Tag Archives: NPR

Best of 2013 Dept.: NPR Picks the Year’s Best Albums

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Probably the most eclectic best-of list of the year. NPR has picked 100 albums. Here are the top 25. Head to NPR to see the other 75, hear a sound sample for each album and read about them too.

The list:

1 BILL CALLAHAN, DREAM RIVER

“The Sing”:

2 BLOOD ORANGE, CUPID DELUXE
3 BOMBINO, NOMAD

“Amidine”:

4 BRANDY CLARK, 12 STORIES
5 BRYAN FERRY ORCHESTRA, THE JAZZ AGE
6 BUIKA, LA NOCHE MAS LARGA
7 CALEB BURHANS, EVENSONG
8 CHANCE THE RAPPER, ACID RAP
9 DANIEL AVERY, DRONE LOGIC
10 DARCY JAMES ARGUE’S SECRET SOCIETY, BROOKLYN BABYLON

“Grand Opening”:


11 BRYCE DESSNER, NICO MUHLY, OWEN PALLETT & SHARA WORDEN, DAVID LANG: DEATH SPEAKS
12 DAWN OF MIDI, DYSNOMIA
13 DAWN UPSHAW & MARIA SCHNEIDER, MARIA SCHNEIDER: WINTER MORNING WALKS
14 DEAFHEAVEN, SUNBATHER
15 DJ KOZE, AMYGDALA
16 THE FLAMING LIPS, THE TERROR
17 GREGORY PORTER, LIQUID SPIRIT
18 HAIM, DAYS ARE GONE
19 N SOLITUDE, SISTER
20 ISABELLE FAUST & SWEDISH RADIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA/DANIEL HARDING, CONDUCTOR, BARTOK: VIOLIN CONCERTOS NOS. 1 & 2
21 JAMES BLAKE, OVERGROWN
22 JASON ISBELL, SOUTHEASTERN
23 JOHN LEGEND, LOVE IN THE FUTURE
24 JOHN LUTHER ADAMS, INUKSUIT
25 JUANA MOLINA, WED 21

-– A Days of the Crazy-Wild blog post: sounds, visuals and/or news –-

Listen: Kronos Quartet Record Compositions By The National’s Bryce Dessner

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The Kronos Quartet and Bryce Dessner (center). Photo via NPR.

Bryce Dessner, a founding member of The National,  has had his first works written for string quartet recorded by the San Francisco-based Kronos Quartet.

The album is called Aheym, and it’s being released Nov. 5, 2013.

Listen now over at NPR.

Listen: Death Cab’s “Transatlanticism” Demos

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DeathCabForCutie_Transatlanticism

It’s been ten years since the release of Death Cab For Cutie’s Transatlanticism, so now we get the deluxe edition which includes all the demos for the album. Hear ’em now over at NPR.

Transatlanticism 10th Anniversary Tracklist:

1. The New Year
2. Lightness
3. Title and Registration
4. Expo ’86?
5. The Sound of Settling
6. Tiny Vessels
7. Transatlanticism
8. Passenger Seat
9. Death of An Interior Decorator
10. We Looked Like Giants
11. A Lack of Color

Bonus Materials:
12. The New Year (Demo)
13. Lightness (Demo)
14. Title and Registration (Demo)
15. Expo ’86 (Demo)
16. The Sound of Settling (Demo)
17. Tiny Vessels (Demo)
18. Transatlanticism (Demo)
19. Passenger Seat (Demo)
20. Death of An Interior Decorator (Demo)
21. We Looked Like Giants (Demo)
22. A Lack of Color (Demo)

Listen: Sam Phillips Featured On World Cafe

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samphillips

Sam Phillips latest album is called Push Any Button, and it’s good. I should say, it’s another good album from this singer/songwriter who has been making good albums for a long, long time.

Listen to four songs at NPR’s World Cafe.