All Songs Considered: New Music Friday – The Best Albums Out Oct. 24, 2025

Host: Stephen Thompson
Guest: Ayana Contreras (KUVO, Denver)

Episode Overview

This episode of NPR’s All Songs Considered centers on the most notable albums released on October 24, 2025. Stephen Thompson and guest Ayana Contreras (of Denver's jazz and soul station KUVO) share their takes on new works from Brandi Carlile, Miguel, Tortoise, Daniel Caesar, Yasmin Lacey, and more, highlighting the recurring theme of artists forging self-knowledge after periods of collaboration or turbulence. The conversation blends nuanced musical analysis, personal anecdotes, and a celebratory tone for music's ongoing evolution.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Bruce Springsteen – Nebraska 82: Extended Edition

• Context: Released to coincide with the new biopic Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere.
• Biopic Discussion:
  • Ayana Contreras admits to loving biopics "when they're good, they're great, and when they're bad, they're horrible. But they're almost always entertaining." (01:09)
  • Stephen Thompson praises the film: “This one is actually quite good, led by a very, very strong performance from Jeremy Allen White from The Bear ... It’s very much a love letter to the people in Springsteen’s life who were kind of propping him up during a period when he was really struggling with his mental health...” (01:16)

2. Brandi Carlile – Returning to Myself

(03:25–07:42)

• Themes: Solitude, self-examination after collaboration-heavy years.
• Stephen Thompson: “The title track and the title to this record kind of refers to this process of taking a step back. Suddenly you’re by yourself and you’re asking yourself, who am I?” (03:25)
• Ayana Contreras (quoting Carlile's Instagram): “Learning to stand is something that people are supposed to do when they’re young, like skiing in chickenpox. You know, that sense of humor...” (04:17)
• Collaborations: Features Justin Vernon of Bon Iver; the song “A War With Time” is singled out for its Bon Iver influence.
• Sound: Ranges from intimate (e.g., “Anniversary”) to grand, anthemic (“Church and State”, likened to Florence + The Machine).
• Memorable moment:
  • Ayana: “Kind of chameleonic, I guess, is the word... still capturing essences of all these different influences and relationships.” (06:25)
• Notable Quote:
  • Stephen: “It’s not just the singer songwriterly roots music that people associate with Brandi Carlile.” (06:40)

3. Miguel – CAOS

(08:02–12:56)

• Return: Miguel’s first album in eight years.
• Ayana Contreras: “So much of the flavors that he’s pulling from relate to his biracial background. His father’s Mexican. There’s a lot of really, really deep thematic tones that deal with issues of immigration, but not just immigration—issues of being lost, needing to belong...” (08:42)
• Musical Style: Labeled as dark, loud, experimental, spacey, with 808-driven bolero influences—likened to Childish Gambino, R&B, rock, and Latin music.
• Stephen: “I was really struck by how little caution feels like it’s gone into this record. It is dark and loud and experimental. It’s multilingual.” (09:32)
• Personal/Emotional Depth: Lyrics oscillate between “I lost myself” and “I chose myself”—capturing the chaos of recent years.
• Memorable Quote:
  • Ayana: “Like if you’re on a lost highway, this is like the music that’s in the background ... there is a little bit of that kind of lost in the abyss sort of feel to it.” (10:54)
• Ayana: “Futuristic, but futuristic from the lens of the 1990s, like retro-futuristic... it just feels like the 90s syncopated drum programming you might see in an Aaliyah video.” (12:23)

4. Tortoise – Touch

(15:58–19:16)

• Musical Legacy: Chicago-rooted “post-rock” instrumental collective’s first album in 8 years.
• Stephen: “Tortoise kind of stands at the cluttered intersection of post rock, jazz, indie rock, art rock, krautrock, dub, you name it ... an individual Tortoise song can just travel in so many different directions at once.” (15:58)
• Ayana Contreras reflects on their Chicago scene history and willingness to experiment: “I’ve been listening to Tortoise for a really, really, really long time ... they themselves played in a lot of different things, which is probably why it’s really difficult to put a thumb on who they are.” (17:50)
• Standout Tracks:
  • “Vexations” – motorik, blippy, builds in heaviness
  • “Promenade” – classic Tortoise vibes
  • “Elka” – “hard charging enough that you could imagine it on, like, the Tron era soundtrack— but not Nine Inch Nails.” (19:16)

5. Daniel Caesar – Son of Spurgeon

(20:16–24:40)

• Personal History: Draws on gospel roots; features his father (Norwell Simmons) on “Baby Blue.”
• Ayana: “He’s pulling from his background growing up singing in the Fifth Adventist Church. His father was a gospel singer as well. There’s just a lot in here to sort of dig through.” (21:05)
• Stephen: “This record feels in many ways like the culmination of a lot of experiences and a lot of sounds ... He’s really conversant in a lot of different sounds here.” (22:33)
• Collaborations: Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Sampha (on the gospel opener "Rain Down").
• Context: Addresses a prior “low-key canceled” controversy, aiming for authenticity.
• Sound: Blends classic gospel, new wave of “chopped up R&B,” and modern production styles.

6. Yasmin Lacey – Teal Dreams

(26:30–32:13)

• Background: London-based singer began career at 27; this is her sophomore album.
• Stephen: “You really hear, you know...Very genre diverse, very rangy. You hear R&B, pop, ska, many different strains of Caribbean music. And I think all of that comes together really beautifully.” (27:41)
• Standout Tracks:
  • “Love is Like the Ghetto” – described as “dubby... brings the summertime to your autumn.”
  • “Wallpaper” — reminiscent of lovers rock.
  • “Ain’t I Good For You” — “a touch of classic, like, 70s juju in it ... the precursor to Afrobeats." (29:11)
  • “No Promises” — buoyant and hooky; “the single, question mark?”
  • “Worlds Apart” — layers of rich harmonies.
• Ayana: “To me, it just sounds like London, which is that kind of mash of things ... quintessential storyteller.” (29:11)
• Collaborators: Jack Peñate, noted for British “mash-up” sensibility.

7. Lightning Round Picks

(32:13–37:01)

• Ile – Como Las Cantoyo
  • Stephen: Puerto Rican singer formerly of Calle Trece; this left-turn album pays homage to traditional Latin American boleros. “Wonderfully timeless.”
• Natural Information Society – Perseverance Flow
  • Ayana: 35 minutes of “expansive, droning experimentation evolving into kind of like exciting jam.”
• Hannah Jadagu – Describe
  • Stephen: A “terrific new record” reflecting on distance and relationship strains.
• Heather – Holy Water
  • Ayana: “Laurel Canyon meets lowrider meets soul ... beautiful connection of things.”
• Joyer – On The Other End of the Line
  • Stephen: “Indie rock duo ... a sense of searching and alienation pervades their slinky, catchy songs.”

Memorable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• Ayana Contreras on biopics:

  "When they're good, they're great, and when they're bad, they're horrible. But they're almost always entertaining." (01:09)

• Stephen Thompson on Brandi Carlile:

  "The idea of somebody like that taking a moment where she's suddenly alone in a room and realizing that in that moment she doesn't know who she is, I think is a really powerful moment." (37:59)

• Ayana Contreras on Brandi Carlile's album:

  "Kind of chameleonic, I guess, is the word... capturing essences of all these different influences and relationships." (06:25)

• Stephen Thompson on Miguel:

  "I was really struck by how little caution feels like it's gone into this record. It is dark and loud and experimental. It's multilingual." (09:32)

• Ayana Contreras on Yasmin Lacey:

  "To me, it just sounds like London, which is that kind of mash of things." (29:11)

• Ayana Contreras on Holy Water by Heather:

  "Laurel Canyon meets lowrider meets soul. And that is like all of my favorite things together." (35:08)

End-of-Show Picks: Favorite Song

(37:01–38:52)

• Ayana Contreras picks "CAOS" by Miguel:

  "I love a good bolero. You know, a modern bolero that still has this darkness and I don't know, it feels like a sip of mezcal. It's just really, really nice." (37:24)

• Stephen Thompson picks the opening track from Brandi Carlile’s Returning To Myself:

  "Just this idea that this artist who was just such a kind of prototypical collaborator... And the idea of somebody like that taking a moment where she's suddenly alone in a room and realizing that in that moment she doesn't know who she is..." (37:59)

Timestamps for Major Segments

| Time | Topic | |--------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:28 | Springsteen’s Nebraska 82 and biopic discussion | | 02:30–07:42 | Brandi Carlile – Returning to Myself | | 08:02–12:56 | Miguel – CAOS | | 15:58–19:16 | Tortoise – Touch | | 20:16–24:40 | Daniel Caesar – Son of Spurgeon | | 26:30–32:13 | Yasmin Lacey – Teal Dreams | | 32:13–37:01 | Lightning round: Ile, Natural Information Society, Hannah Jadagu, Heather, Joyer | | 37:01–38:52 | Hosts’ favorite tracks of the week |

Tone & Style

The conversation is inviting, witty, and sincere—melding knowledgeable music criticism with a deep affection for discovery and musical community. Both hosts sprinkle their analysis with personal anecdotes, scene references, and playful banter. The episode conveys the frenetic excitement of a big week for new releases while offering grounded, insightful perspectives for music fans.

This summary covers the substantive, music-focused heart of the episode. All recommendations, anecdotes, and analysis should equip you to discuss the week’s most significant new albums, even if you haven’t listened to the episode.