A Spring Music Bonanza

Summary

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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)

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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.

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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)

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**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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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

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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.

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Transcript

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[Casual Speaker]

I'm going to put you on nephew.

[Simon Close]

All right, unc.

[McDonald's Employee]

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[Casual Speaker]

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[El Malik Anderson]

Listener supported WNYC Studios.

[Koosha Navadar]

This is all of it. I'm Kusha Navadar in for Alison Stewart. So there's a lot that happens in the month of March. It's women's history month. There's St. Patrick's Day, March Madness, Nowruz, which is the Persian new year. And this March, we've got a huge month for new music releases today. We're talking about some of the highly anticipated releases this spring, including albums from Norah Jones, Cakes to Killa, Casey Musgraves, Shakira, and yes, Beyonce. Joining us now is all of it producer Simon Close. Simon, welcome.

[Simon Close]

Thank you, Koosha.

[Koosha Navadar]

And I just gotta ask you, who let you into the studio?

[Simon Close]

I picked up an ID on the sidewalk and nobody said anything.

[Koosha Navadar]

Wow. Well, we're happy to have you. And also joining us is all of it producer el Malik Anderson. Malik, hey, how you doing?

[McDonald's Employee]

Great.

[El Malik Anderson]

How are you?

[Simon Close]

Good.

[Koosha Navadar]

Another question, who let Simon into this studio? I don't know.

[El Malik Anderson]

I think he was like dragged in.

[Koosha Navadar]

Well, we're, we're really excited to have both of you here and listeners, we want you part of the conversation, too. What new music are you listening to right now? Tell us what's on your playlist. Any new albums you can't wait to come out? Do you have any concert plans for the next few months? Who are you excited to see on tour? Give us a call or send us a text. The number is 212-433-969. That's 212-433-WNYC. Or you can hit us up on Social. Our handle is llofitwnyc. All right, let's get into the music. Simon, there's a lot of new music scheduled for a release this spring. What are some of the new album announcements so far?

[Simon Close]

Well, I guess I'll say we did one of these previews like just over a month ago. But then in the last month there were so many albums announced around the Grammys, like Casey Musgraves announced one, and then right afterwards, Taylor Swift and then right afterwards, Beyonce. So we were like, let's get back to. There's enough to talk about that it's worth getting back into. So those are a few. And I think Malik and I are going to go week by week through the rest of the month to get to dig a little deeper.

[Koosha Navadar]

All right, cool. Let's start off with March 1st. The first week, Malik. Last week, Atlanta Ray singer songwriter Faye Webster released her fifth studio album, Right Undressed at the Symphony. She's 26. Tell us about the sonic influences on this new album.

[El Malik Anderson]

Yeah, on this album she has more of a laid back, stripped down approach and she kind of follows this Persona of making the sort of sad. She's like a sad singer songwriter. I describe it as like soft rock with a little bit of soul. And she also has this goofy personality. So she doesn't keep you in this sad mood, but it's almost like cinematic in a sense. Like she plays with the sounds. 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.

[Koosha Navadar]

Simon, you picked out the track you wanted to highlight. Where's My Utopia? A new album from British indie rock band Yard Act. Can you, before we go to their clip, can you tell me how you would describe their style as a band?

[Simon Close]

Yeah, Yard Act, I was not too familiar with them until they released their sophomore album last week, but they're sort of they're from Leeds in England, which is not. Which is in West Yorkshire, so not too far away from South Yorkshire, where Arctic Monkeys are from. So there's a little bit of like that sound. 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. And like, even on this album, there's dance and disco sounds. So I found it to be a pretty undeniably fun album. And the track that I picked out to play today is called We Make Hits, which engages in that again, like sort of classic hip hop, like, self mythologizing format. So this is a song about how the band came together and decided to make hits. Cool.

[Koosha Navadar]

Let's listen to it.

[Yard Act Band Member]

Yeah. One night up in the attic Listening to Grammatics drinking cans and shooting the. We reeled off all of our hopes and dreams and made a list. And there was one singular ambition we had that most musicians of our ilk aren't willing to admit. And it was to this mantra we would commit. We make hits super millennial men and we do it again every night on the back of the bus. You know it ain't no fuss we're on the same wa.

[Koosha Navadar]

That sounds great, Simon. What's the reception been like so far?

[Simon Close]

Pretty good. I think it's gotten a lot of strong reviews, so hopefully a little more mainstream attention for Yard act and Malik.

[Koosha Navadar]

I also wanted to talk about another artist, Letici, who just came out with Good Life. Singer and actress Letici's new album. It's called Good Life is out now, following up on the 2021 project, Letici sings Nina. How does this album follow up her last project?

[El Malik Anderson]

So that last album was a tribute to Nina Simone, someone who she said brought her out of despair. And in this new album, we get to see her float back to her original sound, which is this. She comes from this jazz vocalist background and she brings in the soul and R and B. And so in this album we get to hear like some of those feel good records and classic R and B neo soul sounds. And she collaborates with other people who have been in the industry who like, has that sort of similar vibe. And so I like this record because I like her tribute stuff. It was just last week, I think my dad sent me a tribute she did in 2009 to the band Frankie Beverly and May's Happy Feelings, which is a song that my dad used to sing to me. And 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.

[Koosha Navadar]

Mm. And there's a clip from the album from the song Magic Voila that you want us to listen to, right?

[El Malik Anderson]

Yes.

[Koosha Navadar]

Okay, let's take a listen to that.

[McDonald's Employee]

What goes up must come down like my love when you make that sound Never forget all the moments that have made you mine after all this time Loving your life with brand new. Let's enjoy the high. I'll do the thing. I know you.

[Koosha Navadar]

It's great to hear the wide variety of music that's coming out just this month and listeners, we want you to join in on the conversation. What new music are you listening to right now? Tell us what's on your playlist. Tell us what's coming up that you're super excited about. You can text us 212-433-9692. That's 212-433-WNYC or you can hit us up on social. We're oflovitnyc and we have a text that I want to point out from sustaining member Catherine in Montclair than for, you know, donating to wnyc. Katherine, here's what you write. Looking forward to release of my Black Country Songs of Alice Randall performed by Rhiannon Giddens, Ada Victoria, Alison Russell and many others. We've also got another text. Excited to see Chelsea Wolf a week from today at Warsaw. So a lot going on. I want to skip to the next week, March 8th. Simon, let's go. Big picture. Before we dive into your personal picks, what does this Friday's release lineup look like?

[Simon Close]

Pretty big day. So here are some of the ones that I picked out. There's Ariana Grande is coming out with her new album Bleachers, Self titled album from Bleachers, which is Jack Antonoff's solo project and he's the producer behind artists like Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey and lots of others. Nora Jones has an album coming out. Kim Gordon from Sonic Youth has her second solo album, I Believe coming out. And one more that was on my radar is more Mother who is a member of the band. She's a poet, a member of the band Irreversible Entanglements. And this, this is an album of poetry and jazz influenced music that explores the legacy of British colonialism, which sounds pretty fascinating.

[Koosha Navadar]

Oh yeah, that sounds really fascinating. And you mentioned Norah Jones too, right?

[Simon Close]

I did.

[Koosha Navadar]

And Malik, you have some familiarity with this album that's coming out or the single. What should we expect from Nora Jornes forthcoming album Visions.

[El Malik Anderson]

Yes, Nora Jones album visions will have 12 songs and the video for the album. For the lead single Running, she collaborated for this album with producer Leon Michaels, who is a Michaels affairs bandleader and also one of the original members of the arcs. He collaborated with the Carters, Beyonce and Jay Z's side project Chicano Batman, Mary J. Blige and Lizzo, which there were two projects that he was Grammy nominated for. And so this new album has a single called Running, which I really love, which features Nora on vocals, piano, guitar and bass. And then you have Leanne on drums and baritone saxophone.

[Koosha Navadar]

So let's take a listen to Nora Jones recent single Running from her forthcoming album Visions.

[Music Clip Vocalist]

From the first time I felt a click in my heart I keep running oh, keep running away Try to sleep but the aching tears Me PA I keep running oh, I keep running away oh am I wasting the day I keep running How I keep running away oh, does it hurt me to stay.

[Koosha Navadar]

So I'd love to skip to the next week, March 15th. We're about halfway through the month at this point. Simon, what's coming up on the calendar next Friday?

[Simon Close]

A few things to highlight quickly. The English electronic musician Fortet is releasing an album. Justin Timberlake is putting out an album, fortunately. Maybe. Unfortunately, I don't know. Depends what you think of Justin.

[Koosha Navadar]

It's a big ten all music as well.

[Simon Close]

Sure. Lenny Kravitz has an album coming out and Tierra Whack, the hip hop artist, has an album coming out too.

[Koosha Navadar]

So Casey Musgraves as well, right?

[Simon Close]

That's right.

[Koosha Navadar]

She's expected to drop an album on March 15th. Why that album? Why is that on your list?

[Simon Close]

So this is part of my campaign for justice for Kacey Musgrave. So let's get into it. So she released a few albums ago. She won album of the year, Fantast album, Golden Hour. Next album she put out in 2021, I think called Star Crossed was her big divorce album. A lot of hype leading up to that came out. It was not my favorite album. It had some good spots, not super strong all over, but was really taken down by the fact that Adele announced her own divorce album within a month of the release of that. So like, good luck to anyone competing against Adele in the divorce album category. So now Casey's back. She announces, she starts to tease an album in the days leading up to to the Grammys. And then she plans this whole ad spot during the Grammys. The Grammys happen. Taylor Swift gets up on stage and says, oh, I'M gonna surprise release an album soon. So that's tough for Casey again. A few days later. And Casey Musgraves, I should mention, Texas musician, sort of originally more purely country and now more like country pop kind of, but definitely like country in her heart. So she announces this album. Taylor Swift says, I'm gonna release an album. A few days later, Beyonce says, I'm gonna release an album, too, and it's gonna be a country album. Wow.

[Koosha Navadar]

Okay.

[Simon Close]

I'm just here to wish the best for my girl Casey on her new album, Deeper.

[Koosha Navadar]

Well, and with that very thorough explanation, let's listen to Too good to.

[Music Clip Vocalist]

Made some breakfast, made some love this is what dreams are made of On a cloudy Monday morning Summer's gone and you're still here for both of us it's been a year it's hide away without a warning Please don't make me regret Opening up that part of myself.

[Koosha Navadar]

That was Kacey Musgraves. We are looking at the month of March. Huge new releases. We've got a bunch of great texts coming in. Here's one from a listener looking forward to the Outlaw Music Festival. Willie Nelson with Bob Dylan. Looking forward to new music from Nathaniel Ratcliffe. Sorry, Ratliff. And Tyler Childers. Where did Sergil Simpson go? We need more of him. Thanks, James from Brooklyn. Thanks, James. If you'd like to be a part of the conversation, tell us what music you're excited about listening to in March. What's coming up? Give us a text or give us a call. 212-433-9692. That's 212-433-WNYC. All right, we're gonna wrap this up with the last week, March 22nd. Simon, we're gonna start with you. You're looking forward to Adrian Lenker's new album, due later this month. Can you tell us a little bit about that 20 seconds or less?

[Simon Close]

Sure. Adrienne Lenker. This is her fifth or sixth solo studio Al, depending on how you count. She's a member of the band Big Thief, which are a sort of weird folk, experimental folk ish band. They put out an album most recently called Dragon New Warm Mountain, I Believe in youn. Really fantastic album from the last couple years. She has a new album on March 22 called Bright Future coming out that I have had the fortune to listen to some of. And anyone who's a fan of hers or Big Thief's, I expect will be pretty happy with this album.

[Koosha Navadar]

And of course, we're gonna finish out with Beyonce. Malik about Two weeks ago, Beyonce released two new songs titled Texas Hold' Em and sixteen Carriages. Following the Super Bowl. What do we know about the follow up to her last album, Renaissance and what are you excited for?

[El Malik Anderson]

Yeah, so that last album, Renaissance was like partially inspired by house music and it had sort of like a different sound than this direction that it seems like she's going in, which is maybe country roots music featuring you instrumentation from Rhiannon Giddens. So I'm hoping for a little bit more of a soul R and B undertones and maybe a zydecove record.

[Koosha Navadar]

Oh, wow. So let's listen to a quick bit of Texas Hold'.

[McDonald's Employee]

Em.

[Koosha Navadar]

Both of you have brought us so much great music. You each get 10 seconds. What does April have in store for us?

[Simon Close]

Malik, you want to go first?

[El Malik Anderson]

Yes. April has Shakira. She has a new album. And Krugman also has a new album.

[Simon Close]

I'm going to say Lizzie McAlpine, Maggie Rogers, and Vampire Weekend.

[Koosha Navadar]

Wonderful. You both brought us great hits. Thank you so much. Simon Close, get lit and music producer for all of it. And El Malik Anderson, all of it producer. Thank you so much. Let's keep rocking.

[Simon Close]

Thank you.

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[Casual Speaker]

I'm gonna put you on nephew.

[Simon Close]

All right, unc.

[McDonald's Employee]

Welcome to McDonald's. Can I take your order, miss?

[Casual Speaker]

I've been hitting up McDonald's for years. Now it's back. We need snack wraps. What's a snack wrap? It's the return of something great. Snack wrap is back.