NPR Music

In this bonus feed drop we share an episode of NPR Music's new podcast Louder Than A Riot. Hosts Rodney Carmichael and Sidney Madden spent a year investigating the link between the rise of hip-hop and mass incarceration. In this episode they look at the story of Mac Phipps, a rapper whose own lyrics were used against him in court.

We pick our favorite music released in November 2020, featuring Kali Uchis' heart-struck devotionals, Tierra Whack's playful pop, metal duo Jucifer's tribute to Arabic music and Salaam Remi's star-studded soundtrack of the Black experience.

Songs featured:
• Salaam Remi: "Live from Soul in the Horn" from Black on Purpose
• Shameika, "Shameika Said (feat. Fiona Apple)"
• Tierra Whack, "Peppers and Onions"
• Ólafur Arnalds: "Spiral" from Some Kind of Peace
• Kali Uchis: "la luna enamorada" from Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios) ∞
• Jucifer: "Mitochondria" from نظم (Nazm)

NPR Music's pick for the best new albums out this holiday week include an epic return for The Smashing Pumpkins, Three 6 Mafia rapper Juicy J, a previously unreleased Bill Evans concert and more.

Featured Albums:
1. The Smashing Pumpkins — Cyr
Featured Song: "Save Your Tears"
2. Juicy J — The Hustle Continues
Featured Song: "1995"
3. Ane Brun — How Beauty Holds The Hand Of Sorrow
Featured Song: "Trust"
4. Sundae Crush — A Real Sensation
Featured Song: "Good Boy"
5. Bill Evans — Bill Evans Live At Ronnie Scott's
Featured Song: "A Sleeping Bee"
6. Various — Pop Ambient 2021
Featured Song: "Mittsommer"

Other notable albums out Nov. 27: Bad Bunny — El Último Tour del Mundo; Bille Joe Armstrong — No Fun Mondays; Bombino — Live in Amsterdam; JFDR — Dream On; Miley Cyrus — Plastic Hearts.

All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen shares his favorite songs of the week including Steve Earle performing the work of his late son, Justin Townes Earle who died of an apparent drug overdose in August.

Featured Tracks:
1. Steve Earle: "Harlem River Blues" from J.T.
2. Buck Meek: "Pareidolia" from Two Saviors
3. Horsegirl: "Ballroom Dance Scene" (Single)
4. Painted Shield: "Ten Years From Now" from Painted Shield
5. Miloe: "Change Your Mind" from Greenhouse
6. Katy Kirby: "Traffic!" from Cool Dry Place

Hear the first episode of the podcast, created with Vermont Public Radio's Erica Heilman, as the band reveals how they made their latest album, Free Love.

Erica Heilman spent hours talking with singer Amelia Meath and synthesist Nick Sanborn. We get a deep insight into how this couple works together — in this case, it began with Amelia's voice memo. It was just her singing, unaccompanied. And though they've made music together for the past seven-plus years, Nick thought it might be the best thing she'd ever done. Give a listen to Shaking Out The Numb, and see how the song unfolds.

NPR Music's picks for the week's best new albums includes the debut, studio full-length from rapper Megan Thee Stallion, the first all-Spanish album from Kali Uchis, U.K. dub artist The Bug and more.

Featured Albums:
1. Megan Thee Stallion — Good News
Featured Song: "Savage Remix"
2. Mamalarky — Mamalarky
Featured Song: "Drug Store Model"
3. The Bug (feat. Dis Fig) — In Blue
Featured Song: "Take"
4. Kali Uchis — Sin Miedo (Del Amor y Otros Demonios)
Featured Song: "La Luna" and "te pongo mal"
5. Partner — Never Give Up
Featured Song: "Honey"
6. Shygirl — ALIAS
Featured Song: "Twelve"
7. Grandaddy — The Sophtware Slump 20th Anniversary Edition
Featured Song: "Jed's Other Poem" (solo piano version)
8. Visionaries — V
Featured Song: "Put It Together"

Other notable releases for Nov. 20: 5 Billion In Diamonds — Divine Accidents; Anna McClellan – I Saw First Light; Ida Mae — Raining For You; Neil Young — Archives Vol. II (1972-1976); Ronn McFarlane and Carolyn Surrick — Fermi's Paradox; Tayla Parx — Coping Mechanisms; Tank and the Bangas — Friend Goals; War on Drugs — Drugs Live.

All Songs Considered's Bob Boilen shares his favorite tunes of the week, including a captivating project with Bon Iver's Justin Vernon and yMusic's CJ Camerieri.

The Playlist:
1. Routine: "Cady Road," from And Other Things
2. CARM: "Land," from CARM
3. lemin.: "One Brain," from Petey Passed Away
4. Lavender Diamond: "In The Middle," from Now Is The Time
5. Indigo Sparke: "Baby," from Echo
6. Joy On Fire: "Thunderdome," from Thunderdome

NPR Music's picks for the week's best new albums include the long-awaited So Help Me God from 2 Chainz, country singer Chris Stapleton, the Afrobeats of Davido, Gillian Welch rarities and more.

Featured Albums:
1. Chris Stapleton — Starting Over
Featured Song: "Starting Over"
2. Davido — A Better Time
Featured Song: "I Got A Friend"
3. Quakers — II: The Next Wave
Featured Song: "Gun Control"
4. Hachiku — I'll Probably Be Asleep
Featured Song: "I'll Probably Be Asleep"
5. Gillan Welch and David Rawlings — Boots 2: The Lost Songs Vol. 3
Featured Song: "What Can I Do?"
6. 2 Chainz — So Help Me God
Featured Song: "YRB"
7. Katy J Pearson — Return
Featured Song: "Tonight"
8. Aesop Rock — Spirit World Field Guide
Featured Song: "Holy Waterfall"
9. Pink Siifu & Fly Anakin — FlySiffu's
Featured Song: "Mind Right"
10. Marika Hackman — Covers
Featured Song: "Between the Bars"

Other notable releases for Nov. 13: AC/DC — Power Up; BENEE — Hey u x; Goodie Mob — Survival Kit; Gwenifer Raymond — Strange Lights Over Garth Mountain; Jesse Kivel — Inifite Jess; Jules Shear — Slower; Nané — Nané; Randall Bramblett — Pine Needle Fire; Meg Myers — Thank You For Taking Me To The Disco and I'd Like To Go Home Now; Told Slant — Point The Flashlight And Walk; TSHA — Flowers.

The Icelandic composer talks with All Songs Considered's Bob Boilen about finding rebirth through making music, the growing pains of turning 30 and how Death Cab For Cutie changed his life.

NPR Music's picks for the best new albums out this week include pure escapism from Kylie Minogue's Disco, the "destructive" pop-rap of Bree Runway, Argentinian bandoneon master Dino Saluzzi and more.

Featured Albums:
1. Kylie Minogue — Disco
Featured Song: "Magic"
2. Bree Runway — 2000AND4EVA
Featured Song: "ATM (feat. Missy Elliott)"
3. Little Mix — Confetti
Featured Song: "Sweet Melody"
4. Fred Hersch — Songs From Home
Featured Song: "All I Want"
5. Dino Saluzzi — Albores
Featured Song: "Adios Maestro Kancheli"
6. Digawolf — High Arctic
Featured Song: "Cry Wolf"
7. Birdy — Piano Sketches
Featured Song: "Open Your Heart"
8. Krust — The Edge of Everything
Featured Song: "Antigravity Love"
9. Madison Cunningham — Wednesday
Featured Song: "Hold On"
10. Pylon — Pylon Box
Featured Songs: "Feast on My Heart" and "Cool"

Other notable releases for Nov. 6: Christo Graham — Turnin'; David Bowie — Metrobolist (aka The Man Who Sold The World) 50th Anniversary Edition; Dave Brubeck — Lullabies; Donovan Woods — Without People; Enio Morricone — Morricone Segreto; Heather Trost — PETRICOR; Leslie Odom Jr. — The Christmas Album; Neil Young — Return to Greendale; Olafur Arnalds — Some Kind of Peace; Sangre de Muerdago — Xuntas; Tunng — Tunng Presents... Dead Club; Wilco — Summerteeth Deluxe Edition (21st anniversary).