NPR Music

All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen shares his favorite new songs of the week including an ambient track from Sufjan Stevens, solo work from Phish's Page McConnell, Squirrell Flower and more.

1. Charlotte Jacobs: "Where You Want Me To," from The Shape of Wandering EP
2. Damien Jurado: "Tom," from The Monster Who Hated Pennsylvania
3. Squirrel Flower: "Hurt A Fly," from Planet (i)
4. Jess Locke: "Tell Me I'm Okay," from Don't Ask Yourself Why
5. Mabe Fratti: "Hacia el Vacío," from Será Que Ahora Podremos Entendernos
6. Sufjan Stevens: "Meditation V," from Convocations
7. Page McConnell: "Radio Silence," from Maybe We're The Visitors

A deeply personal and revealing record from Brockhampton, Dutch artist Benny Sings, breakout rapper Lakeyah, the Vijay Iyer Trio and more make NPR Music's picks for the best albums out on Apr. 9.

Featured Albums:
1. Benny Sings — Music
Featured Song: "Nobody's Fault"
2. Brockhampton — Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine
Featured Song: "The Light"
3. Lakeyah — In Due Time
Featured Song: "Look At Me"
4. claire rousay — A Softer Focus
Featured Song: "Peak Chroma"
5. Mon Laferte — Seis
Featured Song: "Se Me Va Quemar El Corazon"
6. Matthew E. White & Lonnie Holley — Broken Mirror: A Selfie Reflection
Featured Song: "Broken Mirror: A Selfie Reflection"
7. Sheep, Dog & Wolf — Two Minds
Featured Song: "Two Minds"
8. Cehryl — Time Machine
Featured Song: "Outside the Party, Inside the Dream"
9. The Vijay Iyer Trio — Uneasy
Featured Song: "Children of Flint"

Other notable releases for April 9: Ballaké Sissoko — Djouro; Damon Locks Black Monument Ensemble — Now; Max Richter — Voices 2; Rhiannon Giddens & Francesco Turissi — They're Calling Me Home; Taylor Swift — Fearless (Taylor's Version); Yaya Bey — The Things I Can't Take With Me.

All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen shares his favorite songs of the week, including a Leonard Cohen cover from First Aid Kit, reflections on the comforts of home from Rhiannon Giddens and more.

1. Bachelor, (Jay Som & Palehound): "Stay in the Car," from Doomin' Sun
2. Wallice: "Hey Michael," from Off The Rails EP
3. Major Murphy: "Real," from Access
4. Iceage: "Shelter Song," from Seek Shelter
5. Rhiannon Giddens (feat. Francesco Turrisi): "Avalon," from They're Calling Me Home
6. First Aid Kit: "Famous Blue Raincoat/Anthem," from Who By Fire
7. Skullcrusher: "Song for Nick Drake," from Storm In Summer EP

NPR Music picks the best new albums out this week, including new albums by Leslie Jordan, Flock of Dimes, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and more.

1. Nasty Cherry — The Movie EP
Featured Song: "Six Six Six"
2. Mello Music Group — Bushido
Featured Song: "One of the Last (feat. Marlowe)"
3. Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad with Gary Bartz — Jazz Is Dead 6
Featured Song: "Spiritual Ideation"
4. Leslie Jordan — Company's Comin'
Featured Song: "Working on a Building (feat. Ashley McBryde & Charlie Worsham)"
5. Flock of Dimes — Head of Roses
Featured Song: "Price of Blue"
6. Dry Cleaning — New Long Leg
Featured Song: "Scratchcard Lanyard"
7. Godspeed You! Black Emperor — G_d's Pee (AT STATE'S END)
Featured Song: "OUR SIDE HAS TO WIN (for D.H.)"

In March, we indulged R&B pleasures from Joyce Wrice and Solomon Fox, we missed our friends with a sweet song by Joel Young, dreamed of summer with Hirsch, bum-rushed IKOQWE's razor-edged boom-bap, and discovered the cosmic secrets of Floating Points and Pharoah Sanders.

Songs featured on this episode:
• IKOQWE: "Pele" from The Beginning, The Mediums, The End and The Infinite
• Joyce Wrice: "Losing" from Overgrown
• Solomon Fox: "Rockaways" from Solomon
• Hirsch: "Reaction" from Denihilism
• Joel Young, "Friend"
• Floating Points & Pharoah Sanders: "Movement 5" from Promises

Follow the Press Pause playlist for the NPR Music staff's favorite new songs.

The singer and fiddler shares the stories and inspiration behind her sweetly affecting record, Under The Pepper Tree in this conversation with All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen.

NPR Music's picks for the best albums out on Mar. 26 include the relentlessly infectious songs of AJR, Israeli rapper and singer Noga Erez, Tune-Yards, jazz legend Dr. Lonnie Smith and more.

Featured Albums:
1. AJR — OK ORCHESTRA
Featured Song: "Joe"
2. Noga Erez — KIDS
Featured Song: "End of the Road"
3. Clark — Playground In A Lake
Featured Songs: "Lambent Rag," "Forever Chemicals," "Earth Systems"
4. Miko Marks — Our Country
Featured Song: "Ancestors"
5. Tune-Yards — Sketchy
Featured Song: "Make It Right"
6. Dr. Lonnie Smith — Breathe
Featured Song: "Track 9"
7. serpentwithfeet — Deacon
Featured Song: "Sailor's Superstition"

Other notable releases for Mar. 26: Armand Hammer & The Alchemist — HARAM; Dntel — The Seas Trees See; El Michels Affair — Yeti Season; First Aid Kit — Who By Fire; Floating Points/Pharoah Sanders/London Symphony Orchestra — Promises; Rod Wave — Soulfly.

"Somebody's like, 'Beeps are the new cowbell,' and I agree!" Julien Baker unpacks the experimentation of her new album, Little Oblivions, with Torres' Mackenzie Scott.

All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen shares his favorite new tracks of the week, including an uplifting piece from Kishi Bashi, the Malian kora master Toumani Diabaté, the return of Gem Club and more.

Featured Artists And Songs:
1. Kishi Bashi: "Wait for Springtime," from Emigrant EP
2. Gem Club: "Spirit & Decline" (Single)
3. Red Ribbon: "Renegade," from Planet X
4. Madi Diaz: "New Person, Old Place" (Single)
5. Montparnasse Musique: "Panter," from Montparnasse Musique
6. Toumani Diabaté & The London Symphony Orchestra: "Mamadou Kanda Keita," from Kôrôlén
7. Witch Camp (Ghana): "Left To Live Like an Animal," from I've Forgotten Now Who I Used To Be

Hear monumental new music from Jon Batiste, country legend Loretta Lynn, the rapper Benny the Butcher and more on NPR Music's list of the best new albums out this week.

Featured Albums:
1. Jon Batiste — We Are
Featured Song: "We Are"
2. Loretta Lynn — Still Woman Enough
Featured Song: "You Ain't Woman Enough"
3. Melissa Carper — Daddy's Country Gold
Featured Song: "Makin' Memories"
4. Vegyn — Like A Good Old Friend
Featured Song: "I See You Sometimes"
5. Benny The Butcher — The Plugs I Met 2
Featured Song: "Live By It"
6. Middle Kids — Today We're The Greatest
Featured Song: "R U 4 Me"
7. Colin Miller — Hook
Featured Song: "From the Other Room"
8. Maria DeHart — Quarantunes
Featured Song: "In My Head"
9. New Pagans — The Seed, The Vessel, Roots And All
Featured Song: "Christian Boys"

Other notable releases for March 19: Alex Somers — Siblings and Siblings 2; A.A. Williams — Songs From Isolation; Lana Del Rey — Chemtrails Over The Country Club; Landlady — Landlady; Pink Siifu and Fly Anakin — $mokebreak.