On Cover The Mirrors, Ben Kweller remembers his late son, Dorian Zev, who died in a car crash at age 16.
Lizzy Kweller/The Noise Company
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Lizzy Kweller/The Noise Company
It’s Friday, and there are some remarkable new albums out in the world today. Enigmatic alt-pop star yeule released one of our team’s favorite records of the year. Stars vocalist Amy Millan returns with a set songs that will have you recalling “Ageless Beauty.” And Low’s Alan Sparhawk and Ben Kweller return with impeccable albums about living with grief.
NPR Music’s Stephen Thompson welcomes Jackson Wisdorf from Member station KXT in North Texas to the May 30th edition of New Music Friday. They get into the above albums, a solo outing from The National’s Matt Berninger and much more. Listen to the show below and scroll down to see our long list of albums out this Friday.
The Starting Five
Amy Millan of Stars.
Tess Roby/Last Gang
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Tess Roby/Last Gang
Our hosts share the backstories and best songs from the following albums:
💿 Matt Berninger, Get Sunk (Stream)
- Recommended If You Like: The National
💿 yeule, Evangelic Girl is a Gun (Stream)
- RIYL: SOPHIE, Cocteau Twins
💿 Ben Kweller, Cover The Mirrors (Stream)
- RIYL: Pavement, MJ Lenderman
💿 Alan Sparhawk, With Trampled By Turtles (Stream)
💿 Amy Millan, I Went To Find You (Stream)
- RIYL: Stars, Broken Social Scene
New Music Friday is a feature of NPR’s All Songs Considered podcast. Hear the discussion on the NPR App, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
The Lightning Round
Obongjayar.
Eleonora Muraglia/September Recordings
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Eleonora Muraglia/September Recordings
Five more albums we wish we had time to discuss on the podcast:
💿 Obongjayar, Paradise Now
💿 Lionmilk, WHEN THE FLOWERS BLOOM
💿 caroline, caroline 2
💿 CIVIC, Chrome Dipped
💿 Qasim Naqvi, Endling
Listen to each album’s best songs on our New Music Friday playlists on Spotify and Apple, or wherever you stream music.
The Long List
Sufjan Stevens.
Emmanuel Afolabi/Asthmatic Kitty
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Emmanuel Afolabi/Asthmatic Kitty
For those who want to dig even deeper, here are the week’s new albums sorted by genre:
Rock/Alt/Indie
- Sufjan Stevens, Carrie & Lowell (10th Anniversary Edition)
Hear All Songs Considered‘s interview with Sufjan Stevens
- Pavement, Pavements (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
- Ty Segall, Possession
- Foxwarren, 2
- Faun Fables, Counterclockwise
- Shura, I Got Too Sad for My Friends
- Grateful Dead, The Music Never Stopped (Live)
- illuminati hotties, Nickel on the Fountain Floor EP
- KEEP, Almost Static
- Léa Sen, LEVELS
- Lung, The Swankeeper
- Matthew Young, Undercurrents
- MRCY, Volume 2
- Mt. Joy, Hope We Have Fun
- Planning For Burial, It’s Closeness, It’s Easy
- Sea Lemon, Diving For the Prize
- SWANS, Birthing
- The Minus 5, Oar On, Penelope!
- Trigger, Second Round
- W. Cullen Hart and Andrew Rieger, Leap Through Poisoned Air EP
- David Lowery, Fathers, Sons and Brothers
- Garbage, Let All That We Imagine Be The Light
- guccihighwaters, Death by Desire
- Sally Shapiro, Ready To Live A Lie
Country/Folk/Americana
- Anderson East, Worthy
- Dylan Scott, Easy Does It
- Faith Eliott, dryas
- Josiah Flores, Doin’ Fine
- Moonrisers, Harsh & Exciting
- The Shootouts, Switchback
- Watchhouse, Rituals
Electronic/Out There
- Bella Wakame, s/t
- Ellen Arkbro, Nightclouds
- Laura Cannell, LyreLyreLyre
- Etyen, My Goddess
- Jameszoo, Music for 17 Musicians
- Kathryn Joseph, WE WERE MADE PREY.
- Photographic Memory, I look at her and light goes all through me
- Quantic, DJ-Kicks
- Repetition Repetition, Fit for Consequences: Original Recordings, 1984-1987
- StabUdown, Tinge of Ascension
- Tohji, zero-two
- Verraco, Basic Maneuvers EP
- WheelUP, Inner Light
- V/A, Não Estragou Nada
- Anyma, The End of Genesys
Global
- Daymé Arocena, Daymé y Yo EP
- Braye, I Wish I Had More Time EP
- Chicarica, Invierno en la playa
- Maurice Louca, Barĩy (Fera)
- Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, Heavier Yet [Deluxe Edition]
- Seventeen, Happy Burstday
Jazz
- Brad Turner Trio, It’s All So
- Pedrito Martinez, Ilusión Óptica
Pop
- Grace Potter, Medicine
- Mariah Carey, The Emancipation of Mimi (20th Anniversary Edition)
- Miley Cyrus, Something Beautiful
R&B/Soul
- Leon Thomas, MUTT Deluxe: HEEL
- The Budos Band, VII
- Tuxedo, Spring Bliss EP
- Honey Bxby, Raw Honey EP
Rap/Hip-Hop
- Oddisee, En Route EP
- Bruiser Wolf, POTLUCK
- Ovrkast., While The Iron Is Hot
- Aesop Rock, Black Hole Superette
- Billionhappy, DIǍO EP
- EBK Jaaybo, Don’t Trust Me
- Rome Streetz & Conductor Williams, TRAINSPOTTING
Classical
- Simone Dinnerstein, Complicité
- Anna Lapwood, Firedove
Credits
- Host: Stephen Thompson
- Guest: Jackson Wisdorf, KXT
- Producer: Simon Rentner
- Editors: Otis Hart and Elle Mannion
- Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
- Vice President, Music and Visuals: Keith Jenkins
