The National make thoughtful, melancholy rock in the spirit of Joy Division or Leonard Cohen, with singer Matt Berninger's warm baritone voice set against deftly orchestrated instrumentation that's as epic as it is intimate. Hear the group recorded live in concert on NPR.org.
June 21, 2007 ·
On "Rocket," Working for a Nuclear Free City attempts to solve some of life's most vexing problems. But as the answers get more outrageous, and the lessons get harder to come by, the music's momentum starts to take over.
June 20, 2007 ·
Booker T. & The MGs recorded some of most enduring riffs and backbeats of the '60s. Because organist Booker T. Jones, guitarist Steve Cropper, bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn and drummer Al Jackson Jr. recorded together constantly, they developed a signature sound.
June 20, 2007 ·
Parker Longbough's new album closes with "3 Drunken Days," a tranquil folk-pop song complete with a shuffling rhythm and well-placed harmonica. It traffics in colorful imagery, as singer Matt Witthoeft recounts a three-day bender in the carnival atmosphere of New Orleans.
June 19, 2007 ·
In a music career spanning more than 40 years, Lowe has profoundly affected the music industry as a singer, songwriter and producer. In recent years, he's established himself as a lovably acerbic pop legend.
June 19, 2007 ·
Countless music fans have attempted to craft the perfect mix CD — just the thing to put a soundtrack on special occasions. But an hour of love-themed dinner music for a wedding reception isn't as easy to assemble as it may seem.
June 19, 2007 ·
In Iran, people aren't allowed to listen to Western music, let alone make it. But that hasn't stopped Hypernova, an indie-rock band from Tehran influenced by groups such as The Strokes, from rocking in the shadows.
Web Extra: Download Songs
June 19, 2007 ·
Nick Lowe's new At My Age, his first album in six years, combines amiable, little-known country covers with rangey, vaguely R&B-ified; originals. The weirdest and wittiest of these is "I Trained Her to Love Me."
June 19, 2007 ·
Colombian singer Shakira has soared to worldwide fame with her sultry voice and swiveling hips. Latin America's most successful crossover artist recently returned to her hometown, to praise her birthplace and to express her concern about the region's poverty.
Web Extra: Hear Shakira's Music
June 18, 2007 ·
On his debut EP, Get to the River Before It Runs Too Low, Sea Wolf's Alex Brown Church puts his skills to good use on a collection of delicate, timeless pop songs. At times, the disc recalls classic '70s and '80s songwriters like Mark Knopfler and Tom Petty.
June 18, 2007 ·
New Orleans blues singer Marva Wright says she remains too distraught over the destruction of her hometown to write songs about what happened. She sure can sing about it, though, as her bittersweet cover of "You Are My Sunshine" proves.
June 17, 2007 ·
Hayes' rootsy pop-rock songs radiate a shaggy, free-spirited charm that rarely seems attached to any particular era. But his five self-released albums are unencumbered by affectation, instead radiating the unpolished warmth that's helping to make Hayes a rising star.
June 18, 2007 ·
Fujiya & Miyagi isn't Japanese, nor is it a duo. A British trio named for a record player and a character in The Karate Kid, the group plays danceable electronica with a pop sensibility. In this segment, the group talks about its new material and performs live in the studio.
"Shadow Classics" showcases an overlooked rock, pop, soul, jazz or classical recording that critic Tom Moon feels should be discussed in the same breath as music's essential recordings.