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All Songs Considered Robin Hilton spins new music from emerging bands and musical icons.

All Songs Considered

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Little Simz, Ty Segall, yeule, more: The Contenders, Vol. 12

Little Simz's "Young," from her album Lotus is one of the songs we can't stop playing this week. Thibaut Grevet hide caption

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Thibaut Grevet

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Little Simz, Ty Segall, yeule, more: The Contenders, Vol. 12

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We update our running list of the year's best songs with old-school guitar rock from Ty Segall, a playful left turn for rapper Little Simz, yeule's pop from the ether and more.

Little Simz, Ty Segall, yeule, more: The Contenders, Vol. 12

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Matt Berninger of The National.

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New Music Friday

The best new albums out May 30

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KXT's Jackson Wisdorf joins Stephen Thompson to discuss their favorite records out this week — and shed a few tears in the process.

10 years later, Sufjan Stevens offers a startling reevaluation of 'Carrie & Lowell'

Sufjan Stevens in the Carrie & Lowell era. The singer-songwriter has revisited his 2015 album about his late mother, surfacing old demos and some complicated new feelings. Emmanuel Afolabi hide caption

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Emmanuel Afolabi

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10 years later, Sufjan Stevens offers a startling reevaluation of 'Carrie & Lowell'

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In a conversation with All Songs Considered's Robin Hilton, Stevens shares a complex and conflicted view of the album he wrote about his mother in the wake of her death from cancer.

10 years later, Sufjan Stevens offers a startling reevaluation of 'Carrie & Lowell'

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Laufey, Fiona Apple, Lord Huron, more: The Contenders, Vol. 11

Laufey's "Tough Luck" is one of the songs we can't stop playing this week. Emma Summerton hide caption

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Emma Summerton

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Laufey, Fiona Apple, Lord Huron, more: The Contenders, Vol. 11

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We've got another update to our running list of the year's best songs with the return of Fiona Apple, Laufey, deep reflections from Lord Huron and more.

Laufey, Fiona Apple, Lord Huron, more: The Contenders, Vol. 11

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Natalia Lafourcade, Chris Staples, more: The Contenders, Vol. 10

Natalia Lafourcade's "Cocos en la playa" is one of the songs we can't stop playing this week. Carlos Manuel hide caption

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Carlos Manuel

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Natalia Lafourcade, Chris Staples, more: The Contenders, Vol. 10

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We update our running list of the year's best songs with a plainspoken but moving story from Chris Staples, a wildly unpredictable piece from soprano Barbara Hannigan, Natalia Lafourcade and more.

Natalia Lafourcade, Chris Staples, more: The Contenders, Vol. 10

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Perfect Sunday morning albums

Tirzah's Devotion is one of our picks for a perfect Sunday morning album. Spike Lynch-Koch hide caption

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Spike Lynch-Koch

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Perfect Sunday morning albums

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Whether you prefer solitude, get-togethers with family or friends, or steeling yourself for the week to come, we've got the perfect album to score your early Sunday hours.

Perfect Sunday morning albums

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The music of 'Sinners,' hyper-pop and more: The Contenders, Vol. 9

Jane Remover's "Dancing With Your Eyes Closed" is one of the songs we can't stop playing this week. Brendon Burton hide caption

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Brendon Burton

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The music of 'Sinners,' hyper-pop and more: The Contenders, Vol. 9

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We update our running list of the year's best songs with a staggering cut from the new 'Sinners' film, hyperpop from Jane Remover, the return of Foxwarren and more.

The music of 'Sinners,' hyper-pop and more: The Contenders, Vol. 9

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Songs that hit you hard

The Madi Diaz song "God Person" is just one of the tracks that hit us hard. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Songs that hit you hard

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We asked listeners to tell us about the one song they couldn't stop listening to because of how it made them feel. On this episode we share some of their picks and the stories behind them.

Songs that hit you hard

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Stereolab returns and more: The Contenders, Vol. 8

Stereolab is back. Warp Records hide caption

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Warp Records

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Stereolab returns and more: The Contenders, Vol. 8

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Stereolab is back with its first new music in 15 years. We give it a spin on this week's show, along with the scorched rock of feeble little horse, a relentlessly catchy earworm from Yaeji and more.

Stereolab returns and more: The Contenders, Vol. 8

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Even more songs to calm the nerves
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Even more songs to calm the nerves

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Our third installment of calming songs includes Max Richter's tribute to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ambient sounds from Ryuichi Sakamoto, Brazilian jazz from Wayne Shorter and more.

Even more songs to calm the nerves

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New Wet Leg, Sufjan Stevens, more: The Contenders, Vol. 7

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Iris Luz

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New Wet Leg, Sufjan Stevens, more: The Contenders, Vol. 7

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Wet Leg is back with another burst of wildly infectious, frenetic rock. We've got that, the original version of an Oscar-worthy Sufjan Stevens song, and some music that NPR's Tom Huizenga says is "better than Xanax."

New Wet Leg, Sufjan Stevens, more: The Contenders, Vol. 7

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Saying 'goodbye' to SXSW Music

Deftones performing at SXSW in 2016 Adam Kissick for NPR hide caption

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Adam Kissick for NPR

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Saying 'goodbye' to SXSW Music

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We look at how and why SXSW, once the world's largest music festival, is being scaled back to a shell of itself, what was so special about it, and what the shift means for artists and the industry.

Saying 'goodbye' to SXSW Music

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All Songs Considered

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