Presenting new and significant music
and the artists who create it.
Top Ten CDs Of 2008
David Dye looks back at the 10 albums that best kept him interested through multiple listens.
Current Show
Shugo Tokumaru: Unique Pop Experiments
Tokumaru is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Tokyo. With diverse tastes ranging from Brian Wilson to Sun Ra, he crafts arrangements that can come off like the work of Sufjan Stevens, complete with pop flourishes and wild freakouts.
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James Taylor Sings A New American Songbook
Taylor has spent much of his long career writing his own material, but many know him for his gentle interpretations of others' songs. Still, not until now has Taylor devoted an entire album to what is essentially a new American songbook. Taylor plays covers of R&B and country standards at WXPN.
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Ray LaMontagne: Among Friends
Though he remains a solo artist, LaMontagne branches out on his new album, Gossip in the Grain, taking some touring bandmates into the studio with him. In a session from WXPN, he reveals why he wrote a song about White Stripes drummer Meg White.
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The Notwist: Complex And Entangling
Though best known for their textured, electronica-infused pop, the German rockers have explored a wide variety of styles in over 20 years together. They perform a set of songs from 2008's The Devil, You + Me — their first album in six years — at WXPN.
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Tom Moon And Heather Browne's Best Of 2008
Author and NPR music critic Tom Moon (1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die) and music blogger Heather Browne joined the World Café to share their picks for the best albums of 2008.
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