7. Terence Blanchard — Absence
Featured Song: "The Elders"
8. Andrew Cyrille Quartet — The News
Featured Song: "Go Happy Lucky"

Notable releases for Aug. 27: Halsey — If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power; Big Red Machine — How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last?; Steve Gunn — Other You; Marisa Anderson & William Tyler — Lost Futures; The Bug — Fire; Yann Tiersen — Kerber; Mouse Rat — The Awesome Album; Nite Jewel — No Sun; Southern Avenue — Be The Love You Want; Carlos Henriquez — The South Bronx Story; Kenny Garrett — Sounds From The Ancestors

All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen shares his favorite songs of the week, including a 50th anniversary edition of George Harrison's "Isn't It A Pity."

1. George Harrison: "Isn't It A Pity," from All Things Must Pass (50th Anniversary)
2. Immersion, (feat. Laetitia Sadier): "Riding The Wave," from Nanocluster Vol. 1
3. Circuit des Yeux: "Dogma," from -Io
4. Hand Habits: "Aquamarine," from Fun House
5. Coco: "Knots," from Coco
6. Big Thief: "Sparrow" (Single)

Before we announce this year's Tiny Desk Contest winner, we're asking our judges to share their favorite entries in a weekly livestreamed series. In this episode, Jewly Hight shares her picks.

NPR Music picks the best new albums out this week, including new releases by Lorde, Sturgill Simpson, Deafheaven and more.

The great Brazilian-born, now Los Angeles-based musician has just put out Drama, his first solo album in seven years. We also hear music that changed his life, including songs from The Smiths and Gilberto Gil.

Before we announce this year's Tiny Desk Contest winner, we're asking our judges to share their favorite entries in a weekly livestreamed series. In this episode, John Morrison shares his picks.