All Of It (WNYC)

Episode: "A Spring Music Bonanza"

Air date: March 4, 2024
Host: Koosha Navadar (in for Alison Stewart)
Guests: Simon Close (Producer), El Malik Anderson (Producer)

Overview

This lively episode of All Of It dives into the most anticipated music releases of Spring 2024. Koosha Navadar, along with producers Simon Close and El Malik Anderson, guides listeners through a week-by-week breakdown of upcoming albums—from indie folk to megastar pop and genre-bending records. They discuss everything from overlooked favorites to blockbuster releases, all with warmth, humor, and a genuine love for discovery. Throughout, listeners are invited to share their own music picks and concert plans, creating an enthusiastic sense of community.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

I. Setting the Scene: March’s Musical Significance

• March brings together major events (Women’s History Month, St. Patrick’s Day, Nowruz, March Madness) and is notably “a huge month for new music releases” (01:42).
• Koosha emphasizes listener engagement: “What new music are you listening to?... Any new albums you can’t wait to come out? Do you have any concert plans for the next few months?” (02:37)

**II. Week-By-Week Breakdown of Anticipated Releases

A. March 1st – Eclectic Returns and Indie Gems

Faye Webster – "Undressed at the Symphony"

• El Malik: “She has more of a laid back, stripped down approach... She’s like a sad singer/songwriter... but she doesn’t keep you in this sad mood—it's almost cinematic.” (03:56)
• Persona: “It’s like I’m imagining her... stubs their toe, drops their mug, but then laughs about it and makes a song about it.” (04:13)

Yard Act – "Where’s My Utopia?"

• Simon: “There’s the accent in there for sure... there’s a little bit of that rock vibe, but they also incorporate some hip hop elements... dance and disco sounds. I found it to be a pretty undeniably fun album.” (04:49)
• Highlight track: "We Make Hits" (05:36).
• Reception: “Pretty good. I think it's gotten a lot of strong reviews, so hopefully a little more mainstream attention for Yard Act.” (06:13)

Ledisi – "Good Life"

• Malik: New album celebrates a return to her jazz/R&B roots after her recent Nina Simone tribute: “We get to hear like some of those feel-good records and classic R&B neo-soul sounds.” (06:36)
• Personal connection: “It was just last week, I think, my dad sent me a tribute she did in 2009... On this album, I’m getting a little bit of like, I’m waking up in the morning, I’m going to throw on this record and start my day.” (07:21)
• Song Highlight: "Magic Voila" played on air (08:10)

B. March 8th – Pop Titans and Artistic Evolution

Simon highlights a "pretty big day" of releases (09:33):

• Ariana Grande – New album
• Bleachers (self-titled, Jack Antonoff’s project)
• Norah Jones – “Visions”
• Kim Gordon – “The Collective”
• Moor Mother – Poetry/jazz exploring legacy of British colonialism

Norah Jones – "Visions"

• Malik describes collaboration with Leon Michels: “He collaborated with The Carters, Chicano Batman, Mary J. Blige, and Lizzo... This new album has a single called 'Running,' which I really love, which features Norah on vocals, piano, guitar, and bass.” (10:26)
• Song Highlight: "Running" (11:39)

C. March 15th – Country Crossovers & Comebacks

Simon on the diverse lineup:

• Four Tet – Electronic music
• Justin Timberlake – New album (“Fortunately. Maybe, unfortunately. I don’t know. Depends what you think of Justin.” (12:20))
• Lenny Kravitz
• Tierra Whack – Hip hop
• Kacey Musgraves – "Deeper"

Kacey Musgraves – "Deeper"

• Simon’s playful campaign:
  • “This is part of my campaign for justice for Kacey Musgraves... Her big divorce album [Star-Crossed] came out, but was really taken down by the fact that Adele announced her own divorce album within a month. Good luck competing against Adele in the divorce album category.” (12:51)
  • On repeated bad timing: “Taylor Swift gets up on stage and says, ‘Oh, I’m gonna surprise release an album soon.’... A few days later, Beyoncé says, ‘I’m gonna release an album, too, and it’s gonna be a country album.’ So that’s tough for Kacey again.” (13:12)
• “I’m just here to wish the best for my girl Kacey on her new album, Deeper.” (14:05)
• Song Highlight: "Too Good to Be True" (14:29)

D. March 22nd – Folk Experimentation & Beyoncé’s Country Turn

Adrianne Lenker – "Bright Future"

• Simon: “She’s a member of the band Big Thief... They put out an album most recently called ‘Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You’—really fantastic album. She has a new album on March 22 called ‘Bright Future’ coming out that I have had the fortune to listen to some of. Anyone who’s a fan of hers or Big Thief’s, I expect will be pretty happy with this album.” (15:57)

Beyoncé – "Act II" (Country-influenced)

• Malik: “That last album, Renaissance was like, partially inspired by house music... Now it seems like she's going in—a country roots music featuring instrumentation from Rhiannon Giddens. So I’m hoping for a little bit more of a soul R&B undertone and maybe a zydeco record.” (16:42)
• Song Highlight: "Texas Hold 'Em" (Quick listen at 17:12)

III. Listener Engagement

• Listeners text in about anticipated releases and concerts:
  • “Looking forward to release of my Black Country Songs of Alice Randall performed by Rhiannon Giddens, Ada Victoria, Alison Russell...”
  • “Excited to see Chelsea Wolfe... at Warsaw.”
  • “Looking forward to the Outlaw Music Festival... Willie Nelson with Bob Dylan... Nathaniel Rateliff, Tyler Childers. Where did Sturgill Simpson go?” (08:32, 15:05)

IV. Looking Ahead: What’s Coming in April?

• Malik: “April has Shakira. She has a new album. And Krugman also has a new album.” (17:41)
• Simon: “I’m going to say Lizzy McAlpine, Maggie Rogers, and Vampire Weekend.” (17:47)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

“She’s like a sad singer/songwriter... but she doesn’t keep you in this sad mood—it's almost cinematic.”
— El Malik Anderson on Faye Webster (03:56)

“Here’s a song about how the band came together and decided to make hits. Cool.”
— Simon Close on Yard Act (05:36)

“It’s like I’m imagining her as this type of person that is in the kitchen walking, stubs their toe, drops their mug, but then laughs about it and then makes a song about it.”
— El Malik Anderson on Faye Webster (04:15)

“Good luck to anyone competing against Adele in the divorce album category.”
— Simon Close on Kacey Musgraves’ release timing (13:00)

“I’m just here to wish the best for my girl Kacey on her new album, Deeper.”
— Simon Close (14:05)

“[Beyoncé’s] direction... maybe country roots music featuring instrumentation from Rhiannon Giddens... hoping for a little more soul/R&B undertones and maybe a zydeco record.”
— El Malik Anderson (16:42)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:42 — Introducing the episode and spring’s music theme
• 03:18 — Overview of spring album announcements
• 03:56 — Faye Webster’s new album discussion
• 04:49 — Yard Act’s sound and new album
• 06:20 — Ledisi’s return and personal connection
• 10:13 — March 8th preview: Ariana Grande, Bleachers, Norah Jones, etc.
• 10:26 — Norah Jones “Visions” preview
• 12:11 — Song clip: Norah Jones, “Running”
• 12:20 — March 15th big releases rundown
• 12:51 — In-depth on Kacey Musgraves
• 14:29 — Song clip: Kacey Musgraves, “Too Good to Be True”
• 15:57 — Adrianne Lenker’s upcoming solo album
• 16:28 — Beyoncé’s new country-inspired direction
• 17:12 — Quick listen: Beyoncé, “Texas Hold’ Em”
• 17:39 — What’s coming in April? Shakira, Lizzy McAlpine, Maggie Rogers, Vampire Weekend

Conclusion

This episode is an energetic, insider’s overview of Spring 2024’s most exciting music releases. With banter, personal connections to songs, astute industry commentary, and active listener participation, Koosha, Simon, and Malik make the shifting music landscape feel like a fun, ongoing conversation you want to be a part of. Whether you’re a casual music lover or a devoted fan eager for the next big thing, this “Spring Music Bonanza” offers plenty of reasons to update your playlist.