Just in time for the final weeks of March Madness, we’re bringing two of our favorite things together – music and basketball. Hanif heads to a Cleveland Cavaliers v. Detroit Pistons game to take in the sounds courtside. Then, together with sports journalist Haley O’Shaughnessy and former Tommy Boy Records President Monica Lynch, we’ll uncover the stories that explain why you hear what you hear at a game, and dig into 90s nostalgia. Plus, Hanif makes a playlist of his favorite arena hits. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode head over to https://bit.ly/oos-basketball.

/ Music in this week's episode /

Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) - C&C Music Factory

Hip Hop Hooray - Naughty By Nature

Thunderstruck - AC/DC

Timber (feat. Ke$ha) - Pitbull, Kesha

Sirius - The Alan Parsons Project

Jump Around - House of Pain

Let’s Get Loud - Jennifer Lopez

“I'm just so fascinated by the voice,” says Taja Cheek, the experimentalist and multi-instrumentalist behind L’Rain. “It feels so scary to me, but that's also what kind of draws me closer to it to try to figure it out.” It’s this fascination Taja credits with inspiring the dreamy and ethereal vocal manipulations on Fatigue, L’Rain’s second album. On this episode, Hanif and Taja sit down ahead of L’Rain’s upcoming tour to talk in detail about her process, the power of repetition, and confronting one’s own voice. We’ll also talk about L’Rain’s upcoming show at BAM, where she is performing with Moses Sumney as part of a series of concerts curated by Hanif. Plus, stay tuned at the end of the episode as Hanif and Taja collaborate on a vocal experiment of their own. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode head over to https://bit.ly/oos-repetition.

/ Music In This Week’s Episode /

Find It - L’Rain

Halo - Beyoncé

I’m Goin’ Down - Bruce Springsteen

Work - Rhianna, Drake

Mr. Brightside - The Killers

Thong Song - Amber Mark

Ain’t No Sunshine - Bill Withers

“Soundtracks are the unsung heroes of film.” That’s the premise of this special episode of Object of Sound, recorded live at On Air Fest 2022. Hanif and New York Times critic at large Wesley Morris took to the stage in Brooklyn to talk about four of their all-time favorite Black movie soundtracks, from Do the Right Thing (1989) to Love and Basketball (2000), from Boomerang (1992) to Belly (1998). Plus, a playlist of standout hits from soundtracks of the 1990s. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode head over to https://bit.ly/oos-movies.

/ Music In This Week’s Episode: /

Know The Ledge, Eric B. & Rakim

End Of The Road, Boyz II Men

So Good, Davina

For the Love of Money / Living For the City (feat. Queen Latifah), Troop, Levert, Queen Latifah

Days of Our Livez, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony

Sittin’ Up In My Room, Brandy

“The journey to self-love is not quick, or easy, or ever over,” says musician Allison Russell, whose solo album Outside Child was released to widespread acclaim last year. In this episode, Allison and Hanif sit down to talk about healing and moving towards self-love through trauma—and the rollercoaster of emotions that often comes along with that work. How can we embrace the totality of our past, comfortably inhabit our contradictions, and love who we are in this moment—whether we feel shameless, ashamed, or both? This week, our playlist features songs about loving oneself. Plus, Allison and Hanif swap poem and book recommendations—check the show notes for links! For the playlist of songs curated for this episode head over to https://bit.ly/oos-self-love.

/Music In This Week’s Episode: /

Poison Arrow, Allison Russell

Feelins, Betty Davis

Deliverance, Sa-Roc

There She Goes, The La’s

Tomorrow Is My Turn, Nina Simone

Baby Can I Hold You, Tracy Chapman

Queendom, Girlhood

Nobody Knows, Pastor T.L. Barrett and the Youth for Christ Choir

Lost In The Paradise, Gal Costa

“For a very long time, people knew of techno as a genre, but never placed it in Detroit,” says writer and cultural producer Imani Mixon. In this episode, we’re digging deep into the origins of that Detroit techno sound. Hanif and Imani are joined by “godfather & originator” of Detroit techno himself, Eddie Fowlkes, to guide us through the evolution of techno, from the basements of Detroit to the airwaves of Europe, and beyond. Plus, Hanif guides us through a playlist of his top Detroit techno tracks. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode head over to https://bit.ly/oos-detroit.

/ Music In This Week’s Episode: /

Black Man Orchestra, Eddie Fowlkes

Alleys of Your Mind, Cybotron

Do It All Night, DJ Minx

Epilogue, Octave One

Good Life, Inner City

OBX-A, X-102

Urban Rains, Never On Sunday

Welcome back to Object of Sound. In the debut episode of our third season, we’re talking about the power of music to heal, inspire, and invite magic into our lives. “When we sing, we are deathless” says Lisa-Kaindé Diaz, one half of the duo Ibeyi describing her relationship with twin sister and collaborator, Naomi Diaz. That connection creates a special kind of magic, which is woven throughout the tracks of their forthcoming album, Spell 31. In this episode, Hanif sits down with Lisa and Naomi to talk about how they’ve grown through making music together, learning from past selves, and we’re giving you a preview of Ibeyi’s best album yet. On our playlist this week, songs that are a celebration of sisterhood. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode head over to https://bit.ly/ibeyi-magic.

/ Music In This Week’s Episode: /

Sister 2 Sister - Ibeyi

Runaway - Nina Sky

Crazy On You - Heart

Cannonball - The Breeders

Ungodly Hour - Chloe x Halle

Now I’m In It - Haim

The Con - Tegan and Sara

Emmylou - First Aid Kit

Welcome to our first ever holiday special, ‘Christmas At Home with Hanif Abdurraqib’ an hour long deep dive into the world of Christmas Music. Whether you’re flooded with warm nostalgia at the first beat of Jingle Bells, or like Hanif didn’t grow up with the holiday but are nonetheless enchanted by the aesthetics of it, this episode is for you. We’ve invited special guests Hrishikesh Hirway and the duo She & Him on the show to talk about Christmas standards, eggnog, and lay praise at the feet of Mariah Carey. Plus we hear from listeners from across the country who’ve called in to share their non-traditional Christmas traditions.

“Collaboration—that's the easiest way to grow” says Aaron Dessner, member of the National and Big Red Machine, and a prolific collaborator with artists from Taylor Swift to Kanye West. In our final episode of Season two, we’re talking to Aaron about what it’s like to learn and experiment alongside other musicians, and how valuable that can be for breaking through into new creative frontiers. To close out this season, Hanif leaves us with an expression of gratitude, and a final thought on music as a communal experience. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode head over to https://bit.ly/oos-aaron-dessner.

/ Music In This Week's Episode: /

Big Red Machine, Magnolia

Aaron Dessner and Lauren Mayberry, Who’d You Kill Now?

Taylor Swift and Bon Iver, exile (feat. Bon Iver)

Aaron Dessner, Big Red Machine

Richard Reed Perry, In A Moment

Hiss Golden Messenger, Terms of Surrender

Hannah Georgas, Easy

Big Red Machine and Sharon Van Etten, A Crime

It’s been 20 years since Aaliyah’s passing, and for most of those years, her music has been largely inaccessible. Kept off streaming platforms, hidden from the internet. That is, until now. With nearly all of Aaliyah’s catalog freshly released into the world, we’re celebrating by devoting our full show in praise of Aaliyah. With a deep dive into her influence on fashion, music and culture and a playlist of tracks that feel like the summer of 2001... And still hit today. Joining Hanif are journalists Kathy Iandoli and Kiana Fitzgerald to rejoice in the (re)discovery of her work. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode head over to https://bit.ly/oos-aaliyah.

/ Music In This Week’s Episode: /

Aaliyah, If Your Girl Only Knew

Aaliyah, I Can Be

Aaliyah, Loose Rap (ft. Static Major)

Aaliyah, Hot Like Fire (Timbaland Groove Mix feat. Missy Elliott & Timbaland)

Aaliyah, 4 Page Letter

Timbaland & Magoo, We At It Again

Aaliyah, U Got Nerve

Aaliyah, Rock the Boat

What do you do when you revisit a beloved movie from your childhood, only to find out it's not quite what you remember? If you’re Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine, you write a song about it. Their forthcoming album, A Beginner’s Mind, is a journey back into childhood nostalgia and perspectives, shaped by films the pair watched while recording together. Through their songwriting process, Sufjan and Angelo strip away what was dark or violent in their source material, transforming it and reflecting back something that, in their words, is pure and good. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode head over to https://bit.ly/oos-source-material.

/ Music In This Week’s Episode: /

Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine, Fictional California

Pixies, Debaser

The Ataris, So Long, Astoria

Fugazi, Walken’s Syndrome

Dolly Parton, 9 to 5

Regina Spektor, Fidelity

Roxy Music, 2HB

Deep Blue Something, Breakfast at Tiffany’s