NPR Music

Angel Olsen has reimagined her sound. On this edition of All Songs Considered, she and her co-producer, John Congleton reveal how they did it, with the help of a 14-piece string section.

"What making this record was about," says Angel Olsen, "is erasing my own thoughts about where the song should be, letting go and being more open to other ideas."

"I have this weird theory," adds John Congleton, "that the only thing a good producer really can do is know when a mistake is right."

This process began with Angel Olsen first recording all the songs as a solo album. Then, through these collaborations, the music organically morphed and strengthened into this extraordinary record.

You can hear the full interview with the play button at the top of the page and her the full album, All Mirrors below.

Pianist and producer Robert Glasper is on a mission to reconnect jazz with black music. In the past decade he's helped transform the work of artists like Kendrick Lamar, Brittany Howard and more.

Glasper ended the the 2000s with an album called Double Booked, which made a selling point out of his straddling of two worlds — acoustic jazz piano on one side, R&B/hip-hop groove on the other. The second of those involved a group called The Robert Glasper Experiment, and he felt it had a statement to make.

It arrived in the form of an album called Black Radio, which Blue Note released in 2012. Studded with notable guest artists (like rappers Lupe Fiasco and Yasiin Bey, and singers Lalah Hathaway and Erykah Badu), it heralded a renewed spirit of collaboration between jazz and what had previously been known as neo-soul. When Black Radio won a Grammy in 2013 — not in a jazz category but for Best R&B Album — it felt like the opening of a new chapter.

On this episode of All Songs Considered, host Robin Hilton is joined by Nate Chinen, from WBGO and Jazz Night in America, and Rodney Carmichael, from NPR Music, to discuss the influence of Glasper's approach — not only in jazz circles but also on hip-hop touchstones like Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly, and beyond-soul masterworks released this year, like Flying Lotus' Flamagra and Brittany Howard's Jaime.

Our picks for the best albums out this week include Gang Starr's first new release in 16 years, humor and heart from country singer Miranda Lambert, the latest in Bob Dylan's Bootleg series and more.

1. Jeff Lynne's ELO — From Out of Nowhere
2. Bob Dylan — Travelin' Thru, 1967-1969: The Bootleg Series Vol. 15
3. Miranda Lambert — Wildcard
4. Gang Starr — One of the Best Yet
5. Michael Kiwanuka — KIWANUKA
6. Vetiver — Up on High
7. A Winged Victory for the Sullen — The Undivided Five
8. R.LUM.R — Surfacing

Other Notable Releases For Nov. 1: Cate Le Bon & Bradford Cox — Myths 004 (EP); Cold War Kids — New Age Norms 1; CUP (Nels Cline & Yuka Honda) — Spinning Creature; Highly Suspect — MCID; Hootie & The Blowfish — Imperfect Circle; Jeff Goldblum — I Shouldn't Be Telling You This; Josh Rouse — The Holiday Sounds of Josh Rouse; Leif Vollebekk — New Ways; R.E.M. — Monster 25th Anniversary Expanded Edition; Sudan Archives — Athena; Turnover — Altogether; Ty Segall — Pig Man Lives Volume 1.

Our look back at the past decade in music continues as we examine the ways musical borders have fallen and why global sounds are more prevalent and popular than ever.

Over the past decade, the borders between different musical worlds have fallen. Producers, singers, songwriters and other artists from around the globe are collaborating in new ways, while genres have blended together so completely and seamlessly it's almost impossible to label a lot of popular music as any one thing. These cross-cultural, and cross-border alliances – along with streaming and social media – have also been a pipeline for delivering global artists to new audiences on a scale never seen before. Think of the juggernaut K-pop band BTS and how thoroughly the group has dominated pop charts, or the rise of Latinx artists like Bad Bunny and J Balvin or Spanish singer Rosalía.

On this episode of All Songs Considered, host Robin Hilton is joined by NPR Music's Anastasia Tsioulcas and Stephen Thompson, and Elise Hu, host of NPR's Future You and founding bureau chief for NPR's office in Seoul. They discuss the ways we're hearing globalization in music, why it's happening and some of the complications and questions around this evolution.

After her Tiny Desk performance, the rapper joined NPR's Sidney Madden for a live conversation on playing with a band for the first time, hanging onto her Texas roots and plans for her debut album.

This week's mix from All Songs Considered somehow took on a dog theme, beginning with a board game from the band PUP, where every move leads to failure and disappointment. But the music's still good!

Artists and Songs on This Episode:
1. Illuminati Hotties: "ppl plz"
2. Frances Quinlan: "Rare Thing"
3. Lucy Dacus: "In the Air Tonight"
4. Julien Baker: "Tokyo"
5. Torres: "Good Scare"
6. Squirrel Flower: "Red Shoulder"
7. Trupa Trupa: "Dream About"

In the past decade, LGBTQ issues hit the mainstream in unprecedented ways, and music played a big part, with songs about queer love on the radio and anthems of allyship coming from all major genres.

On this episode of All Songs Considered, we look back on the way queer issues moved towards the center of the conversation during the 2010s. We talk about how decades of activism led up to this moment and how social media has helped foster safe spaces and access to information for young people across spectrums of gender and sexuality. We also discuss how LGBTQ musicians are helping reimagine pop sounds — from openly expressing queer desire to cyborgian shapeshifting — and question what the future of "mainstreaming" might hold for queer communities.

The fourth-quarter deluge continues this week with new releases from Rex Orange County, King Princess, Gallant and more, including the first new album in seven years from Neil Young & Crazy Horse.

Featured Albums:
1. Mikal Cronin — Seeker
2. King Princess — Cheap Queen
3. Great Grandpa — Four of Arrows
4. Neil Young & Crazy Horse — Colorado
5. Rex Orange County — Pony
6. Anamanaguchi - [USA]
7. Gallant — Sweet Insomnia
8. Sunn O))) — Pyroclasts

Other Notable Albums For Oct. 25: Alcest — Spiritual Instinct; Anna Meredith — Fibs; Anthony Ramos — The Good & The Bad; The Bad Plus — Activate Infinity; Brooke Candy — Sexorcism; Cigarettes After Sex — Cry; Dry Cleaning — Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks; Grace Potter — Daylight; Juana Molina — For Fun; Lankum — The Livelong Day; Little Scream — Speed Queen; Old Dominion — Old Dominion; Ringo Starr — What's My Name; Sarah Jaffe — SMUT; Van Morrison — Three Chords and the Truth; Verite — New Skin; Walk off the Earth — Here We Go!

Since its founding in 2008, Bandcamp has become a buzzing, artist-friendly hub for music lovers, with pay-what-you-want pricing and lots of rabbit holes leading to music you won't find anywhere else.

In this episode of All Songs Considered, CEO and co-founder Ethan Diamond says that when an artist succeeds on Bandcamp, Bandcamp succeeds. That philosophy has driven the company since 2008, with over $425 million paid directly to musicians and record labels. Sadie Dupuis says that Bandcamp was instrumental in booking the first tour for her band Speedy Ortiz and that its name-your-price model has not only allowed her some steady income but also an avenue to raise money for causes she cares about.

In this Guest DJ session with All Songs Considered, Radie Peat and Ian Lynch of the band Lankum talk about their new album, The Livelong Day, the evolving sounds of their native Ireland, and share their favorite Irish, off-the-radar artists.

Artists and songs featured on this episode:

1. Lankum: "Bear Creek" from The Livelong Day
2. Lisa O'Neill: "Pothole in the Sky" from Pothole in the Sky
3. The Deadlians: "I Don't Want to Ride Yer Aul Anymore" (Single)
4. Lankum: "Ode to Lullaby" from The Livelong Day
5. Lankum: "Wild Rover" from The Livelong Day
6. Landless: "Via Extasia" from Bleaching Bones
7. Lankum: "Hunting the Wren" from The Livelong Day
8. Junior Brother: "Hungover at Mass" from F*** Off I Love You