Rebecca Black
Larry Armstrong
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Larry Armstrong
Welcome to New Music Friday, NPR Music’s podcast dedicated to sharing the best albums out each week. We listen to dozens of new releases in advance, identify the ones we think you need to hear and highlight our favorite five in a brisk mix of clips, context and commentary.
The podcast is hosted by NPR Music’s Stephen Thompson, and each episode features members of the NPR Music Network of public radio stations. This week, our guests are Nastia Voynovskaya of KQED, DJ Julie Bee of Marfa Public Radio and DeShun Nance of WJSU.
Scroll down to see which albums we discussed this week and links to our New Music Friday playlists, where you can hear singles from each album. Then scroll down to see the long list and Dora’s Corner, where NPR Music production assistant Dora Levite shares her favorite albums that didn’t make the podcast.
The Starting 5
Paris Paloma
Phoebe Fox/Nettwerk
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Phoebe Fox/Nettwerk
🎵 Rebecca Black, Age of the Exhibitionist (self-released)
- RIYL: Addison Rae, Slayyyter
🎵 Paris Paloma, The Fatal Flaw (Nettwerk)
- Recommended If You Like: Suki Waterhouse, Florence + The Machine
🎵 Sharp Pins, Mod Mayday 23 (K Records)
- RIYL: Lifeguard, The Replacements
🎵 1-800-MIKEY, IN YUN (Goner)
- RIYL: Snõõper, Twisted Teens
🎵 Button Masher, Super Button Masher (Brainfeeder)
- RIYL: Flying Lotus, Daft Punk
New Music Friday is a part of the NPR Music podcast. Hear the discussion on the NPR App, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
The Lightning Round
Chat Pile
Ryan Lawson/The Flenser
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Ryan Lawson/The Flenser
Five more albums we wish we could have discussed on the podcast, recommended by NPR Music’s staff:
⚡ Senri Oe, Homework (P.N.D.)
⚡Madi Diaz, Fatal Optimist (UN-unplugged) (ANTI-)
⚡Medium Build, King of Having Fun (Island)
⚡Chat Pile, Who Loves The Sun (The Flenser)
⚡Steven R. Smith, Half Light Unfolding (Eiderdown)
Listen to each album’s best songs on our New Music Friday playlists on Spotify and Apple, or wherever you stream music.
Dora’s Corner
Lily Seabird
Rick Soszynski/Lame-O
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Rick Soszynski/Lame-O
Dora Levite is New Music Friday’s production assistant, an occasional All Songs Considered guest, and 17 years old according to her Spotify Wrapped. Below are her picks for the best albums not featured on the show.
💿 Lily Seabird, Lightspheres on Their Way (Lame-O)
💿 Cyst, ᲘᲘ (LuckyMe)
The Long List
ADÉLA
Iulia Matei/Capitol
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Iulia Matei/Capitol
Pop
- ADÉLA, PRIMA (Capitol)
- Angus & Julia Stone, Karaoke Bar (Virgin)
- Charlie Jeer, Take Away My Problems (Capitol)
- Ellie Goulding, I Know Too Much (Polydor)
- Natalie Imbruglia, Algorithm (Landgirl)
- Noah Hill, Ok ok now (Because)
- Sibille Attar, Amor Fati (PNKSLM)
- Beyoncé, B’Day (20th Anniversary Edition) (Sony/BMG)
Classical
- JACK Quartet, Samuel Beckett: Stirrings Still (ECM)
- Jem Finer & John Matthias, Almost Starlight (Touch)
- Signum Quartett, the earth trembled (Pentatone)
- Sova, Alight! (Hout)
- Simon Rattle, London Symphony Orchestra, Janáček: The Excursions of Mr Brouček (self-released)
Country/Folk/Americana
- Futurebirds, Far Out Country (Dualtone)
- Molly Tuttle, So Long Little Miss Sunshine (Acoustic EP) (Nonesuch)
- Myles Erlick, HANDCRAFTED (ONErpm/Huff Co.)
- Spell Songs, In Thin Air (Hudson)
- Yusuf / Cat Stevens, Buddha and the Chocolate Box (Reissue) (UMe)
- Leon Majcen, The Leaving Kind (Cloverdale)
Electronic/Out-There
- corto.alto, SOME SMALL FORTUNE (Ninja Tune)
- Carmen Villain, Memoria (Smalltown Supersound)
- Carré, Citrine EP (Tempa)
- Cephas Azariah, conditions for observing light (anjunachill)
- COW, Open The Close (UMAY)
- Eden Samara, Odyssey (Local Action)
- Immersion, What Is Lost Will Return (swim~)
- Jay Mitta, Kazi Kwanza (Nyege Nyege)
- Logan Lynn, The Pain and The Power (KNIK)
- Mort Garson, Mother Earth’s Plantasia (50th Anniversary Edition) (Sacred Bones)
- Raphael Loher, Figuren (Präsens Editionen)
- Sara Dziri, Sacred Disorientations EP (SILT)
- Silvan Strauss, SPRINTING (Kabul Fire)
- South, South 1998 (reissue) (Jagjaguwar)
- The Shadow Ring, Lighthouse (reissue) (Blank Form Editions)
- Windy & Carl & Optigan Conservatory, Windy and Carl Meet Optigan Conservatory (Kranky)
- Darcy Baylis, Emotronica (self-released)
- Krysko, The Lost mix 2007/8 (20 yrs of WHP) (Never Sleep)
- Thorn Wych, Aesthesis (Tompkins Square)
Global
- MARIPOSA, MARILEAN EP (self-released)
- Justyna Jablonska, Unforeseen (Alumni Glasglow)
- AKRIILA, lucy miró al mundo y notó que está girando (Atlantic)
R&B Soul
- Children of Zeus, As The World Burns… (self-released)
Rap/Hip-Hop
- 03 Greedo, Last Night Out (Sony)
- Dizzee Rascal, We Want Bass (Big Dirtee)
- Mike Dimes, B.I.L.L.Y (self-released)
- Hieroglyphics, All Said And Done (Hiero Day)
- Nemzzz, LOCKED IN (self-released)
- Toussaint Morrison, Shapeshftr, Vol. 1 (Urban Home Companion)
- skaiwater, femme fatale (GoodTalk)
- doseone, Wino Willy, Zetroc, sighting (self-released)
- Fuego Base, Black Soprano Family, Still The Biggest (self-released)
Rock/Alt/Indie
- Antietam, The Counting Game (Dromedary)
- Arab Strap, Half-Told Tales (Rock Action)
- Arms & Armour, The Hunted (Sweet Cheetah)
- Bayonne, Filters (Nettwerk)
- Ben Folds Five, Shelved First Attempt (Capitol)
- Black Bananas, Bad Bunch (Fire)
- Dale Crover, Get Yer Ba-Ba’s Out EP (Joyful Noise)
- DEVIL MASTER, Bloody Dreams (Relapse)
- Dexys Midnight Runners, LOVE (Heavenly)
- Diary, Spiral Bound (Kanine)
- Downpilot, Strange Horses (Tapete)
- Dying 4, Perish Songs EP (Practise)
- Faux Real, Poison Time (b4)
- Fraternal Twin, Halo Fell Forever (I’m Into Life)
- Gnoomes, Losey (Rocket)
- Hannah Cole, Switchbacks (Tight Knit)
- Harrison Gordon, BLISS(Hopeless)
- Hollow Hand, Wish Road South (Loose)
- JAMIE WEBSTER, Running Round The Sun (Modern Sky)
- Johnny Foreigner, Forwards! (Alcopop!)
- Kasabian, ACT III (Sony)
- Late Again, I Dreamt I Was Awake EP (self-released)
- Laura Misch, Lithic (Live at the Barbican) (One Little Independent)
- Lauren Dillen, Blue Star EP (Victory Pool)
- Max Fry, better luck next time (Don’t Be Greedy)
- Melissa Auf der Maur, Bass Womb Room: My ’90s 4-Track Demos x Field Recordings (Envision)
- Mick Harvey & Amanda Acevedo, Psychedelia in White (Mute)
- Movements, Happier Now (Fearless)
- Mykki Blanco, CAFE PARADISO (Transgressive)
- Personal Trainer, Human Assholes (Bella Union)
- Purest Form, RESISTANCE (Dais)
- Sam Tompkins, Are We Gonna Sing? (Island)
- Sleep, Hemispheres (Third Man)
- Slovenians, Birds of Disgrace (Mottow Soundz)
- Sofie Royer, before/after (Stones Throw)
- Soft Loft, Throw The Dice (PIAS)
- Spread Joy, III (Feel It)
- Stick Men, Let’s THRAK Again (Unsung)
- The Black Wizards, Force Majeure & The Acts of God (Hassle)
- The Go, Free Electricity (Sub Pop)
- The Needles, Fire in the City (25 Hour Convenience Store)
- Told Slant, What’s Up (Mtn. Laurel Recording Co.)
- Wesley Stace, One Last Heist (Pravda)
- Whiskerman, American Hell (Royal Oakie)
- Guy Offenbach, Lo Amiti (Flirt 99 / Fog&Co.)
Credits
Host: Stephen Thompson • Guests: Nastia Voynovskaya (KQED), Julie Bernal (Marfa Public Radio), DeShun Nance (WJSU) • Audio: Noah Caldwell, Cena Loffredo • Producer: Elle Mannion • Production Assistant: Dora Levite • Editor: Otis Hart • Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed • Executive Director: Sonali Mehta
