NPR: All Songs Considered Podcast

We're about to get deep into our "Best Of The Year (So Far)" coverage - and our annual summer music preview. But before we do, we've still got a lot of great music from the first half of 2013 to share. On this week's All Songs Considered, hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton play new releases from some beloved artists who made some amazing records in the '90s, then went on extended breaks. Hear return singles from the power pop band Superchunk, Stephin Merritt's lyrical pop group Future Bible Heroes and Sean Nelson, former frontman for the Seattle rock band Harvey Danger.Also on the program: Great new psych-rock from the band Crocodiles; Pete Yorn's new Brit Pop-inspired band The Olms; glossy electronica from the Australian group Alpine; pipe organ pop from Anna Von Hausswolff; the strange new sounds of John Vanderslice and experimental rock artist Dirty Beaches; the ridiculously charming and sweet harmonies of the sister duo Lily & Madeleine; and an epic jam from the Lawrence, KS rock group Hospital Ships.Plus, hear the absurd (but so very true) story of how Bob injured his leg, and how he's getting around the new NPR offices without crutches.Artist: SuperchunkAlbum: I Hate MusicSong: FOHArtist: Future Bible HeroesAlbum: PartygoingSong: Drink Is Just the ThingArtist: Sean NelsonAlbum: Make Good ChoicesSong: Kicking Me Out Of The BandArtist: CrocodilesAlbum: Crimes Of PassionSong: Teardrop GuitarArtist: The OlmsAlbum: OlmsSong: On the LineArtist: AlpineAlbum: A Is for AlpineSong: HandsArtist: Anna von HausswolffAlbum: CeremonySong: Funeral for My Future ChildrenArtist: John VandersliceAlbum: Dagger BeachSong: North Coast RepArtist: Dirty BeachesAlbum: Drifters/Love Is the DevilSong: Casino LisboaArtist: Lily & MadeleineAlbum: Weight of the GlobeSong: These Great ThingsArtist: Hospital ShipsAlbum: Destruction in Yr SoulSong: Come Back to Life

Last month the Scottish electronic duo Boards Of Canada released a series of mysterious recordings of a voice reading a set of numbers. Clever fans soon realized that the numbers were a code that, once entered, in order, online, revealed a video announcing Tomorrow's Harvest, the group's first new album in eight years. On this week's All Songs Considered we finally get a preview of the album with a brand new Boards Of Canada song "Reach For The Dead."Also on the show: Dark electronica from Natasha Kmeto; the wildly inventive, funktacular artist Thundercat; and singer Sharon Van Etten joins Jonathan Meiburg of the band Shearwater to cover the 1981 Stevie Nicks-Tom Petty song "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around." We've also got a beautiful new tune from folk singer Laura Veirs and American Primitive-style guitarist Glenn Jones.Boards of CanadaAlbum: Tomorrow's HarvestSong: Reach For The DeadNatasha KmetoAlbum: CrisisSong: CrisisThundercatAlbum: ApocalypseSong: Oh Sheit It's XShearwater and Sharon Van EttenSong: Stop Draggin' My Heart AroundLaura VeirsAlbum: Warp And WeftSong: Sun SongGlenn JonesAlbum: My Garden StateSong: Going Back to East MontgomerySong: Going Back to East Montgomery

This week on All Songs Considered, hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton offer up a musical sampler of many styles from around the world. There's an upbeat, atmospheric cut with amazing harmonies from the magnetic Laura Mvula, a voice you'll hear a lot more of this year; Firehorse's blazing combination of neo-soul, hip-hop and electronic beats; a heavy, hypnotic track from New York duo Small Multiples and some transfixing psych-pop from Jagwar Ma.NPR Music's electronic music gurus Otis Hart and Sami Yenigun also stop by to share their picks for some of the best new songs with beats: Otis has a danceable cut by London duo Mount Kimbie and Sami Yenigun brings some instrumental ear candy from Archie Pelago.FirehorseAlbum: Pills From StrangersSong: FoolSmall MultiplesAlbum: Small MultiplesSong: Know My NameMount KimbieAlbum: Cold Spring Fault Less YouthSong: Made to StrayplaylistArchie PelagoAlbum: Sly GazaboSong: Avocado RollerLaura MvulaAlbum: Sing To The MoonSong: Green GardenJagwar MaAlbum: Howlin'Song: What Love

We kick this week's show off with a lot of noise from filmmaker (and past guest DJ on All Songs Considered) Jim Jarmusch and his gloriously gritty side project called SQÜRL. The band, with Carter Logan and producer/engineer Shane Stoneback, originally formed to score the 2009 Jarmusch film The Limits Of Control. SQÜRL has a new, self-titled EP coming out this month and we've got a preview cut called "Pink Dust."Also on the show: Remarkable new electronic music from Baths; the atmospheric English pop trio Daughter; beautiful, ramshackle pop from singer Sam Phillips; power punk and a healthy dose of humor from The Front Bottoms and the melodic and transfixing rock of Lemuria.Songs Featured On This EpisodeSQÜRLAlbum: SQÜRLSong: Pink DustBathsAlbum: ObsidianSong: WorseningDaughterAlbum: If You LeaveSong: YouthSam PhillipsAlbum: Push Any ButtonSong: No Time Like NowThe Front BottomsAlbum: Talon Of The HawkSong: Au RevoirLemuriaAlbum: The Distance Is So BigSong: Oahu, Hawaii

This week, All Songs Considered goes big with massive, heart-thumping new music from the gloriously exuberant, sprawling pop group , and the brilliantly experimental folk-rock band . We also check out a gritty album from a Swedish group known as Goat. The band's music is part prog-rock, part Afro-pop and undeniably awesome. Also on the show: New solo music from former singer; electronic music genius , and the deep-bass grooves of, a band with a song inspired by the surreal imagery of David Lynch's 1997 film Lost Highway.Artist: The Polyphonic SpreeAlbum: Yes, It's TrueSong: You Don't Know MeArtist: GoatAlbum: World MusicSong: Run To Your MamaArtist: Akron/FamilyAlbum: Sub VersesSong: Sand TalkArtist: Eleanor FriedbergerAlbum: Personal RecordSong: Stare At the SunArtist: Jon HopkinsAlbum: ImmunitySong: Open Eye SignalArtist: Until The Ribbon BreaksAlbum: PressureSong: Pressure

The four members of Vampire Weekend — Ezra Koenig, Rostam Batmanglij, Chris Baio and Chris Tomson — made their third record over a period that began in 2009, while they were still recording Contra, the band's second album. Now the record is done. It's called Modern Vampires of the City, and it comes out on May 14. I think it's the band's best yet. Hear an interview with Ezra and Rostam and hear the story of how this record was made and some hear some of the music that inspired it.

He's 66 years old, has beaten his body beyond belief and Iggy Pop will still out-rock you. We kick this week's All Songs Considered off with a cut from his new record with The Stooges, Ready To Die. Hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton chat about Iggy and the rest of this week's mix from different cities. Sitting in NPR Music's New York studios, Bob previews a cinematic and seductive new record from The National, along with a new album from trip-hop veteran Tricky. Meanwhile, Robin, based at NPR Music's mother ship in Washington, D.C., shares a killer new track from riff-rock revivalists The Black Angels and another from one of his favorite pop artists, Jim Guthrie. Guthrie has a beautifully inspired new album coming out in May, his first in a decade.Also on the show: Singer Walker Lukens dispenses some arresting ear candy — you'll want your headphones for it. And when the cats are away, the metal-head mouse comes out to play: Lars Gotrich of Viking's Choice hijacks the show when Bob and Robin aren't looking to bring you a crushing new cut from his favorite band of the moment, Noisem.Iggy & the StoogesAlbum: Ready To DieSong: JobSee Iggy & The Stooges Perform Ready To Die live in concert.The Black AngelsAlbum: Indigo MeadowSong: Evil ThingsThe NationalAlbum: Trouble Will Find MeSong: DemonsJim GuthrieAlbum: Takes TimeSong: Taking My TimeTrickyAlbum: False IdolsSong: Nothing's ChangedWalker LukensAlbum: DevotedSong: LoverNoisemAlbum: Agony DefinedSong: Agony Defined

On this week's All Songs Considered, hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton settle into the new NPR Music offices and discover that it comes with their very own butler. After bumbling around in the studio, they also manage to figure out all the new gear and share some great new music.Things kick off with a strange tale from the playful pop group Sonny and the Sunsets about a man who falls in love with a cyborg. Then the fabulously quirky singer and guitarist artist Kimya Dawson of the Moldy Peaches and hip-hop producer and rapper Aesop Rock collaborate on a surprising new project they call The Uncluded.Also on the show: A richly layered cut from the remarkable guitarist William Tyler; the smoky voice of newcomer Cassandra Jenkins; a long-overdue new album from the strangely alluring rock group Snowden; and British singer-songwriter Laura Marling has a heartbreaking new song called "Where Can I Go."Keep listening: At the end of the show Bob and Robin play an audio clue that adds to a growing mystery on the web pointing to a new album from ... an unnamed band. Very mysterious.Sonny And The SunsetsAlbum: Antenna To The AfterworldSong: Green BloodThe UncludedAlbum: Hokey FrightSong: Delicate CycleWilliam TylerAlbum: Impossible TruthSong: Cadillac DesertLaura MarlingAlbum: Once I Was An EagleSong: Where Can I Go?Cassandra JenkinsAlbum: EPSong: The BirdSnowdenAlbum: No One In ControlSong: So Red

As they filled up their moving boxes to relocate to NPR's new offices, All Songs Considered hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton sent out a plea to listeners for the best songs about how to deal with change: breakups and letdowns, graduation, big moves, etc. You responded in huge numbers, and we picked a few standouts to play on this week's show. We've got classics from Led Zeppelin, The Animals and Neil Young and more modern favorites such as The White Stripes and Vic Chesnutt.Bob and Robin also welcomed some fellow NPR friends to share some of their favorite moving-on songs. All Songs Considered intern Lorie Liebig shared a heartbreaking cut from The Head and the Heart, Stephen Thompson brought us a sweet and soothing track from David Mead, and Daoud Tyler-Ameen kicked things up with "Following Through" from D.C.'s own The Dismemberment Plan.

"I absolutely get up every day and think, 'let's make some cool music.'- Flaming Lips' Frontman Wayne CoyneOn this edition of All Songs Considered, Wayne Coyne, singer and creative force for The Flaming Lips, joins hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton to share songs and events that shaped his childhood, including the eery effect of a classic from The Beatles. We also hear an "amazing piece of dramatic, freaky music" from Tom Jones, and a contemporary cut from Beach House that's one of Coyne's current favorites.The Flaming Lips consistently push the creative boundaries of music without making any apologies, and the band has been doing it for 30 years, with thirteen studio albums and countless other projects, including a completely re-imagined version of Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon. The Flaming Lips' latest, and highly anticipated upcoming album, is called The Terror, which you can now hear in its entirety on NPR's First Listen series, before it's released on April 16th.On this edition of the program Coyne also gives us a look into The Flaming Lips' creative process and finding beauty in imperfection. "Anybody can make it perfect," Coyne says, "and perfect is the enemy of almost anything good in the world."The BeatlesSong: Strawberry Fields ForeverThe Flaming LipsAlbum: The TerrorSong: Look...The Sun Is RisingTom JonesAlbum: 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Tom JonesSong: Thunderball [From Thunderball]The Flaming Lips/Stardeath and White DwarfsAlbum: Dark Side of the MoonSong: MoneyThe Flaming LipsAlbum: The TerrorSong: You LustBeach HouseAlbum: BloomSong: MythThe Flaming LipsAlbum: The TerrorSong: Try To Explain

This week on All Songs Considered, hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton go on a haphazard musical journey across the globe to share their favorite new discoveries. Manchester's The 1975 start things off with the band's punchy song called "Sex." Then we head to Brooklyn for soul singer Charles Bradley, who keeps things heated with "You Put The Flame On It," a track from his upcoming album Victim Of Love. Back in Iceland, Ólöf Arnalds (not to be confused with her cousin Ólafur Arnalds) shares her beautifully sung new track "Treat Her Kindly."Also on the show: German musician, composer and Kraftwerk alumnus Karl Bartos supplies us with an epic electronic track, before we finish things off with a hauntingly beautiful cut from London-based poet, singer, illustrator and one-to-watch Keaton Henson.The 1975Album: Sex EPSong: SexCharles BradleyAlbum: Victim Of LoveSong: You Put The Flame On ItÓlöf ArnaldsAlbum: Sudden ElevationSong: Treat Her KindlyJunipAlbum: JunipSong: Your Life, Your CallKarl BartosAlbum: Off The RecordSong: RhythmusKeaton HensonAlbum: BirthdaysSong: Teach Me

On this edition of All Songs Considered, hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton share some final discoveries from this year's South by Southwest music festival, including the British noise-rock group Savages and Valeska Steiner and Sonja Glass, the Swiss-German pop pair that records and performs as Boy.Also on the show: A stellar new record from Vampire Weekend; a long-awaited return for the Annie Hardy-led rock group Giant Drag; the sweet sounds of Icelandic singer Olafur Arnalds and a new double-album of transporting ambient music from Eluvium.SavagesAlbum: Silence YourselfSong: She WillBOYAlbum: Mutual FriendsSong: Little NumbersÓlafur ArnaldsAlbum: For Now I Am WinterSong: Old SkinGiant DragAlbum: Waking Up Is Hard To DoSong: Garbage HeartVampire WeekendAlbum: Modern Vampires of the CitySong: Diane YoungEluviumAlbum: Nightmare EndingSong: Envenom Mettle

Fresh from their musical trek to Austin, Texas for this year's South by Southwest music festival, Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton are joined by Sami Yenigun and Otis Hart, who share some of their favorite electronic, house, and dubstep discoveries.Sami kicks things off with the first track from techno producer DJ Koze's new album Amygdala, which you can stream in full on our site right now. British singer, songwriter and producer James Blake brings us a new and wonderful collaboration with Brian Eno. Julio Bashmore makes Justin Timberlake's "Suit & Tie" almost unrecognizable with his remix.Bonobo's epic new track "Cirrus" has Sami constantly hitting "repeat" and British producer Joker introduces us to the "big room sound" with "Hands Up." We also hear a brand new collaboration between Dirtybird Records labelmates Justin Martin and Ardalan.MssngNo brings us a new spin on a '90s favorite with a "refix" of Brandy's "Right Here." We bring things to a close with the premiere of "Measure To Measure" from Detroit-based prodigy Kyle Hall.DJ KozeAlbum: AmygdalaSong: Track ID Anyone?James BlakeAlbum: OvergrownSong: Digital LionJulio Bashmore remixes Justin TimberlakeAlbum: Suit & Tie (Julio Bashmore Remix)Song: Suit & Tie (Julio Bashmore Remix)BonoboAlbum: The North BordersSong: CirrusJokerAlbum: The Face Off EPSong: Handz UpThe Face Off EP is out April 15 on Kapsize Recordings.Justin Martin And ArdalanAlbum: Dirtybird Players (Part 1)Song: Wheelgunner (Dub)Learn more about this release at Beatport.Kyle HallAlbum: The Boat PartySong: Measure To MeasureLearn more about this release at Wild Oats Music.MssingNoAlbum: MssingNoSong: Brandy

Bob Boilen, Robin Hilton and Stepehn Thompson wrap up our coverage from SXSW 2013 in a late evening churchyard discussion

We continue on a theme of following your dream and find your voice, a theme so eloquently presented by Dave Grohl's keynote address on Wednesday as we talk with former All Songs Considered intern Will Butler, who only last week, broke and with no plan decided to find a way to attend SXSW. Will is also blind, but got work writing for Noisey.Vice.com and he tells this inspiring tale.Musically we talk about loud screamy metal bands, dancey band like Rhye and Ducktails and some hip hop and country.