New Music Friday: The best albums out March 27

Summary

NPR Music — New Music Friday: The Best Albums Out March 27, 2026

Hosts: Stephen Thompson (NPR Music) & Alisa Ali (WFUV, New York)
Date: March 27, 2026
Special Guests: Ann Powers, Bobby Carter, Sheldon Pierce, Dora Levitt

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Episode Overview

On one of the busiest music release days of the year, Stephen Thompson and Alisa Ali break down the five most exciting new albums out March 27, 2026, offering engaging commentary, notable highlights, and thoughtful context for each pick. The episode features in-depth discussions about Robyn, RAYE, Courtney Barnett, The New Pornographers, and Flea—followed by a lightning round of more fresh releases, with other NPR Music colleagues chiming in on their favorite records. The tone is lively, enthusiastic, and packed with insight for music lovers keen to find their next favorite album.

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Major Album Discussions

1. Robyn — Sexistential

Timestamps: 01:57–07:30

• Robyn is back: “It is so exciting that this Swedish sensation is back with another sensational, sexistential album.” (Alisa Ali, 02:49)
• The album’s title started as an inside joke (a ‘MILF album’), but evolved into a serious, empowering meditation on sexuality, aging, and self-expression.
• “She wanted to make a MILF album… but then got existential about it.” (Alisa Ali, 04:34)
• Vibes: Blade Runner meets dancefloor, mixing playful electro-pop and empowerment anthems.
• Tracks spotlighted: “Really Real,” “Dopamine,” and the title track, which deals with IVF, dating, and embracing change.
• “You get a single like ‘Dopamine’… add this song directly to Pride Month playlists… Yes, Mother has returned.” (Stephen Thompson, 06:51; Alisa Ali, 06:54)

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2. RAYE — this Music may contain hope

Timestamps: 07:30–13:13

• A 73-minute, 17-song opus blending pop, hip-hop, R&B, classic orchestrations, and spoken word.
• “This is like a blockbuster of an album… RAYE is kind of go big or go home, right?” (Alisa Ali, 08:36)
• Notable single: “Where’s My Husband?” praised as a modern classic brimming with optimism and humor.
• “I actually think ‘Where’s My Husband’ is probably a contender for one of the best modern songs that I can think of.” (Alisa Ali, 10:08)
• “Many of these songs feel like they pack an album’s worth of ideas into four or five minutes.” (Stephen Thompson, 11:30)
• “It’s racing… The click clack, that’s the sound of the high heels marching, and it’s like soldiers coming out to support the troops.” (Alisa Ali, 12:32)

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3. Courtney Barnett — Creature of Habit

Timestamps: 16:09–22:05

• Barnett’s 4th album: balancing her signature wit, slacker-rock ease, anxieties, and newfound self-compassion.
• “It is a great record that kind of explores how to get out of your own way and be okay with yourself.” (Alisa Ali, 16:58)
• Addressing personal change and self-acceptance after stepping back and watching her life unfold through a documentary.
• “She watched the documentary and she actually didn’t like what she saw… she made a conscious effort to be a little kinder to herself.” (Alisa Ali, 19:37)
• Sonically mixes laid-back ramblings with driving, grungey energy.
• “It gives this record a sense that it’s not just weary… it’s all part of trying to be a better person tomorrow than you were today.” (Stephen Thompson, 20:33)
• Notable collaboration: “Sight Unseen” with Katie Crutchfield (Waxahatchee).

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4. The New Pornographers — The Former Sight Of

Timestamps: 22:05–27:05

• Iconic indie-rock supergroup’s 10th album, marking new sonic territory and deeper reflection after challenging lineup changes.
• “This band has been through a lot of… sound and lineup changes… I think that led to a certain amount of reflection on this record.” (Stephen Thompson, 23:16)
• Arrangements are described as more experimental and sonically expansive, while the trademark lush harmonies remain.
• “Sonically, this album… is one of the more interesting ones of their whole catalog… I get so carried away with [‘Princess Story’] sonically, that I can’t even focus on the lyrics.” (Alisa Ali, 24:08)
• Title track “The Former Sight Of” lauded for its patient, epic crescendo.
• “This is the best record they’ve done in quite a while.” (Stephen Thompson, 26:08)

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5. Flea — Honora

Timestamps: 28:37–35:08

• Surprising jazz trumpet solo debut from the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ bass player.
• “Coming back with a jazz trumpet solo album… I had no idea he played trumpet, but apparently that was his first instrument.” (Alisa Ali, 29:38)
• Flea practiced trumpet for two years before recording—his debut features multiple originals, collaborations with Thom Yorke (“Traffic Lights”) and Nick Cave (“Wichita Lineman”).
• “Anytime you get these kind of artistic hairpin turns… is not what people are expecting … But this record is all over the place in a really interesting way.” (Stephen Thompson, 30:47)
• Praised for its earnestness, restraint, and collaborative spirit.
• Highlight: Spoken-word jazz odyssey “A Plea”.
• Quote: “…at one point he just says, ‘I’m not being corny.’ And the earnestness of an earnest is such a double-edged sword.” (Stephen Thompson, 33:27)

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Lightning Round: Other Highlights

Timestamps: 35:08–(end)

• Connie Converse — How Sad, How Lovely (Reissue)
  • “If you haven’t heard her sad, strange, beautiful songs… highly recommend.” (Stephen Thompson, 35:08)
• Snail Mail — Ricochet
  • “It rocks, it feels good to listen to… introspective, but in a very uplifting way.” (Alisa Ali, 36:53)
• The Philharmonik — Transcendentalism 1
  • “If you are feeling like you’re losing your mind, then come on in and let’s just talk about it.” (Bobby Carter, 38:09)
• Irreversible Entanglements — Future, Present, Past
  • “Energetic, glorious, and unrestricted… freedom songs stretching out across the space time continuum.” (Sheldon Pierce, 39:57)
• Sluice — Companion
  • “A really vulnerable portrayal of how hard it can be to navigate periods of change…” (Dora Levitt, 41:18)
• Charlotte Cornfield — Hurts Like Hell
  • “Real love, no fantasy…songs about regret, parenthood, chosen family. Her ramshackle sound is just perfect for that feeling of immediacy.” (Ann Powers, 42:52)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Robyn’s transformation and album concept:
  “This is a main thing in music. Like, how do you talk about aging but make it sexy? And she has definitely done that and in such a funny way.” (Alisa Ali, 04:34)

• On RAYE’s maximalism:
  “Sometimes her music can feel extremely cluttered, but it’s cluttered in a way that is, like, bursting with ideas. And so when it works, it really works.” (Stephen Thompson, 09:08)

• Courtney Barnett on kindness to herself:
  “She made a conscious effort to be a little kinder to herself … with more confidence, I think.” (Alisa Ali, 19:49)

• Flea’s unexpected jazz pivot:
  “It is a record that is made out of a love of music. It is a record that is very earnest in its intentions, but it is also a record that is just extremely expansive in its thinking.” (Stephen Thompson, 31:46)

• On The New Pornographers’ patience:
  “I think here there’s more patience, and that patience pays off in ways that I don’t know that it quite has… This is the best record they’ve done in quite a while.” (Stephen Thompson, 26:08)

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Final Thoughts

This episode captures the passion and curiosity of the NPR Music team as they champion artistic risk-taking, celebrate genre boundaries, and contextualize work from both icons and lesser-known talents. Whether you’re seeking dancefloor catharsis, maximal pop ambition, introspective indie, or jazzy exploration, the show’s rounded up the most essential new albums to soundtrack your week.

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For the full album recommendations and more, visit NPR Music’s New Music Friday.

Transcript

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[Stephen Thompson]

Happy Friday, everyone. From NPR Music. It's New Music Friday. I'm Stephen Thompson here with Alisa Ali of WFU in New York. Welcome back to the show, Alisa.

[Alisa Ali]

So glad to join you again, Steven. See your beautiful face and your mellifluous voice.

[Stephen Thompson]

I'm often accused of having both of those things. It is a pleasure to have you here. It is Friday, March 27, one of the it's gotta be the busiest music release day of the year so far. And I think when 2026 is over, we will look back and say, whew, a lot of Records on March 27.

[Alisa Ali]

It was a good week. Hard to pick just the few. Although we've got a lot for you today.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah, we picked out five albums we're gonna talk about in depth. We also have a lightning round of some of the other terrific records out today, March 27th. But we're not even getting to your Charlie Puth. We're not getting to Jose Gonzalez, Melissa Etheridge, Slater with three Y's, Ty Myers, need to Breathe, Yeet, Fetty Wap, Tom Mish. Tons and tons of new music out today, Alisa. How do you even dredge through it all to figure out what you want to talk?

[Alisa Ali]

You just, you go through the list and then you gotta rank em. It's ranked choice voting over here. That's how we roll in New York.

[Stephen Thompson]

I'm trying to make political parallels of like which candidate you've you've about the candidates that you've rejected.

[Alisa Ali]

Oh, boy. I don't wanna diss anybody.

[Stephen Thompson]

We'll probably leave that for another podcast. All right. Well, we don't actually rank albums on this show. Just because we talk about something first doesn't mean it's automatically the best.

[Unidentified Guest/Interjection]

Right.

[Stephen Thompson]

But I guess for the purposes of that particular analogy, I guess your vote is going to the album that's gon kick off this show. Robin is back with a new record. It's called Sexistential.

[Music Clip Singer]

Yeah, I'm so close I'm almost there Won't you to tell me how to do it? It's not as good by myself so baby will you talk me through it for you? Sometimes I need an audience for you Feel like I'm making sense Come and pass a.

[Alisa Ali]

It's so exciting that this Swedish sensation is back with another sensational sexistential album. I mean, based on the title alone, we must address it. Although I wonder, how does NPR talk about such a sexy topic? It's gotta be kind of through a

[Stephen Thompson]

lot of evenly modulated euphemism. Yes, yes, a lot of calmly intoned euphemism.

[Alisa Ali]

It's a great record, though. To me, it has like a Blade Runner dance floor vibe. And it's such a cool and fun and interesting album, don't you think?

[Stephen Thompson]

Oh, absolutely. And I think, you know, Blade Runner is an interesting reference point because you. I wrote down Challenger's soundtrack to describe some of the vibe here, particularly in a song like really Real, where it has that kind of hard driving electro pop buzz to it. But there's also a playfulness to these arrangements.

[Music Clip Singer]

I'm letting my esc Dedicated till the end right there when you call my name I want to swallow but it ain't the same this is how it feels. Is it really real?

[Alisa Ali]

It's maybe one of her happiest and kind of most dancy. That's a crazy thing to say about Robin because she makes dance music.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah, she makes hard charging, but also often very melancholy dance music.

[Alisa Ali]

Right. And I feel like this, thematically, this album is kind of looking a little bit more on the brighter side and kind of more empowered than she has ever been. I mean, so the main thing about this sexistential record is, you know, so the title started off as kind of an inside joke. Like she wanted to make a MILF album, right. But then got existential about it, like some. Some like sexuality for an older person. But then she started taking this really seriously and she was like, you know, this is actually. This is a really interesting topic and very relevant to her and to a lot of people. I mean, this is a main thing in music. Like, how do you talk about aging but make it sexy? You know? And she has definitely done that and in such a funny way. Like you say, also, I mean, the title track, sexistential, it's basically a rap about her doing her thing while undergoing IVF treatment and dating at the same time. Dating while going through the cyborg process of implanting things inside of her and then dancing.

[Music Clip Singer]

I like to go out, wear something nice and push this shit is existential. I like to go out, wear something nice and push this is existential.

[Stephen Thompson]

You know, she's in her 40s and so, you know, there's this element thematically of motherhood, but Also dating, but also partying, but also, you know, being your true authentic self. And just as somebody who is really loved Robyn's music for a really, really long time, I'm just so glad to have her back, you know, this is her first record since. Since 2018. That record, honey, was her first album in. In like eight years. And so she has really slowed down her pace of releasing records. And I'm just delighted to have her back. And you get us a single like Dopamine, you know, perfectly titled song that just jumps right out of the gate feeling like. Just add this song directly to Pride Month playlists.

[Alisa Ali]

Yes, Mother, Mother has returned.

[Music Clip Singer]

I just need to know that I'm not alone. I know it's just Dopamine, but it feels so weird to me. Nothing's ever going to cut USD as the very first time.

[Stephen Thompson]

That is Robin. Her new record is called Sexistential. Next up, new album by Ray. It's called this Music may contain hope.

[Music Clip Singer]

500 steps left to make it to the front door My red high heels click, click for many two drinks I feel my backbone threaten to breathe the concrete below me no wants to be in Paris. I feel syrup Strands of blue moonlight Pour through the clouds to find me out Like a spotlight as if heaven's watching down to illustrate briefly the state of my mind I have black cat eyeglasses so I look chic as I cry and it's funny some people say I remind them of Amy Some spit through their keyboards I'll never amount and the evil and insults the arrows from

[Alisa Ali]

your tongue this is kind of an opus. Yeah, this is like a blockbuster of an album. This is like a. A really big, big record. But Ray is kind of go big or go home, right? That's what she does. You gotta have, like an exception. Extended intro. You have a middle section, a crazy outro.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah, I mean, this record, as you said, it's an opus. It is 73 minutes long, 17 songs bookended by spoken word pieces. And if you're not familiar with Rhea, or if Rhea is somebody you've only kind of seen as a name that's gone by, you know, she's had a few hit singles, including Where Is My Husband? Which is on this record. Rhea is doing a lot of things simultaneously and doing them very well. She's tapping into. Into pop and hip hop and R and B, but also kind of classic pop, orchestrated standards and kind of mashing them all up together. So songs will have these really bouncy pop hooks, but then there'll be like an Orchestral interlude that sounds like it's out of a Hitchcock thriller from the 50s. Or she'll do scat singing. Or she'll do, you know, as. As we've acknowledged already, spoken word. And sometimes all of these things are happening. Single song. And so sometimes her music can feel extremely cluttered, but it's cluttered in a way that is, like, bursting with ideas. And so when it works, it really works.

[Alisa Ali]

Yeah, like Where's My Husband? That's a prime example of that song. That's got jazz, it's got hip hop, it's got big band, it's got everything. I actually think Where's My Husband Is probably a contender for one of the best modern songs that I can think of. I mean, it is just so good. And it's over. Flowing with hope. Like, this album may contain hope that is hopeful. I love that. You know, she's just thinking, you know, I definitely have a husband. I just. He's late. He's running late. He hasn't gotten here yet. Where the hell is he? He's in trouble. But I'm. I'm going to be happy once I find him. So that hope is there.

[Stephen Thompson]

I need you to tell me where

[Music Clip Singer]

the hell is my husb.

[Stephen Thompson]

Many of these songs feel like they pack an album's worth of ideas into four or five minutes. You take the song Click Clack Symphony, and it is absolute chaos. I think, in. I think the best way, it's full of hand claps, that the tempo is kind of ratcheting up as it goes along. It sounds like nothing else in a way that I find really welcome. And, like, you might find it exhausting, but I think it's exhausting in a good way because it's moving through all of these different phases where it gets massive and cinematic, you know, all within the span of a song that's about five minutes long.

[Music Clip Singer]

Click, click.

That symphony. I love the sound of it.

[Alisa Ali]

I love that song. To me, it's racing, you know what I mean? The click clack. That's the sound of the high heels marching, and it's like soldiers coming out to support the troops. You're supporting your girl over there. She's in a bad place. She needs to go to the club. You need to come out and get those high heels on. We're gonna look good, we're gonna go out and we're gonna have a great time. And we're zooming through the streets.

[Stephen Thompson]

And that is Ray. Her new album is called this Music May Contain Hope. We got a few more records that are out today, March 27th. But first, let's take a quick break.

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[Stephen Thompson]

NPR Music, It's New Music Friday. I'm Stephen Thompson here with Alisa Ali of WFUV in New York. Alisa, tell us what's going on at the station.

[Alisa Ali]

Oh, there's so much going on at the station. We do these great marquee shows where we invite musicians to play a live concert for our members. And we actually just did one with Courtney Barnett that was wonderful. So we got to some of the new songs performed live. It was just Courtney on electric guitar. Obviously the album is much more lush and a lot of other people playing on it, but it was a really cool thing that we got to see. Also, we've got a really fun event coming up called WFEV's Highline Bash. That is something that we're preparing for because it's, you know, it's a benefit. We're public radio. We gotta raise money. So we're gearing up for that. We've got some great live performers and I'm just excited for an evening of cocktails and paste, hors d', oeuvres, rubbing. I'm gonna Put some heels on some click clack heels.

[Stephen Thompson]

Nice. Well, Alisa, you mentioned Courtney Barnett. Perfect segue. Next record we're gonna talk about. Courtney Barnett's new album is called Creature of Habit.

[Music Clip Singer]

I know you're trying to help me I know you're trying to help me I know you're trying to help me Feels like I'm going backwards each day I preach my practice and still it seems I wasn't ready for this.

Rip this thing out of my head Clear my wings I do my best

[Alisa Ali]

this is Courtney Barnett's fourth album, and it is a great record that kind of explores how to get out of your own way and be okay with yourself. It features her trademark wit and turns of phrases and her excellent guitar playing. She's such a great guitarist. It opens up with a blistering track called Stay in youn Lane. And there's some great lines in it, like, rip this thing out of my head. You know, this never would have happened if I stayed in my own lane. And it kind of sounds to me like the sound of anxiety a little bit, but things like, chill out. She's like, her heart is racing and then she's like, okay, let me stop running for a second and chill out. I mean, she's kind of known as like, slacker rock, right? So, you know, slackers, we don't. We don't run the whole time. We gotta sit on the couch for a little bit. Right. And think about some stuff.

[Stephen Thompson]

Absolutely. And I think Courtney Barnett's career kind of contains those multitudes. Right. Like when she first kind of burst onto the scene, it was with these kind of ambling rambles, you know, just these songs that kind of unfurled slowly. She put out a record with Kurt Weill that has those kind of mellow vibes to it. But at the same time, you know, the record that's probably her biggest breakthrough, Sometimes I sit and think and sometimes I just sit from 2015, that's like her presiding over, like, a grunge explosion. And I think this record splits the difference between those sounds in a way that I think will be agreeable to people who like each different facet of what Courtney Barnett does. And you kind of alluded to this record as a reflection on change. Her last record came out five years ago, and in that time she moved from Melbourne to la. She closed her record label. She's kind of gone through some of these kind of humbling big change life experiences. And this record is a reflection of that.

[Music Clip Singer]

Reborn every morning still somehow getting older Melting wish We thought to bring

something

to bottle up this moment. Another beautiful day Just another beautiful day Ye, another beautiful day Just another beautiful day.

[Alisa Ali]

There was also a documentary made about her, which I think really affected her because she watched the documentary and she actually didn't like what she saw.

[Stephen Thompson]

Interesting.

[Alisa Ali]

And she thought to herself, I want to change. I want to be a little bit different. And I think she, on this album or for this new project, made a conscious effort to be a little kinder to herself because, you know, she's got that self deprecating humor, right? But I think sometimes that can work against her. And so, I mean, that's still here. There's still. I mean, that's her personality, you know, and I love that about her. But I think in this way that she talks about herself, it's a little bit different and a little bit more empowering. I guess I'm going back to that word a lot today. I think she has more confidence with more confidence, I think.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah, I think there's more confidence there. And like, as you said, you know, self deprecation can be. I mean, it can be a lot of things. It can be a defense mechanism. It can be real humility. It can stem from a desire to get better. And I think here it stems from a desire to get better. And I think that really comes through and it gives this record a sense that it's not just weary, right, or it's not just self deprecating. It's all part of this kind of human process of trying to be a better person tomorrow than you were today. And at the same time, sonically, you have songs like Sight Unseen, which is a collaboration with Katie Crutchfield of Waxahachie, where it's like bringing their voices together in this beautiful way, this kind of twangy cat, catchy, jangly way. And so you get on this record, this mix of not only, you know, the processes that she's been going through and kind of how she's trying to come through this process better than she was before. And at the same time, musically, as you said, I think that's where that confidence really comes in. And the experience of having put out a bunch of different kinds of records, she kind of gets into the pocket really easy, easily.

[Music Clip Singer]

Here.

[Stephen Thompson]

That is Courtney Barnett. Her new album is called Creature of Habit. Next up, the new pornographers are back with a new record. It is called the the former site of.

[Music Clip Singer]

The City of New York had the offhand grace you will find

in the

Last Ones Left Alive. Oh, they took it from Time squaring,

man

Little fanfare or paid respect yeah first comes love then comes pity Then it's terminal velocity Nothing major, man

[Ann Powers]

it's

[Stephen Thompson]

just less painful

[Music Clip Singer]

Nothing major, man

it's

just the last painful.

[Stephen Thompson]

So the New Pornographers, I mean, anyone listening to this show is probably already familiar. Indie rock supergroup, been around since 1997 from Vancouver. This is their 10th album. This band has been through a lot of kind of sound and lineup changes in the run up to this record. They parted ways with their drummer who ran. Ran into serious legal trouble. And I think that led to a certain amount of reflection on this record. When you think about a lot of, like, classic New Pornographers songs, they're kind of these big, blooming, billowing things that have kind of hooks piled on top of hooks piled on top of hooks. And their more recent music, I think, has been a little bit more reflective, a little more mid tempo. And I think this record finds ways to kind of work within that sonic space while still finding room to inject jolts of energy.

[Alisa Ali]

Absolutely. I think the most interesting thing about this particular album from their catalog is the different experimentation in arrangements that they've been doing. Like Votive. This song I find so interesting. It's so kind of circular and bursting outwards and different elements coming in. Sonically, this album, I think, is one of the more interesting ones of their whole catalog. The first song, also great Princess Story. This is a song that I just. I get so carried away with sonically, that. And there's beautiful voices. Of course there's beautiful voices on this album. I mean, you got Nico Case and Catherine Calder, and A.C. newman is a great singer too, I have to say. But, like, the sound of that song is so sweeping and magical to me that I can't even really focus on the lyrics. I can't even really tell you what the Princess Story is lyrically. I just. I don't know.

[Music Clip Singer]

Now we're watching Oscar bait. Cause the paywall's been torn down

[Stephen Thompson]

well,

[Music Clip Singer]

at least all the drinks are free as free as the trap can be and the jokes get darker as

our

nights get longer yeah, all the boss jewels Like Pallor said at the scene of the accident.

[Stephen Thompson]

The last song on this record is one of my favorites. It's the title track. The former Sight of it goes almost seven minutes and builds to this just epic crescendo. And I think in the earlier years, New Pornographer's Song wouldn't wait quite that long to bloom into something that kind of grand and epic. But I think here there's more patience, and that patience pays off in ways that I don't know that it quite has. On a couple of recent new Pornographers records, I think this is the best record they've done in quite a while.

[Music Clip Singer]

Was I a gift captain as the vessel went down? I asked at the Cape as the trumpet saw sound. Was I a good captain as the vessel went down?

[Stephen Thompson]

That's the New Pornographers. Their new album is called the Former Sight Of. We've got one more record we're gonna talk about in depth, as well as a lightning round of some of our other favorite albums out today, March 27th. But first, let's take one more quick break.

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[Stephen Thompson]

From NPR Music, it's New Music Friday. I'm Stephen Thompson here with Alisa Ali of WFUV in New York. Before we get to the lightning round of some of our other favorite albums out today, March 27, we wanted to talk about about one more record in depth. And it is a surprise in many ways. It is. By Flea. That's right, Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. His new solo album is called Honora.

[Alisa Ali]

Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, coming back with a a jazz trumpet solo album that was not in the cards for me. I had no idea he played trumpet, but apparently that was his first instrument and he put it down to join The Red Hot Chili Peppers. And then that took over his life. But a few years ago, apparently, he had this nagging idea that he should get back to the trumpet. I mean, he's always loved jazz and that that music has always been near and dear to his heart and funk. And he decided, you know, I'm gonna get back to it. I'm gonna practice trumpet for two years straight. After two years, no matter where I am with my skill set, I am gonna make a jazz album, a jazz trumpet album. And that he has as his first solo effort. And I have to say, it's pretty good. I was very surprised. I mean, I. The bar was low for me, because I thought, like, you know, when someone tries something completely different, you want to say like, A for effort, E for effort, T for nice try. But he actually did pretty good.

[Stephen Thompson]

I thought, well, anytime you get these kind of artistic hairpin turns, right, like Andre 3000 putting out a record built around his efforts on the flute, you know, is not what people are expecting from Andre 3000 and clearly, like a jazz trumpet. But Odyssey is not necessarily what you're gonna expect from Flea, though. He also, you know, plays bass quite a bit and is a very distinctive bass player. But, you know, this. This record is all over the place in a really interesting way. And it's. It's collaborative at the same time. You know, the band that he assembled here is legit. You know, you've got producer and saxophonist Josh Johnson. Jeff Parker plays guitar. You know, he plays on tons and tons of records. Anna Butters plays bass. D' Antoni Parks plays drums. And then he brings in guests, you know, as Nick Cave comes in and sings Wichita Lineman. I am a lineman for the county. Then I drive the main road and it's just interesting if you've ever followed the kind of weird bubbling controversy around, like Nick Cave talking trash about Red Hot Chili Peppers decades ago, and then Flea, who loves Nick Cave and loves Nick Cave's music, having kind of hurt feelings and being asked about it and just being like, well, that's really sad. But I love him. I love his stuff anyway. And Nick Cave being like, oh, he's so gracious. And then now they're working together, you know, all these years later. I think. I think that's a. That's kind of a sweet undercurrent. Here is this is a record that is made out of a love of music. It is a record that is very earnest in its intentions, but it is also a record that is just extremely expansive in its thinking. It is A record about trying new things.

[Alisa Ali]

And there are six original songs on here and one co written with Thom Yorke. They wrote a really interesting song called Traffic Lights that Thom Yorke sings on. And, you know, I also have to give Flea some credit here because he wanted to make a trumpet album and he could have just soloed, trumpet soloed all over everything. And I think that probably was his intention at first, then realize maybe that's not a great idea. And he really practices a lot of restraint here. So he takes his trumpet solos, but it's not overpowering. And he really plays nicely with the others.

[Music Clip Singer]

This

[Stephen Thompson]

can you sp. Yeah, I mean, Flea is nothing if not a collaborator. Right. You know, and I think that's a byproduct of him being a bass player. Like bass players naturally tend to be part of someone else's music. And so I think he is able to kind of drift in and out of the spotlight here in ways that I think work really well. But at the same time, there are songs that center him. And not just as a trumpet player or as a bassist. There's the. The song A plea is a 7 1/2 minute jazz odyssey with this extremely. I used this word already, but extremely earnest, kind of spoken, slash shouted word treatise from Flea, like build a bridge, shine a light, Live for peace, live for love. I'm not being corny. At one point he just says, I'm not being corny. And the earnestness of an earnest is such a double edged sword.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Right?

[Stephen Thompson]

It can be a compliment or a criticism. It's extremely deeply felt. Your mileage may vary.

[Ann Powers]

I hear it in the air. I feel it in the air. Who's your neighbor? Who's your friend? There's hate all around. I don't care about your fucking politics. I don't want to hear about your politics. Well, he said boo. Oh.

[Music Clip Singer]

And she said hooray.

[Ann Powers]

Now we're human beings right here. Human beings. We're here together. Come on.

[Stephen Thompson]

That is Flea. His first ever solo album is called Now ALISA. Especially on March 27th of all release days. There is no way to get to every record that we wanted to talk about. So we're gonna do a lightning round of some of our other favorite albums that are out today. I'm actually gonna kick us off. One of my all time favorite songs is called How Sad, How Lovely. It's by a woman named Connie Converse, who was one of the first true American singer songwriters, as well as a writer and activist. She lived in New York and then Michigan in the 50s and 60s. Connie Converse disappeared in 1974 and has been a mysterious figure ever since. And thanks to the efforts of historians and journalists, including Public Radio's David Garland, her music has been reaching more and more people in the last couple decades. Now there's this essential compilation of Connie Converse music called How Sad, How Lovely, which came out in 2009, and now it is getting this kind of lovingly packaged reissue courtesy of Third Man Records. If you haven't heard her, if you haven't sunk into her sad, strange, beautiful songs, songs that were way ahead of their time, I highly recommend you do so again. That is Connie Converse. This compilation is called How Sad, How Lovely, how sad, how lovely,

[Music Clip Singer]

how short,

[Alisa Ali]

how sweet

[Music Clip Singer]

to see

[Stephen Thompson]

that sunset at the end

[Music Clip Singer]

of the street.

[Alisa Ali]

What a lovely choice, Stephen. And my choice is the new snail mail album, Ricochet. It's the third full length from Lindsay Jordan, and it is a great new indie rock album with jangly guitars. It's nostalgic, but also forward thinking and hopeful. It rocks. It feels good to listen to. The melodies make you feel like you're floating. It's introspective, but in a very uplifting way. It's not sugary, sweet or power pop. It hits at just the right mental space. It's not too heavy, very simple, substantial, very good job. Lindsay Jordan, A fantastic album that I highly recommend, Ricochet by Snail Mail.

[Stephen Thompson]

What did the dance? All right, let's bring in some of our beloved NPR music colleagues, starting with Bobby Carter of NPR's Tiny Desk. Bobby, what do you got for us? What's cracking?

[Bobby Carter]

Steve? It's good to be here, man. Listen, so the timing couldn't be better. We're celebrating. Our Tiny Desk contest is back this year. And our 2024 Tiny Desk Contest winner, the Philharmonic, is dropping his first project since he won a couple years ago. The project is called Transcendentalism 1. I think there's gonna be more volumes. And he just brought it, man. I just think that, you know, you know how we, we all talk about how the world is a mess right now and we want some music that just like kind of diverts from that and we speak to the joy of it, you know? You know what I mean, right?

[Stephen Thompson]

I know a little something about music as escape.

[Bobby Carter]

Well, this project ain't that. He is speaking to the times. He's saying if you are feeling like you losing your mind, then come on in and let's just talk about it. I'm so blown away by the production. He writes and produces all of his own stuff I love this. Please, please check this out. It's called Transcendentalism number.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

All right.

[Stephen Thompson]

Thank you. Bobby Carter. Sheldon Pierce. What do you got for us? Hey, Steven.

[Sheldon Pierce]

How you doing?

[Stephen Thompson]

I'm doing well. It's good to have you.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yeah.

[Stephen Thompson]

Great to be here.

[Sheldon Pierce]

My pick is gonna be the new album Future, Present, Past from the jazz collective Irreversible Entanglement. It's an improvisational quartet left by Kume Agewa, the poet, artist, activist behind the witchy experimental project More Mother. As with everything she does, this record rips.

[Stephen Thompson]

It's. It's so.

[Sheldon Pierce]

So energetic, glorious, and unrestricted. I mean, its grooves are impeccable. But also, as with everything she does, there is, like, a serious message behind the music that she is making. And this record is, like, so supercharged by, like, urgent, liberated chants that are, like, filled with, like, her natural poetic quality. Their freedom songs stretching out across the space time continuum. I couldn't recommend them any more highly. It's Future, Present, past by irreversible entanglements.

[Music Clip Singer]

Get older generation. Don't lose your head. Organize and plan.

[Stephen Thompson]

Don't lose your head. Incredible. Thank you, Sheldon Pierce. And for those who want to hear more, Sheldon Pierce. By the way, I got to shout out. Sheldon and I did a taping of Pop Culture happy hour this week about the new BTS album with our wonderful colleague Saraya Muhammad, where we get to go deep on a very, very big new album that came out last week. So thank you so much, Sheldon.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yeah, thanks so much for having me.

[Stephen Thompson]

That is Sheldon Pierce. Let's bring on Dora Levitt. Dora, hi. Welcome to the show.

[Dora Levitt]

Hi, Stephen. Thanks for having me.

[Stephen Thompson]

It is a pleasure. What do you got for us?

[Dora Levitt]

The album I want to talk about is called Companion by the band Sluice. They're a folk indie rock band from Durham, North Carolina, and this album finds the lead singer, Justin Morris, kind of like. Like, diving back into writing after completely swearing off all music. And Companion has this really rich sense of place and memory, and his writing is completely at the forefront of that. It's a really vulnerable portrayal of how hard it can be to navigate periods of change and the small, mundane things that give us hope from small moments in nature and even, like, the parasocial relationships we have with our favorite TV character and podcasts, which I can very much relate to. The album is very exploratory. There's some country twang, slow burning rock with these really excellent builds. And then there are moments that are just like, completely overblown and wandering noise and even tracks that are mostly silence. It's a really, really beautiful record. Sluice with their new album companion.

[Music Clip Singer]

My parents met in actual school when they were just 17. I drive out of alleys and fall in love with McNulty and be Dee.

[Stephen Thompson]

Nice. Thank you so much. Dora Levitt. Let's bring on our pal, your pal and mine, Ann Powers, back to the show. Hey, buddy, how you doing?

[Ann Powers]

How are you doing?

[Unidentified Guest/Interjection]

I'm so happy to be here. And I loved hearing you all talk about new pornographers. So let's go back to Canada for my pick. My pick is Toronto singer songwriter Charlotte Kornfield's sixth album and her first for the indie giant Merge Records. It's called Hurts Like Hell. And on this album, there's a line in the very first song, which is called before that Kornfield repeats over and over again. She just says these four words, real love, no fantasy. And that is what this album Hurts Like Hell is all about. You know, there are songs about how love forms slowly with lots of stops and starts, songs about regret and broken connections, about parenthood because she became a mom a few years ago and also chosen family, kind of like bohemian creative life, just the regular, normal stuff of life. But it's made so powerful in these songs. And her ramshackle sound is just perfect for that feeling of immediacy that she cultivates at Charlotte Kornfield. Hurts like hell.

[Stephen Thompson]

You can't feel the wind if you never go outside. Nice. Thank you so much, Ann. And that is our show for this week. Thank you, Alisa Ali, for taking time out of your week at WFUV in New York.

[Alisa Ali]

Thank you so much for having me, Steven, Please do invite me back anytime. I love hanging out with you.

[Stephen Thompson]

We will absolutely do that. I can't wait. If you enjoyed this week's show, we always appreciate a positive review on Apple or Spotify or whatever app you're listening to right now. This episode was produced by Noah Caldwell and Elle Manion and edited by Otis Hart. Our production assistant is Dora Levitt. The executive producer of NPR Music is Soraya Muhammad. We'll be back next week to discuss new music with Aaron Wolfe from Radio Milwaukee. Until then, take a moment to be well. Play the trumpet every day for two years and treat yourself to lust of great music.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

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