All Songs Considered: Jack White, Boards of Canada

Summary

NPR Music – All Songs Considered: Jack White, Boards of Canada

Release Date: April 21, 2026
Hosts: Bob Boilen, Sheldon Pierce

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Episode Overview

This episode of All Songs Considered is a vibrant survey of standout new music released in April 2026, with hosts Bob Boilen and Sheldon Pierce sharing favorites from genres spanning indie rock, electronic, country, and R&B. The conversation bounces from the explosive return of Jack White to long-awaited transmissions from Boards of Canada, while also spotlighting new directions from artists like Kelela, up-and-coming acts like Mary in the Junkyard, and the ever-reliable Charlie Crockett. Lively banter, deep music nerdery, and rich commentary on storytelling, production, and the emotional core of each song make the episode a must for new music aficionados.

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Key Discussions & Segment Highlights

1. Jack White – “God and the Broken Ribs”

[01:14–06:53]

• Main Points:
  • This episode opens with Bob and Sheldon geeking out about Jack White’s return with two new singles: “God and the Broken Ribs” and “Derecho de Monico.”
  • They play “God and the Broken Ribs,” lauding its characteristically wild riffs and wordplay, but also its unpredictability and experimental touches.
  • Bob admires the range of topics in the lyrics: religious imagery, dystopian themes, cultural commentary, all packed rapidly:

    “It’s like the narcissism...from social media...dystopian future...political discourse around population...and then, obviously, of course, lots of religious imagery, but it all comes together so well.” — Bob Boilen [06:16]

• Memorable Quotes:

  “His stuff is so sort of stealthily adventurous. Just because he is such a virtuosic player.” — Sheldon Pierce [06:20]
  “When you come back to it, it’s like revisiting an old friend...a familiarity that feels super refreshing.” — Sheldon Pierce [08:18]

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2. Kelela – “Idea One”

[08:55–14:57]

• Main Points:
  • Sheldon brings in Kelela’s “Idea One,” noting her stylistic shift from her typical electronic/R&B hybrids to a more guitar-driven, genre-blended sound.
  • Both hosts comment on the song’s mysterious, gradually growing arrangement, likening its ominous build to “an iceberg slowly shifting.”
  • Sheldon reveals the song was inspired by Octavia Butler's sci-fi dystopian novel Parable of the Sower, tying in themes of truth-telling and anxiety in chaotic times.
  • The lyrics and mood prompt a discussion about music as subtle protest:

    “It’s not selling you a sermon. It is asking you to sort of feel its vibrational force.” — Sheldon Pierce [14:57]

• Memorable Quotes:

  “I think one thing I really appreciate about it is something I appreciate generally about...the best sort of like subtle protest music, which is that it is not coming at you directly with its message.” — Sheldon Pierce [14:57]
  “There is a sense that she is of two worlds when you are listening to her stuff.” — Sheldon Pierce [13:03]

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3. Mary in the Junkyard – “Crash Landing”

[18:06–26:53]

• Main Points:
  • Bob introduces London indie trio Mary in the Junkyard, focusing on their upcoming debut album and the single “Crash Landing.”
  • Both hosts are immediately drawn to the band’s “dreamy...otherworld vibe,” contrasting Clari Freeman Taylor’s innocent-sounding vocals with rich rhythm and world-weary lyrics.
  • Sheldon notes their apparent maturity and “lived-innes” of their sound:

    “There is such a sense of lived-in-ness with their music that it feels like they’ve been doing this for a long time.” — Sheldon Pierce [24:58]

  • Bob highlights a literary touch in the lyric repetitions and emotional contrast:

    “There’s probably a name for it where you repeat the last word over...it’s very Macbeth: ‘tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow.’ It’s just like this resignation in it.” — Bob Boilen [25:30]

• Memorable Quotes:

  “When somebody first told me about this band, I went from no idea who that is...to this is my new favorite band in the five minutes it took me to listen to that song.” — Bob Boilen [24:14]

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4. Charlie Crockett – “Kentucky Too Long”

[26:53–34:25]

• Main Points:
  • Sheldon pivots to Charlie Crockett’s prolific country output, spotlighting “Kentucky Too Long” from his new album Age of the Ram.
  • The song’s classic storytelling and outlaw themes delight both hosts, who compare Crockett’s style to country legends and Southern soul:

    “He’s got that...classic country sound...less Luke Combs, more Hank Williams.” — Bob Boilen [30:59]

  • Sheldon draws parallels to Bill Withers’ vocal delivery and notes the "down-home charm" in Crockett’s style.
  • The conversation touches on the difference between modern personal narratives in country versus Crockett’s character-rich tales.
  • Bob is astonished by Crockett’s output:

    “By my math, 16 albums...in the last decade...along with a couple of EPs and some other stuff.” — Bob Boilen [34:07]

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5. Boards of Canada – “Tape 05”

[35:29–42:56]

• Main Points:
  • After more than a decade, electronic duo Boards of Canada surprise fans with “Tape 05,” released cryptically via VHS tapes, posters, and finally YouTube.
  • The hosts emphasize the band's impact and mystique, discussing how absence has only deepened the Board's mythos.
  • Sheldon is deeply moved by the atmospheric new song:

    “It feels like maybe the most atmospheric thing they've ever done...The YouTube comments are filled with touching tributes about the passage of time.” — Sheldon Pierce [40:36]

  • They note that there's no official streaming release or statements—just pure mystery. Bob invites listeners to sign up for “first access” on the band’s site, hoping for an album.
• Memorable Quotes:

  “You listen to it and it feels like the whole universe is opening up.” — Bob Boilen [41:30]
  “It feels like the beacon light coming back on, showing signs of life on another planet.” — Sheldon Pierce [42:40]

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6. Purity Ring – “Lemon Lime”

[43:06–47:59]

• Main Points:
  • Sheldon closes the episode with the latest from Canadian electronic duo Purity Ring, “Lemon Lime.”
  • He describes it as the duo’s lightest, most buoyant and playful song, in contrast to their typically dense productions.
  • The conversation pays homage to how Purity Ring bridge electronic music with pop and rap sensibilities, and expresses excitement about their evolving sound.
• Memorable Quotes:

  “It’s almost ethereal in the ways in which it feels buoyant and playful.” — Sheldon Pierce [44:01]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Jack White’s Craft:

  “It’s easy to just hear this and think, oh, riffrock...but there’s so much wild stuff going on. And lyrically, too.” — Bob Boilen [06:53]

• On Kelela’s Ambiguity:

  “This could be a breakup song. This could be a political song. This could be a culture commentary...it’s got my gears turning, which is what I love.” — Bob Boilen [14:42]

• On Mary in the Junkyard’s Indie Magic:

  “Moody British indie rock is just gonna do it for me every single time.” — Sheldon Pierce [25:13]

• On Charlie Crockett’s Storytelling:

  “There’s so much life lived over the course of this song.” — Sheldon Pierce [32:23]

• On Boards of Canada’s Return:

  “If nothing else, I appreciate it as a transmission from a group that has been long dormant—it feels like the beacon light coming back on, showing signs of life on another planet.” — Sheldon Pierce [42:40]

• On Purity Ring’s Evolution:

  “It’s a really exciting sound from them. I would love to hear them exist in this space way more.” — Sheldon Pierce [44:27]

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Timestamps of Important Segments

• Jack White – God and the Broken Ribs: [01:14–08:55]
• Kelela – Idea One: [08:55–16:12]
• Mary in the Junkyard – Crash Landing: [18:06–26:53]
• Charlie Crockett – Kentucky Too Long: [26:53–34:25]
• Boards of Canada – Tape 05: [35:29–42:56]
• Purity Ring – Lemon Lime: [43:06–47:59]

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Episode Tone & Style

The conversation is warm, music-nerdy, and enthusiastic, with Bob and Sheldon trading insights and affirming each other’s discoveries. The tone is inviting, informal, and full of poetic appreciation for detail—whether it’s song structure, lyrics, or cultural context.

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For New Listeners

This episode is a lively map to some of April 2026's most compelling new music, blending deep fandom with generous explanations for those unfamiliar with the artists. It’s especially rewarding for listeners keen to uncover fresh sounds and follow the evolving journeys of innovative musicians—from icons to new discoveries.

Transcript

[Announcer]

This message comes from Starz with Amadeus, starring Will Sharp and Paul Bettany, comes the new Starz original series Amadeus Experience, a tale of genius, jealousy, and rivalry. Amadeus. Watch the series premiere only on Starz and the Stars app.

[Bob Boilen]

This episode of All Songs Considered comes to you from the NPR Music podcast, which is your home for all things good and great in the music verse, including Alt Latino. That's a show we drop in this feed every Wednesday and new Music Friday. We close every week with New Music Friday. Got new episodes of this show, New episodes of All Songs Considered every Tuesday. We did just have this special bonus episode yesterday where we talked with Beck all about his new song, Ride Lonesome. He's back with new music. Be sure to check that out if you haven't already. But I'm kind of burying the lead here because, I mean, Beck is back. Sheldon Pierce, you're back.

[Sheldon Pierce]

I. I am back. It's been a. It's been a little while.

[Bob Boilen]

It's been a minute. So I. I don't know how this happens, but, you know, I do have a couple other people on do a couple theme shows. Next thing I know, last time you were on was end of February.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yeah.

[Bob Boilen]

Which feels like a lifetime ago. On that show, we were talking about our favorite new tracks of the week.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yes.

[Bob Boilen]

And that's what we're gonna do on this episode of All Songs Considered. We're gonna update that running list that we keep of the year's best music. A lot of great stuff to add this week, including the new Boards of Canada. My God, we've got a new song from Boards of Canada. It's the first in more than a decade. We're gonna play that in a little bit. If we hadn't just devoted a whole episode to the new Beck track, I would have totally played it on this week's show. And I actually want to start the show with some with Jack White, since I can't start with the Beck. Jack White, he dropped a couple of singles just a couple of weeks ago, but this is our first new music episode we've done since he dropped these songs. The one I want to play is called God and the Broken Ribs. The other one he released is Derecho de Monico. And again, these came out at the top of April. Both are great, but this one, I don't know, got in the broken ribs. I think it rips pretty hard.

[Song Lyrics]

Welcome to the Garden of Eden. There's nobody here but me and you so what we're gonna be eating? Microphone check. 1, 2, 1, 2, looks like we got little place to do the things we need to do now and it'll sound like this. Welcome to the end of the world Nobody left but one boy and one girl and one other but you know we can't live like a sister and a brother they're gonna make you a mother. The first of the rivers is called River Rouge. And the third of the rivers is called the Straight. And I gotta get out, Gotta get out Gotta find a way to eat the fruit from the tree of faith I bet it tastes like this

[Bob Boilen]

do

[Song Lyrics]

we exist and do we even know all the little things like where we came from or where we're gonna go? And I for one now one who doesn't know but so what what's up? Join the club now if you can Johnny be got Sam Polly Begot Pam tell me now do we got Sam? What love want Everyone moving on with the plan. Watch me walk then I stroll and it's your telephone talk Then you scroll and it's watch me rock I cannot roll, baby and it's letting me out, Let me out Let me shout right from my soul with salt and co now it doesn't do me wrong with it. Ring that bell, then ring your neck Write yourself a dime novel and then write yourself a check Send yourself to hell in a hand basket now what the heck? I'm a penny dreadful and the phones are shouting at it I make some more sen. Well, it's the beginning of the world now and there's nobody left but one boy and one girl now let's start again let's do it again now let's start again yeah, let's do it all over again.

[Bob Boilen]

Man, this just hits so many marks for me for a Jack White song. Great riff.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yeah.

[Bob Boilen]

Great wordplay. It's. It's weird.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yeah.

[Bob Boilen]

Like, there's so many little weird twists and turns. Like there's this moment about a third of the way or so in, where he just, like, slams on the brakes and there's this kind of strange, super digitized. I don't know if it's a keyboard flourish or how he's even making the sound. Then he gets back to the riff, and then there's this little, almost jazzy drum fill, extended drum fill in the middle of it. Man, I love it.

[Charlie Crockett]

Yeah.

[Sheldon Pierce]

His. His stuff is so sort of stealthily adventurous. Just because he is such a virtuosic player.

[Bob Boilen]

Yeah.

[Sheldon Pierce]

I mean, it's funny. We were talking about back in. You have, at this stage a pretty good sense of what a Beck song is in the same way, you have a pretty good sense of what a Jack White song is in 2026. You know what he's after. But then when you get into the, like, nitty gritty of how they are put together, it's like, this man is really a master of his craft.

[Bob Boilen]

Yeah. I mean, it's easy to just hear this and think, oh, Riffrock. It's pretty straightforward. It's just him rocking out. It's awesome. But, yeah, like, when you picking it apart and really tuning in, there's so much wild stuff going on. And lyrically, too. I tried to make a list of everything that I think he's talking about in this song, and it's a very, very, very long list. You know, it's like the narcissism that you get from social media. You know how that fuels narcissism. There's some sort of dystopian future he's imagined where women are made to have more babies. Like, there's something in there about the political discourse around population problems. And. I don't know. I mean, the list just goes on and on, and it's all within just a snippet of a snippet of a snippet of a sentence before he's on to the next point. And yet somehow. And then, obviously, of course, lots of religious imagery, but it all comes together so well.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yeah, there was a moment I kind of, like, fell off of Jack White in the middle of the solo albums run where it was like, okay, you know, maybe I've got a. Maybe I've got a sense of what he's doing, and I don't need to, like, tap in as much as I did before. And here we are again.

[Bob Boilen]

Yeah, I. I'm tempted to say that this is his best work in years, this new. These new couple songs. But the truth is, I don't know if I trust my perspective on it because I think I just kind of. I think I just started listening to other stuff and I just kind of.

[Sheldon Pierce]

There's so much happening. Always. Sometimes you just find yourself veering away from an artist who has been really good for a really long time and knows exactly what they're doing. But when you come back to it, it's like revisiting an old friend. You're. You've fallen into a familiarity that feels like super refreshing. That's what I'm hearing on the newer stuff that he's doing now. I'm like, okay, I am ready to receive this again now. And he's as good as he's ever been.

[Bob Boilen]

Yeah. I'm happy to re dock at the the Jack White ship for this one. No word on an album or anything, but this new single, God and the Broken Ribs, Very cool.

[Sheldon Pierce]

I'm gonna take us in a similarly dystopian direction for an artist who is on the other end of the spectrum of Jack White, not known for doing the same thing and makes a sort of left turn into more guitar focused stuff. With this new single, it's the electronic singer and composer Khalilah. And she's got a new song that's called Idea one.

[Song Lyrics]

Darker and darker thought you be on

but no one around

Cloud and the

crater Scorch every acre don't make a sound.

Deep in the ground.

[Announcer]

Wa.

[Song Lyrics]

Better deeper and deeper thought it be over don't. Come over little bit. To. So it came.

[Bob Boilen]

Yeah. That's awesome. And very unexpected. Well, if you know her stuff at all, like you called her electronic artist, which I guess she is. I guess I think of her as an R and B artist, but it's not.

[Sheldon Pierce]

She straddles the lines between the two. A lot of her work has been about sort of like merging those two spheres together in a way that feels very like almost like dualistic. Like there is a sense that she is of two worlds when you are listening to her stuff.

[Bob Boilen]

Yeah. Guitar, the electric guitar that comes in totally out of left field for me.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Just unexpected.

[Bob Boilen]

And then there's that. There's some really cool synth sound. So like it starts off with that little bass line or I think it's played on a bass really high up on the neck. And then this little gnarled synth just boom. Comes in. Oh, very cool.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yeah. There's just something really. It grows very gradually. It feels like an iceberg slowly shifting towards you. But then when that guitar really kicks in, it feels like it goes into another gear. The song she says was written while she was reading the sci fi dystopian novel Parable of a Sower by Octavia Butler. And she was feeling sort of the anxiety being seen as a truth teller at a time when it seems like reality is warping around us. Like it's a very weird climate to be a truth teller.

[Bob Boilen]

Yeah. I was gonna ask you if you knew more about what the song is about because she's someone else. Sort of like the Jack White where there are a lot of ideas going on and she comes at em all from kind of sideways.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yeah.

[Bob Boilen]

Never too direct. But like I listened to this song and I thought, man, this could be about anything. This could be a breakup song. This could be a political song. This could be a culture commentary. I don't know. I mean, it works, but because it's got my gears turning, which is what I love when I listen to music.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yeah. I think one thing I really appreciate about it is something I appreciate generally about a lot of the best sort of like subtle protest music, which is that it is not coming at you directly with its message. It is not selling you a sermon. Essentially, it is asking you to sort of feel its vibrational force. I don't think the lyrics on their surface present as baldly political. If you are listening to it for the first time and don't have the context of her saying, yeah, this is what this is. But I do think listening to it, you can feel the sense of unease, the sense of tension, the sense of anxiety that is wellish up under the surface of this song. And it's impossible for that to not then imprint upon you as you are listening to it. I. I was feeling before I even got into all of her, like, context for what this song was, listening to it, I was like, well, I was really feeling it well up in my chest. Almost the seriousness of it, the gravity of it.

[Bob Boilen]

So cool. New direction for her. Kaleila the song idea number one is this. Like, do you know, have you heard anything about an album?

[Sheldon Pierce]

Or is that. I think I'm looking into my crystal ball and I'm seeing an album in the office. So I would be on the lookout for new Khalilah in 2026.

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[Bob Boilen]

Well, I want to go to a discovery artist. For me, this is an artist that goes by the name Mary in the junkyard. Are you familiar with Mary in the junkyard?

[Sheldon Pierce]

Very, very off the random. This group appeared on the Richard Russell comp. Everything is temporary from last year. It's sort of like in the margins. And that was sort of like panic moment for me because I heard that song and I was like, how have I not heard of this artist before?

[Bob Boilen]

Well, so they don't. They definitely have put some stuff out. They've had some singles, but they're about to release later this summer their debut album. So you can be forgiven if you don't know more about them, but they're from London. And this new album, I'm just kind of starting to dig into those other singles and eps and stuff. This new album has a song on it called crash landing that I've just had on constant repeat.

[Song Lyrics]

You came in like you were done pretending. Call my face with all of these holes I couldn't help but fall into. You opened up like a coconut. You opened up like a coconut.

Sam.

Coming face with all of these hol I couldn't help but fall down down, down down down, down you opened up you opened up like a coconut. You opened up you opened up like a coconut. And mask off but only in the dark. You won't take your shoes off in case you have to run. Yeah, I can take your mask off but only in the dark. And you won't take your shoes off in case you have to run run. Today, today, today, today or any other day? Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow in case, in case, in case, in case, in case nothing's. And I want to go outside but I'm scared that you'll melt away if we leave this place. If it was any other day if it was any other day I'd get the away. Crash landing aing like it was all my fault crash landing I never want to see you again.

Sa.

[Bob Boilen]

Yeah, this is another one that just hits so many things that I love that just that the dreamy sort of other world vibe with a great groove behind it all the contrast in it is so incredible to me. Just her voice, the singer, Clary Freeman Taylor, her voice, it's kind of got this, like, childlike wonder to it, you know? But then with those drums behind it and that walking bass line, the groove behind it, such incredible contrast. This is. So when somebody first told me about this band, I went from no idea who that is, never heard of them, to this is my new favorite band. Like, in the course it took me, you know, like, in the five minutes it took me to listen to that song.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Right.

[Bob Boilen]

So good.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Right? I mean, that's why I said, like, I was kind of in a panic when I heard this group for the first time, because there is such a sense of. Of lived in this with their music that it feels like they've been doing this for a long time.

[Bob Boilen]

They've got it figured out.

[Sheldon Pierce]

They know what you're doing. So you're like, am I out of the loop? Like, did I miss the bus on this? Luckily, if you're hearing this now, this is the exact right time to get on the bus. But, I mean, moody British indie rock is just gonna do it for me every single time.

[Bob Boilen]

It's hooky, and there's a weariness to it. Like, I love that sort of literary device. There's probably a name for it where you repeat the last word over. You're like, down, down, down, down. Sort of like, it's very. Is it Macbeth? Like tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. It's just like this resignation in it. Right. Almost hopelessness. But then her voice, again, that contrast is just, you know, kind of magical.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Even within her own vocal performance. You mentioned this sort of, like, childlike wonder aspect of it. There is an obvious lightness when she's singing, but she also into, like, a sort of, like, disaffected, like, sigh. At various moments in this song, she plays with the idea of what brightness is, what darkness is. And of course, all of that is happening at top. This very rich. A sonic backdrop, like, that bass is rich. I just love this song. I hope this whole record sounds like this because it will be one of my favorites of the year.

[Bob Boilen]

Yeah, me too. And it doesn't come out until July. The album it's from is called Role Model Hermit. I don't know if I said that. Mary in the Junkyard. Role Model Hermit is the album. The song Crash Landing. And that album is out on July 3rd.

[Sheldon Pierce]

I'm gonna take us from a new discovery to a prolific artist who just cannot stop going. The great country singer songwriter Charlie Crockett.

[Bob Boilen]

Yeah, He's.

[Sheldon Pierce]

I honestly feel like he might be underrated. He releases so much music that I think some of it kind of gets lost in the shuffle and also doesn't miss.

[Bob Boilen]

I see someone else I've said. I think I said that about Beck.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Unbelievably consistent. And earlier this year, he released a new record. It's called Age of the Ramp. And I want to play the single from that record, which has stuck with me since I heard it. It's called Kentucky Too long. Long.

[Charlie Crockett]

Been in Kentucky too long I done come here from Arkansas Ain't running from no john in law Please believe me I ain't in Kentucky for my health I done came here for something else Everybody knows that dry frill it ain't greasy Back in Texas last week, that's the winner. Things got bleak Be careful of what you speak Might come find you

[Song Lyrics]

at

[Charlie Crockett]

Choctaw Just this morning they started shooting out without warning if it hadn't been for my woman Let me sneak in, man, I really feel it coming on I've been in Kentucky too long Been in Kentucky Making something out of nothing Too long. Daddy wasn't dead now it says it on his old sedan he's been fighting with Uncle Sam about something Dude's been talking about a bank Wasn't me this time for goodness sake but if it was, I'd have split the tape. You really know me I guess I'm doing just fine on Big Sandy and A two in time that woman's about to have my child she says she needs me I ain't in control I done came here for something else Mama used to say dry thrill Joe ain't greasy, man, I really feel it coming on Being in Kentucky too long I've been in Kentucky Trying to make that woman love me Too long man, I can feel it coming home I've been in Kentucky too long I've been in Kentucky Making something out of nothing Too long Been in Kentucky too long. Been in Kentucky too long. Man, I really feel it coming on, man. In Kentucky too long.

[Bob Boilen]

Yeah, this is one I was thinking of playing, too. It's just too good not to get this on the show. He's just like. He's got that, like, classic country sound that I really love. Like, it's like somewhere between 40s and 50s cowboy country to maybe 70s outlaw country. Like, somewhere in that area. Less Luke Combs, more Hank Williams. Oh, yeah.

[Sheldon Pierce]

He's pulling from a lot of classic country history. Not just in his sound, but in his characters. Obviously, it's storytelling.

[Bob Boilen]

Yeah.

[Sheldon Pierce]

This is very clearly about. I mean, there's so many outlaws and just like down on their luck. Grifters that like cycle through his songs. This character has to be one of my favorite favorites.

[Bob Boilen]

I think he's done quite a bit, including. He's a bank robber.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yes. He's clearly a bank robber from out of town. He's come into town to rob another bank. But he's like realized that he set up shop and is going to get himself in trouble if he stays around any longer. But he can't bring himself to leave in time. He gets caught again in the second verse. Yeah, he's spending time at Big Sandy and he gotta have been pregnant in Kentucky. Everything has gone wrong essentially. But this is just like. There's so much life lived over the course of this song.

[Bob Boilen]

Yeah. I mean, I assume a lot of it's just fiction.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yeah. Oh yeah.

[Bob Boilen]

Fiction. But it's like, I mean, I mean,

[Sheldon Pierce]

in terms of the story. Yeah, he's not a bank robber.

[Bob Boilen]

But I mean like, I feel like so much contemporary country music is more personal and it's more about like.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yeah. The living in a small town.

[Bob Boilen]

Yeah, it's all I. And it's life in a small town and drinking and how you're making it in the world.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Right.

[Bob Boilen]

And this is more. Yeah. Just classic storytelling.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yeah. Yeah. I also think there's something about this song that feels like it's in conversation with Southern soul in terms of its sound. Even his voice, his vocal performance reminds me a little bit of Bill Withers. And there's also just like something about the performance itself in terms of like its simplicity. Almost the down home charm of his, like, leaned back, casual approach to performing the song, even as he is clearly escaping from like the law enforcement.

[Bob Boilen]

Yeah, boy, Bill Withers is a great touchstone. Like, I can't unhear that. Yeah, I totally hear that.

[Sheldon Pierce]

It's, it's, it's.

[Bob Boilen]

And timbre of his voice, really.

[Sheldon Pierce]

There's something about the vocal performance that you're like, oh, yes, that is a very Southern rootsy kind of performance. But he, to his credit, he pulls it into the universe of Charlie Crockett songs specifically.

[Bob Boilen]

This is cosplay or whatever.

[Charlie Crockett]

He.

[Sheldon Pierce]

He has built out this kind of canon for. For the. You just like slot this guy in next to a bunch of guys who have appeared across. I mean, he's released 10 albums in the 2000s.

[Bob Boilen]

Well, yeah. I mean, so you said he was super prolific. I. I checked her while we were. Listen, by my math, 16 albums, 16 total. In the last decade, basically along with a couple of eps and some other stuff. So this one, Kentucky Too Long, is from the album Age of the Ram, which just came out.

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[Bob Boilen]

So I mentioned Boards of Canada, and for anyone who doesn't know this band, electronic duo, two guys from Scotland, easily the most important or certainly one of the most important and influential electronic electronic music groups of all time. Absolutely. I mean, hardly anyone comes close. Like, if you want to get into electronic music, you haven't really start with Boards of Canada.

[Sheldon Pierce]

This. This group is very important to your most annoying friend. And that person is me.

[Bob Boilen]

I thought you were gonna say Otis

[Sheldon Pierce]

Heart, because Otis too.

[Bob Boilen]

I mean, they've had Boards of Canada landmark albums, starting with their debut came out in 90. It's been a long time since we've gotten new music from them. Their last album came out in 2013. It's called Tomorrow's Harvest. But you know these guys, they love a good mystery. They love to lay low, hold their cards close to the chest. So, like, their absence has only made people more curious about what's going on and what's coming next. So then like a couple weeks ago, fans of the band started getting VHS tapes in the mail, I guess because they were like on the band's mailing list or had ordered merch or whatever. And they were not much on the tapes. It's not like it was an explanation or a text or anything. It was just kind of cryptic static and images and whatnot. Then posters started showing up with more abstract imagery in different cities like London and New York. Then at the end of last week on their YouTube channel, boards of Canada released a new song. It's called tape 05. And, you know, with all of this sort of, I guess you would call it hype, all this mystery that's sort of like, oh, what's happening? What's happening? Are they going to. You get a song like this, you think this is going to need to be very, very good. And it is. It's incredible. Tape 05. We'll listen to it. We can talk more about it after we hear it.

[Song Lyrics]

Sat. Sam. Sat.

[Bob Boilen]

So, Sheldon, you're. If you're a Boards of Canada stand, where do you think?

[Sheldon Pierce]

I love this song so much. Honestly, it feels like maybe the most atmospheric thing they've ever done.

[Bob Boilen]

Yeah.

[Sheldon Pierce]

I mean, the YouTube comments for this video are filled with so many touching tributes about the passage of time. People being like, I. I lost somebody who was really into this group in the time that they were away. And now listening to them makes me remember that person more fully. Somebody being like, I was an addict when I discovered this music on walks and in my journey to get clean, this group was important to me. And it feels like all of that time is, like, built up across the three minutes that this song is playing. There was also a really beautiful comment that was like, Artemis 2 brought this back from the dark side of the movie.

[Bob Boilen]

Wow. I mean, it is very celestial. It is very. I mean, that's the thing. Like, it's so beautiful, but to your point. Yeah. Lots of little movement and textures to it. But also they have this way of making it sound really big. You listen to it and it feels like the whole universe is opening up.

[Sheldon Pierce]

The scope of it is incredible. I hope this means that there's a record coming.

[Bob Boilen]

I mean, so I'm calling it a new song. But the truth is, if you didn't know the song had appeared on YouTube, there was.

[Sheldon Pierce]

You wouldn't. It's not on streaming anywhere.

[Bob Boilen]

Not on streaming. No announcement, no statement, comments, nothing. I've reached out to some people. I've tried to get some answers and clarity and just getting radio sets. Total silence. You know, band still hasn't said anything about it. So I'm hearing it as a new song at least. And, you know, whether or not there's a new album, we also don't know that. I will say, if you go to their website, there's a little box for you to. And this is all that's on the website, a little box for you to enter your email address. And it says, register for first access, which I immediately did. First access to what? I'm assuming a new album. But I don't know, you know, we really don't know.

[Sheldon Pierce]

If nothing else, I appreciate it. As a transmission from a group that has been long dormant, it feels like the beacon light coming back on, showing signs of life on another planet. It's like, okay, we can connect with this group again soon, hopefully.

[Bob Boilen]

So Boards of Canada again, the song tape 05 from who Knows what, what Universe. But Sheldon, I know you've got one more that you want to play.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yeah. I'm going to go out on another electronic duo, though, of a very different stripe, the Canadian group Purity Ring, Corin Roddick and Megan James. It's kind of crazy to think that this group has been around for a decade.

[Bob Boilen]

Has it been that long? Yeah, I know.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Shrines came out 2012.

[Bob Boilen]

Oh, wow.

[Sheldon Pierce]

It's been a while.

[Bob Boilen]

It's been more like 15 years.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Almost 15. Yeah. I think of sort of like one of the defining electronic groups, sort of like bridging the gap between that space and like rap production. But they've like steadily grown lighter over the course of their run. Last year they released a self titled album that was like a concept record about a fictional RPG inspired by video games, games from the Legend of Zelda and Final Fantasy franchises. And they've got a new song that I think is maybe their lightest song ever.

[Bob Boilen]

Oh, wow.

[Sheldon Pierce]

I think their music has historically been pretty weighted and dense, but this really opens up. There's like, it's almost ethereal in the ways in which it feels buoyant and playful. It's, it's some of my favorite. I mean, I'm a big Purity Ring fan, but it's a really exciting sound from them. I would love to hear them exist in this space way more.

[Bob Boilen]

So the. Did you say the name of the song? It's Lemon Lime.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Lemon Lime.

[Bob Boilen]

So we'll go out on this. And Sheldon Pierce, thanks as always. Always a great hang.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Thanks so much for having me.

[Bob Boilen]

All right. It's All Songs Considered from NPR Music.

[Song Lyrics]

It Give me light your eyes and all the no inside of them. I wake up in the corn eyes of your soft mind. Let me light up beside you in the shade of light forsaken face oh n n n n n Let me

lie

I'm the mirror of you without body we the same now I'm tired but I'll hold on to you as nothing nothing's change. Days are passing silent refrain the end is always just around the corner. There are no urges to this place Just the hills and the greats all the mountains and lakes all the foes was the notion Take me to my dreams and I will wake up if you wake up Let me lie beside

you in the shade of. Light Let me light

you in the sh. I'm a mirror, mirror of you without body awareness same Now I'm tired but I hold on to you as nothing nothing's changed I'm a mirror, mirror of you without body we the same Now I'm tired but I'll hold on to you as if nothing nothing's changed.

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[Sheldon Pierce]

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