Every month, we ask the NPR Music staff: What's the one song you couldn't escape? What's the one album to which you'll return all year? In August, we got vulnerable with James Blake, leveled up with Foxing, cooed with PinkPantheress, discovered an obscure Polish composer via pianist Lucas Debargue, memorialized a member of Injury Reserve and went back in time to Lee Morgan's weekend residency at the Lighthouse. 

Songs heard on this episode: 
• James Blake: "Life is Not the Same" from Friends That Break Your Heart 
• Foxing: "Beacons" from Draw Down the Moon
• PinkPantheress, "Just for me"
• Lucas Debargue: "Nostalgie du pays" from Zal — The Music of Miłosz Magin 
• Injury Reserve: "Knees" from By the Time I Get to Phoenix 
• Lee Morgan: "Absolutions (Friday, Set 2)" from The Complete Live at the Lighthouse 

Follow the #NowPlaying blog for the NPR Music staff's favorite new songs.

The Best Music Of August: NPR Staff Picks

Since launching in 2000, All Songs Considered has been NPR's flagship program for music discovery, artist interviews and conversations with friends and fellow music lovers about the really big questions, like what was the best decade for music, are there albums everyone can agree on, and what do you put on when you need a good cry? Weekly, with host Robin Hilton and the NPR Music family.

Music

Is April, as T.S. Eliot put it, the cruelest month? We reflect on the question with a mix that's both cringe-inducing and hilarious, from the cruelest takedowns to the most insidious earworms.

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Cruel songs for the cruelest month

NPR Music's Ann Powers and Hazel Cills dig into Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department,' which hit streaming services last night, and share a handful of other new albums out Friday, April 19.

Featured Albums:
• Taylor Swift, 'The Tortured Poets Department'
• Bbymutha, 'Sleep Paralysis'
• claire rousay, 'sentiment'
• Pearl Jam, 'Dark Matter'

Other notable albums out April 19:
• Stephanie Lambring, 'Hypocrite'
• Cadence Weapon, 'ROLLERCOASTER'
• Tei Shi, 'Valerie'
• Ekko Astral, 'pink balloons'
• Bill Frisell, 'Orchestras'
• BIG|BRAVE, 'A Chaos of Flowers'
• Blue Lab Beats, 'Blue Eclipse'
• Chanel Beads, 'Your Day Will Come'
• Local Natives, 'But I'll Wait For You'
• Gangrene (The Alchemist & Oh No), 'Heads I Win, Tails You Lose'
• Brian Eno, 'Eno'
• Cloud Nothings, 'Final Summer'
• Melvins, 'Tarantula Heart'
• Mozzy, 'CHILDREN OF THE SLUMS'
• Lucy Rose, 'This Ain't The Way You Go Out'
• Pillow Queens, 'Name Your Sorrow'
• A Certain Ratio, 'It All Comes Down To This'
• Cavalier, 'Different Type Time'
• Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds, 'That Delicious Vice'
• T Bone Burnett, 'The Other Side'

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New Music Friday: Taylor Swift's 'Tortured Poets' and the best albums out April 19

Anamaria Sayre and Felix Contreras round up their favorite new music, from Puerto Rican rapper Young Miko's boundary-pushing new music, to Alejandro Escovedo's genre-bending rock and Angelica Garcia's electro-cumbia.

Songs featured in this episode:
• Young Miko, "Tamagotchi"
• The Mavericks, "Moon & Stars (with Sierra Ferrell)"
• Angelica Garcia, "Juanita"
• Alejandro Escovedo, "Castañuelas"
• Nella, Yendry, "Veinte Años"
• Sheila E., "Bemba Colorá (ft. Gloria Estefan and Mimy Succar)"

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Alt.Latino's New Music Roundup: Young Miko, The Mavericks and more

This week's update to our list of the year's best songs includes thunderous shoegaze from Wisp, a classic Cuban piano piece from Dánae Olano, a deeply moving story from Pedro The Lion and more.

Featured artists and songs:
1. Pedro The Lion: "Modesto," from 'Santa Cruz'
2. Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti & Frank Rosaly: "Destejer," from 'Mestizx'
3. Sheila E.: "Bemba Colorá (feat. Gloria Estefan)," from 'Bailar'
4. Lizzy McAlpine: "I Guess," from 'Older'
5. Dánae Olano: "Danzón para la abuela" from 'Children's Corner'
6. Wisp: "Pandora" from 'Pandora' EP

Questions, comments, feedback, suggestions? Emaill us: allsongs@npr.org

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The Contenders, Vol. 7: The songs we can't stop playing this week

NPR Music's Sheldon Pearce and WRTI's Nate Chinen take you through the biggest new releases of the week, including Maggie Rogers, Shabaka Hutchings and more.

Featured albums:
- Shabaka, 'Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace'
- Maggie Rogers, 'Don't Forget Me'
- Lizz Wright, 'Shadow'
- Leyla McCalla, 'Sun Without the Heat'

Other notable albums out April 5:
- METZ, 'Up On Gravity Hill'
- Caroline Davis & Wendy Eisenberg, 'Accept When'
- girl in red, 'I'M DOING IT AGAIN BABY!'
- Future & Metro Boomin, 'We Still Don't Trust You'
- Nia Archives, 'Silence is Loud'
- V/A, 'My Black Country - The Songs of Alice Randall'
- Still House Plants, 'If I don​'​t make it, I love u'
- Clarissa Connelly, 'World of Work'
- Meshell Ndegeocello, 'Red Hot and Ra: The Magic City'
- Bad Bad Hats, 'Bad Bad Hats'
- Dave Douglas, 'GIFTS'
- BODEGA, 'Our Brand Could Be Yr Life'
- English Teacher, 'This Could Be Texas'
- James Elkington & Nathan Salsburg, 'All Gist'
- Mark Knopfler, 'One Deep River'
- The Ophelias, 'Ribbon' EP
- Tusks, 'Gold'
- Raphael Schön, 'Heart Times'
- Sunburned Hand of the Man, 'Nimbus'
- Rejoicer, 'This Is Reasonable'
- Aaron Lee Tasjan, 'Stellar Evolution'
- Dolo Percussion, 'DOLO 6'
- Baby Blue, 'Of My Window'
- The Reds, Pinks & Purples, 'Unwishing Well'
- Water Damage, 'In E'
- Will Hoge, 'Tenderhearted Boys'
- Jess Ribeiro, 'Summer of Love'
- Sunbeam Sound Machine, 'Soft Signal' EP

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The Best Music Of August: NPR Staff Picks

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