This week on the show, we're taking a critical look at The GRAMMYs. We bring on NPR’s Sidney Madden and Rodney Carmichael to talk through the systemic inequities of an event that each year decides which musician can be called the “best.” Why do we still care about awards that trail seemingly years behind the culture? Plus, Hanif, Sidney and Rodney share which artists they think should be recognized, whether or not they take home an award this weekend. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode visit http://bit.ly/oos-grammys

For the first month of the pandemic, Hanif couldn’t listen to music. Then KeiyaA dropped her album Forever Ya Girl! and the idea that new music could be made, in this moment, shook him. This week on Object of Sound, we're thinking back on the exhausting, scary, revelatory year we’ve just lived through, and how the pandemic has changed the need for music in our lives. We talk to KeiyaA about crystals, writing scene-rich lyrics and the music that carried her through these last 12 months. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode visit http://bit.ly/oos-keiyaa

Matt Berninger started out as the frontman of The National, but recently he’s taken off on his own artistic path. With the re-issue of the National’s early albums out today, we speak with Matt about revisiting past selves, his collaboration with Booker T. Jones, and take a broader look at artists who have reinvented their sound after going solo. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode visit http://bit.ly/oos-solo

When Grammy nominated bassist Meshell Ndegeocello read James Baldwin for the first time, her world shifted on its axis. Like many before her, Baldwin’s words reverberated into her creative process. In this episode, we speak with Ndegeocello about the literary ancestors who inform her music, the arc of her decades-long career, and Hanif shares a playlist of songs inspired by poetry and literature. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode visit http://bit.ly/oos-meshell

Sylvan Esso’s Nick Sanborn and Amelia Meath are tired of your typical love song. They’re more interested in the music that flows from an argument, singing about heartbreak, and falling back in love with yourself. As Valentine’s day approaches, we talk to the duo about what it takes to make art together as romantic partners, crack open what a love song can be, and Hanif reads a poem by Nicole Sealey. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode visit http://bit.ly/oos-love

It’s Super Bowl weekend, and we’ve invited critic Wesley Morris on to talk about Whitney Houston’s jaw-dropping rendition of the Star Spangled banner. On the 30th anniversary of her performance, we explore the beauty and complexity the national anthem holds for Black Americans and ask: how should we be listening to the National Anthem today? For the playlist of songs curated for this episode visit http://bit.ly/oos-wesley.

The strength of Black women as storytellers stands out on arguably the most celebrated album of this year, Heaux Tales, from Jazmine Sullivan. Through stories told by Jazmine’s close circle of women, the album explores themes of love, sex and Black womanhood. In this episode, we talk with Jazmine about her writing process, taking breaks from music and her upcoming performance at the Super Bowl. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode visit http://bit.ly/oos-jazmines-tale.

From the late MF Doom to Grace Jones and Orville Peck, we take a look at musicians who have worn masks to protect their identities at a time when we’re all masking up to protect one another. In this episode, we talk with writers Sasha Geffen and Harmony Holiday about the different ways artists choose to mask up, and how covering one part of who we are can also uncover creative freedom. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode visit http://bit.ly/oos-masks.

When one song sits next to another, a new story is told. We talk with Moses Sumney about composing the arc of his album græ, making playlists, and how he honors his own work by refusing to define it. Welcome to Object Of Sound.

For the playlist of songs curated for this episode visit http://bit.ly/oos-playlist.

2020 was arguably the year of the cover song. Listening to a familiar song spun a new way can be grounding or groundbreaking. We talk to the often covered and prolific performer of covers, Jeff Tweedy, about what goes into a great cover, and what it’s like to hear his own songs re-translated by other musicians. For the playlist of cover songs curated for this episode visit http://bit.ly/oos-covers