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NPR Music's 20|20 Twenty albums, twenty years later.

NPR Music's 20|20

Twenty Albums, Twenty Years Later
On Her Influential Debut, Peaches Seized Her Pain And Pleasure

Peaches, on tour in Finland in 2001, displays the battle scars of her hyperphysical performances. "Every night I would jump to my knees," she said in a statement to NPR, "and every day I would say, 'Don't do that tonight.' But then I would do it, until I got so bruised from it I had to stop." Lisa Kannakko/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Lisa Kannakko/Courtesy of the artist

On Her Influential Debut, Peaches Seized Her Pain And Pleasure

From humble beginnings, The Teaches of Peaches has spent 20 years seeping into the mainstream, widening pop's window for abrasive sounds and NSFW sexual expression.

Ruston Kelly Explains 'Teenage Dirtbag,' The Loser Anthem

Nashville star Ruston Kelly surprised fans with the 2019 release Dirt Emo Vol. 1, which puts his own spin on the cult hit "Teenage Dirtbag." His second studio album, Shape & Destroy, is out Aug. 28. Alexa King/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Alexa King/Courtesy of the artist

Ruston Kelly Explains 'Teenage Dirtbag,' The Loser Anthem

The Nashville star helps us break down the appeal of the beloved 2000 song by Wheatus, a truly strange cult hit that has stood the test of time.

Phoebe Bridgers On Learning From Elliott Smith, 20 Years After Figure 8

Though she only came to his work after his death, Phoebe Bridgers has listened to Elliott Smith's Figure 8 more times than she can count. Her second album, Punisher, is out in June. Lera Pentelute/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Lera Pentelute/Courtesy of the artist

Phoebe Bridgers On Learning From Elliott Smith, 20 Years After Figure 8

A conversation with Phoebe Bridgers, a devout student of Smith's music, about how the final album of his lifetime lit a path between basement grit and polished studio splendor.

The Year Folk Broke: How Nickel Creek Made Americana The New Indie Rock

Left to right: Sean Watkins, Sara Watkins and Chris Thile chat with Jay Leno on The Tonight Show in June 2001. NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images hide caption

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NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

The Year Folk Broke: How Nickel Creek Made Americana The New Indie Rock

Roots music has always had rule-breakers, but its shift this century toward genre-twisting innovation owes a lot to a 2000 album by three kids barely old enough to vote.

20 Years After She Unplugged For MTV, Shakira Taught Me To See Myself

Shakira onstage during her MTV Unplugged performance, recorded in New York in 1999 and released as a live album in early 2000. Ignacio Gurruchaga/Courtesy of Sony Music hide caption

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Ignacio Gurruchaga/Courtesy of Sony Music

20 Years After She Unplugged For MTV, Shakira Taught Me To See Myself

Dancing to the mariachi horns of "Ciega, Sordomuda," one young Latina found a deep, unwavering love staring her in the face. It just took a song about being blinded by emotion to see it clearly.

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