What is the sound of where you come from? Is it a particular song you remember from your childhood? Maybe it’s a collection of remembered sounds from your first home—a train that passed nearby, or the wildlife that would sing at night. Maybe it’s the first song that you ever really connected to, the one that first made you feel like you belonged. In this special episode, we’re exploring this question from many perspectives. Hanif speaks to composer and multi-instrumentalist Angélica Negrón, whose work is deeply invested in these questions of sound, home, and belonging. Plus we hear from Hanif’s friends, and from you, our listeners, about what ‘the sound of where I come from’ means to you. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode, head over to https://www.mixcloud.com/sonos/

Music in this episode:

O-H-I-O - Ohio Players

Letter Home - Defiance, Ohio

Findlay, Ohio 1968 - Indigo Girls

Cuyahoga - R.E.M.

Cleveland Is The City - Bone Thugs-N-Harmony

Look At Miss Ohio - Gillian Welch

Imagine walking inside a room that was made for fans of this show. We've teamed up with the first-ever immersive podcast experience happening Feb 23-26 at Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg Brooklyn to make it happen. Flip through original vinyl and artifacts from the show, add your selects to a living playlist, and if you're lucky, run into Hanif in the room! All the details are available at bit.ly/oos-experience

Welcome to our first ever year end special, ‘This Year In Music with Hanif Abdurraqib.’ December is the perfect time to look back on all the incredible music that has been released over the past year: the songs that moved us to dance, and the songs that helped us endure. In this hour-long deep dive, we'll review the musical highlights of 2022 and make predictions about the future of music in 2023 together with special guests Kelela, Sam Sanders, and Santigold.

In Mali, where Fatoumata Diawara was raised, it is common for women to sing, but much rarer for women to play an instrument. As a result, Fatoumata—who is one of the first, if not the first woman guitarist in all of Mali—has developed a self-taught, intuitive guitar playing style that is entirely her own. “This way of playing, it's me,” says Fatoumata. “It represents my fight as a musician, as an African, and as a lady on stage.” In this episode of Object of Sound, Fatoumata talks to Hanif about how she discovered her calling as a musician, and the exciting ways that she is fusing the traditional music of her homeland with Western influences on her third studio album, out next year. Hanif closes the episode with a selection of blues and folk music from Mali. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode, head over to radio.sonos.com.

Music In This Week’s Episode:

Kalan - Fatoumata Diawara

Bassemory - Mamou Sidibé

Lalla - Tinariwen

Kuma - Salif Keita

Sabali - Amadou & Mariam

Sarama - Oumou Sangaré

Tongo Barra - Vieux Farka Touré, Khruangbin

The night before Thanksgiving, Hanif has a special invented tradition: every year, he makes a batch of cupcakes and watches The Last Waltz—and every year, he finds new things to love about the film. Directed by Martin Scorsese, The Last Waltz is a 1978 concert film documenting the final performance of The Band. To Hanif, the movie is not just a collection of great performances, but a study in exquisite tenderness, and how to say goodbye. Hrishikesh Hirway joins Hanif to discuss the film in this special episode recorded live at On Air Fest LA Annex 2022. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode, head over to radio.sonos.com.

Music In This Week’s Episode:

Sip the Wine - Rick Danko

Don’t Do It - The Band

My Love - Rick Danko and Richard Manuel

Down South in New Orleans - The Band, Bobby Charles

False Hearted Lover Blues - Levon Helm

Tura Lura Lural (That’s an Irish Lullaby) - The Band, Van Morrison

All Our Past Times - Rick Danko

Showdown at Big Sky - Robbie Robertson

“Music is a time machine,” says Ben Gibbard, singer and guitarist of Death Cab for Cutie. Just a few bars of a beloved song can be transportative, an instant reminder of another time and place. “And if you've been that in someone's life, you have a responsibility to keep that material alive.” For Ben, that means continuing to honor and perform work from Death Cab for Cutie’s back catalog—some of which he wrote when he was only twenty years old—while constantly pushing the band to new creative heights. On this episode of Object of Sound, Ben and Hanif talk about what it is like to live alongside the work we produce, and how our relationship to it changes as we grow up. Hanif closes the episode with a playlist of songs about getting older. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode, head over to radio.sonos.com.

/ Music In This Week’s Episode: /

Here to Forever - Death Cab For Cutie

Grandma’s Hands - Bill Withers

When You’re Old And Lonely - The Magnetic Fields

20 Something - SZA

Bitter with the Sweet - Carole King

Introspection - UMI

Those Were The Days - Angel Olsen

The Lights are Going Out - Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

“While I’m alive, I’ll make tiny changes to Earth.” Written by Scott Hutchison, the late frontman of the band Frightened Rabbit, this line has provided comfort, consolation, and inspiration to those who loved Scott’s music. A talented and witty lyricist, Scott’s songs could be devastatingly crushing or funny, visceral or resonant—sometimes all in the same track. But an artist is more than the work they produce, and so, on this episode of Object of Sound, we’re celebrating not only Scott’s music, but also his life and legacy. We speak to Ben Gibbard, Frank Turner, Georgia Maq, and more, who share memories and impressions of the way Scott and his music shaped their lives. We’ll also hear from listeners who called into the Object of Sound hotline to talk about what Scott’s music means to them, and all the changes—both tiny and profound—that he has made to the lives of his listeners. Closing the episode, Hanif walks us through a playlist of some of his top Scott Hutchison songs. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode, head over to radio.sonos.com.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of mental illness and suicide that may be upsetting for some listeners. Please take care of yourself. We invite you to listen to this episode if you feel comfortable and able, or to skip out and join us again next week.

If you are in need of support, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in the USA can be reached with the three-digit dialing code 988, or by calling 1-800-273-8255.

/ Music In This Week’s Episode: /

Swim Until You Can’t See Land - Frightened Rabbit

The Twist - Frightened Rabbit

Ten Tons of Silence - Owl John

A Good Reason to Grow Old - Owl John

Bird is Bored of Flying - Mastersystem

Notes on a Life Not Quite Lived - Mastersystem

Before Tegan and Sara sat down to make Crybaby, they had to navigate a series of breakups—with their label, their management, and (almost) with each other. “This is our breakup record,” says Sara Quin, “but we're not going to break up. We’re siblings. We can’t.” In the turmoil that followed, Tegan and Sara rebuilt their professional team, repaired their relationship, and completely reinvented their collaborative songwriting process for Crybaby, one of their most exciting releases yet. In this episode of Object of Sound, Tegan and Sara talk to Hanif about tenderness, tantrums, and the delight of destroying everything so you can make it all over again. To close the episode, Hanif guides us through a selection of breakup songs. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode, head over to radio.sonos.com.

Music In This Week’s Episode:

This Ain’t Going Well - Tegan and Sara

Evergreen (You Didn’t Deserve Me At All) - Omar Apollo

Cherry Blossom - Pom Pom Squad

Self Fulfilling Prophecy - Pretty Sick

We Can’t Be Friends (with R.L.) - Deborah Cox, R.L.

Happy After - Algebra

How Long Do I Have To Wait For You? - Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings

Bad Friend - Rina Sawayama

Carly Rae Jepsen is a writer’s writer. “I am very excited about the idea of writing it in all directions,” Carly says — and for the making of her latest album, The Loneliest Time, that meant writing literally hundreds of songs. On this episode of Object of Sound, Hanif and Carly Rae Jepsen talk about the unique collaborative process that went into narrowing that collection of songs down to the thirteen tracks on the album. Carly opens up about the challenges and opportunities of songwriting during the pandemic, and her drive to keep challenging the idea of what a pop song can be. Inspired by Carly’s recent experience at a James Taylor concert, Hanif closes the episode with a playlist of great songs to cry to. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode, head over to radio.sonos.com.

/ Music In This Week’s Episode: /

Surrender My Heart - Carly Rae Jepsen

Northern Sky - Nick Drake

Someday We’ll All Be Free - Donny Hathaway

The Very Thought of You - Nat King Cole

I Don’t Smoke - Mitski

When The Sun Hits - Slowdive

Good Goodbye - Lianne La Havas

Long Ride Home - Patti Griffin

“One of the most meditative things about writing is that you kind of forget where you are,” says Nick Hakim. “If you're tapped into it, you're not really thinking about anything else.” On this episode of Object of Sound, Nick recalls the spontaneous 5:00am recordings and free writing that went into the making of his new album COMETA, out October 21. Plus, Nick treats us to a special sneak peek of Perfume—one of Hanif’s favorite tracks off COMETA—and shares with us the inspiration behind the song, which beautifully captures the excitement of new love. Building on the album's themes, Hanif curates a playlist of songs all about falling in love to close out the episode. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode, head over to radio.sonos.com.

/ Music In This Week’s Episode: /

Vertigo - Nick Hakim

Shoe In - Secret Stars

Fallingforyou - The 1975

I Like It - DeBarge

Caught Up In The Rapture - Anita Baker

I Couldn’t Love You More - Sade

Kiss Me - Sixpence None The Richer

Darling - Montell Fish