All Songs Considered – New Music Friday: The Best Albums Out Sept. 26

Host: Lars Gottrich (NPR, subbing for Stephen Thompson)
Guest: Evan Miller (WYSO, Ohio)
Date: September 26, 2025

Overview

This week's episode of New Music Friday dives into the standout albums released on September 26, 2025. Guest Evan Miller (WYSO) joins host Lars Gottrich to discuss new full-lengths from Neko Case, Jeff Tweedy, Robert Plant, Amanda Shires, and Cate Le Bon, as well as a robust lightning round of other notable releases. The episode explores how veteran artists and rising acts are navigating sound, songwriting, heartbreak, reinvention, and collaboration.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Fall Albums, Mariah Carey, and Doja Cat (01:08–02:29)

• Fall listening traditions: Lars and Evan bond over their favorite albums for fall—Lars picks Arthur Russell’s Love Is Overtaking Me, Evan goes for early Grizzly Bear records.
• Big pop records not covered: Lars mentions Doja Cat’s V and Mariah Carey’s 16th album, Here For It All—but admits neither host has heard them.
  • “Are you part of the ‘Lambily,’ Evan?” (Lars, 02:12)
  • Evan: “I suppose not, but the name is very convincing.” (02:19)

2. Neko Case – Neon Midnight Green (02:32–06:46)

• Neko’s first self-produced album and return after 8 years:
  • A re-appreciation of her “incredible discography” spanning Country, Americana, indie pop, and more.
• Production shines:
  • Evan: “For a first time producing her own album, knocked it out of the park. …has this very, kind of earthy, lived in sound.” (03:59)
• Poetry and lyricism:
  • Lars highlights Neko’s ability to evoke feeling through surreal, unconsciously resonant lyrics.
  • Quote: “Sometimes with Neko Case, I don’t really know what she’s singing about, but I get the feeling of it. That idea of it sounds first, it feels later.” (05:37)
• Notable Moment:
  • “You taste exactly like disbelief. Because who am I that I don’t die when you kill me?” (Lars quoting, from title track, 06:00)
• Evan notes desire to read Neko Case’s memoir, inspired by lyrical richness.

3. Jeff Tweedy – Twilight Override (06:46–13:18)

• A massive triple album (30 songs, nearly 2 hours):
  • Lars: “This is approximately the one millionth album from Jeff Tweedy.” (07:36)
• Blurry boundary between Wilco and Tweedy solo work:
  • “The structure of the song feels a little too inside for Wilco… so maybe that’s what makes a Jeff Tweedy solo song.” (Lars, on ’Mirror’, 09:49)
• Meta songwriting and personal reflection:
  • Evan: “There are a few songs…very meta about writing songs, how he’s doing it and what he’s doing. It’s a love song, but it’s also about writing a love song.” (10:49)
• Highlight: “New Orleans” and Steve Albini:
  • Lars tells the story (11:36): Tweedy was working on the song the same night Steve Albini died; the song (“I’d trade all four limbs for a parade in New Orleans”) becomes eerily prescient.
    • “That’s just some cosmic stuff, man. There’s no better way to put it.” (Lars, 12:44)

4. Robert Plant & Saving Grace – Saving Grace (16:31–21:35)

• Robert Plant’s post-Zeppelin reinvention, curation, and collaboration:
  • Lars recounts Plant’s pivot to American roots music since 2007’s “Raising Sand.”
• Highlights include covers and new interpretations:
  • Evan: “One of the things I like about these later career Robert Plant records is… especially the way he’s become an interpreter and curator of old American music.” (18:22)
  • Talk around the inventive cover of Low’s “Everybody’s Song,” adding a Persian flavor.
• Group effort, not just Plant’s show:
  • “There are songs where other members of the band take a lead vocal for extended periods of time… Robert Plant takes the back seat or essentially almost disappears…” (Evan, 20:45)
  • Lars: “He’s the spiritual gut, he’s the conductor, he’s the band leader. It’s a good look on him.” (21:35)

5. Amanda Shires – Nobody’s Girl (22:09–29:33)

• Divorce record with raw, unsparing detail:
  • Amanda’s turbulent marriage and divorce from Jason Isbell is documented song by song.
  • “Yeah, it just hit me like a brick.” (Evan, 25:12)
• Devastating specifics in “The Details”:
  • Evan nearly had to pull over while listening, moved by lines like, “Forget me not Niagara Falls, I never had my ringer on even if you called… you erase the details and I history…” (25:43)
  • Lars notes: “What was it all for? Putting your dreams over mine…” is the record’s recurring inquiry. (26:37)
• Creative vulnerability:
  • “I have so much respect for people like her that make something that’s so emotionally raw and bare…” (Evan, 27:42)
• Musical tone:
  • Quiet, restrained—mainly ballads, but two rockers, especially “Lose It for a While,” where Shires literally screams out her pain.
    • “Maybe the only time at the record she actually does lose it.” (Lars, 29:00)

6. Cate Le Bon – Michelangelo Dying (30:55–36:12)

• Oblique, artful heartbreak:
  • “It’s a lot more oblique. It’s less right on the surface… she has a certain way about her lyricism that is a little less direct.” (Evan, 31:56)
  • Lars compares her approach to Salvador Dali’s surrealism—a “dripping clock’s length” away from emotional directness.
• Evolution and directness:
  • This album brings out a new, more personal side of Cate Le Bon.
  • Highlights her use of saxophone as a second voice (34:18); band member is a key collaborator, able to “intuit what your musical partner is looking for.”
• Saddest birthday song ever:
  • “There’s a line… I thought about your mother. I hope she knew I loved her. It’s like, ugh, I remember that. Yeah, that hurts.” (Lars, 35:26)
  • Evan: “Your relationship is not just with the one person, it’s with the people around them. So when you lose that, you lose so many other kinds of relationships simultaneously.” (35:26)

7. Lightning Round: Albums Out Sept. 26 (36:12–41:14)

Picks include:

• Josie — A Life of Sweets Alone
  • “Short, sweet, and raucous. They whiz by with chaotic glee.” (Lars, 36:56)
• Bitchin Bajas — Inland Sea
  • “American kraut-rocky music with this long, nearly 20-minute track at the end.” (Evan, 37:11)
• M. Sage — Tender Waiting
  • Ambient jazz/minimalist, inspired by parenthood; “cozy and domestic underpinned by the uncertainty that comes with caring for new life.” (Lars, 38:17)
• Geese — Getting Killed
  • “If you’re not on the Geese train yet, get on now. It’s a good time.” (Evan, 39:07)
• Lady Wray — Covergirl
  • “Lady Wray’s voice is just so piercing and powerful…she leans into her gospel roots on this one a little bit more, but she can also get really funky.” (Lars, 40:21)

Personal Song Highlights

• Evan:
  • Robert Plant’s cover of Low Anthem's “Ticket Taker” – “The way Robert Plant and the Saving Grace group rearrange that is really captivating. It’s a standout track.” (41:39)
• Lars:
  • Jeff Tweedy’s “New Orleans” – “There’s something about the way that guitars take on their own voice… Sometimes I don’t want to know exactly what a song is about. I just need to be able to feel it. And so that song did it for me.” (42:27)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “For a first time producing her own album, knocked it out of the park. It sounds unbelievable.” (Evan, 03:59, on Neko Case)
• “Sometimes with Neko Case, I don’t really know what she’s singing about, but I get the feeling of it.” (Lars, 05:37)
• “If you’re not obsessed with the band, you’re not keeping up with every single thing that every member does over the years.” (Lars, 08:43, on Wilco/Tweedy overload)
• “He’s the spiritual gut, he’s the conductor, he’s the band leader. It’s a good look on him.” (Lars, 21:35, on Robert Plant)
• “I have so much respect for people like her that make something that’s so emotionally raw and bare and then take this out on the road…” (Evan, 27:42, on Amanda Shires)
• “She has a certain way about her lyricism that is a little less direct than others. And I think that’s just as on display here [with heartbreak].” (Evan, 31:56, on Cate Le Bon)
• “Your relationship is not just with the one person, it’s with the people around them. So when you lose that, you lose so many other kinds of relationships simultaneously.” (Evan, 35:26)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:08 — Fall albums, Doja Cat & Mariah Carey mention
• 02:32 — Neko Case (Neon Midnight Green) deep-dive
• 06:46 — Jeff Tweedy (Twilight Override) discussion
• 16:31 — Robert Plant & Saving Grace (Saving Grace)
• 22:09 — Amanda Shires (Nobody’s Girl)
• 30:55 — Cate Le Bon (Michelangelo Dying)
• 36:12 — Lightning Round: album recommendations
• 41:33 — Single song highlights
• 42:27 — Lars’ closing remarks

Closing

Lars and Evan wrap the episode by reflecting on the emotional power of these new albums, the joy of discovery, and the way music can surprise and move listeners in unexpected ways. The team encourages listeners to dive into these records and join the ongoing quest for the perfect fall soundtrack.

“Take a moment to be well, join Mariah Carey’s Lambily, and treat yourself to lots of great music.” (Lars, 43:23)