All Songs Considered – New Music Friday: The Best Albums Out Sept. 5

Host: Stephen Thompson (NPR), with guest Alisa Ali (WFUV, The Bronx)
Date: September 5, 2025

Episode Overview

Stephen Thompson and Alisa Ali dive into New Music Friday by highlighting standout album releases for September 5th, 2025. The episode shifts from summer jams into the fresh sounds of fall, offering engaging discussion and first listens of key tracks. The hosts explore albums from Big Thief, El Michels Affair, Curtis Harding, Lucrecia Dalt, David Byrne, and more, blending personal insights, standout lyrics, and memorable moments to guide listeners through this week’s must-hear music.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Reflecting on the Summer of 2025

• Opening Banter: Stephen and Alisa reminisce about past music festivals, signifying their long friendship and musical camaraderie.
  • Quote: “If anything, I’m kind of Benjamin buttoning back to infancy.” – Stephen Thompson [00:45]
• Alisa’s Song of the Summer:
  • “Sally when the Wine runs out” by Role Model.
    • Alisa: “Every time I play it on the radio, I have to say that was Saleh Sally.” [01:07]
  • Stephen: Acknowledges the season’s lingering, “Love it. And as you noted, summer not technically over…” [01:45]

2. Album Spotlights

Big Thief – Double Infinity

• Context: Sixth studio album; their first as a trio after bassist Max Olearchik’s departure.
  • Initial aim was to make a hard rock album, but it evolved into something subtler.
• Musical Direction:
  • Stephen: “It’s a little bit more of a sleeper. Kind of gets its hooks into you over time, getting better with each listen.” [03:19]
  • “Scaled back … subtler album as a result.”
• Collaboration & Texture:
  • Alisa: Highlights new vocal collaborators (Alaina Spangler, Hannah Cohen, June McDoom), bringing “so many different textures.”
  • “Her [Adrianne Lenker’s] voice sounding so beautiful with others.” [04:01]
  • Features ambient musician Laraaji on “Grandmother.”
    • Stephen: “That kind of speaks to the vibe here a little bit…working with Laraaji, who is like the farthest thing from heavy.” [05:00]
• Lyric Highlights:
  • Alisa, quoting “Grandmother” [06:16]:
    • “We are made of love we are made of pain Gonna turn it all into rock and roll.”
    • “That’s a good use for love and pain. Am I right or am I right?”
• Themes:
  • Aging, transformation, and philosophical musings.
    • Stephen: “Instrumentally…it still has that stormy swirl of guitars…polyrhythms…Adrianne Lenker’s words are just so on point about kind of aging and trying to keep your life in perspective.” [06:35]
    • Alisa: “It’s not only about aging. It’s also about turning into a different person.” [07:30]

El Michels Affair – 24 Hour Sports

• Overview:
  • Leon Michels, known for cross-genre production, channels vintage sports broadcasts, MF Doom, and gospel.
  • Album showcases wide-ranging vocal collaborations but remains cohesive.
• Collaborators:
  • Guests include Brazil’s Joga, Ghanaian singer Florence Adouni, Norah Jones, Clairo, Kali Uchis.
    • Alisa: “There’s so many people on this record…yet the album is still cohesive sounding.” [09:56]
  • Stephen: “He’s finding ways to combine them in really charming ways… Clairo… pops up in a song called ‘Anticipate’ …really match her low key freak, you know, perfectly.” [10:23]
• Notable Tracks:
  • Alisa: “Leon’s using his own voice too on ‘Shining’…it’s such a warm and sunny song. That could be the song of the summer.” [11:36]
• Theme & Visuals:
  • Inspired by ’80s Sports Illustrated covers.
    • Alisa: “I know that colorful and bright sound. And I do hear that here on this record. It’s a knockout. It’s a home run. I’m mixing sports metaphors, but I think he gets a trophy for it.” [12:59]

Curtis Harding – Departures and Adventures of Captain Kurt

• Overview: Soul singer-songwriter’s fourth album is a concept work, exploring themes of alienation and the longing for home, using space and science fiction metaphors.
• Musicianship:
  • Harding’s lush arrangements feature strings and a touch of disco.
    • Stephen: “Gorgeous, expansive, lush soul arrangements…conjured memories of Isaac Hayes or Curtis Mayfield.” [19:14]
  • Disco influence appears in “The Power.”
    • Alisa: “That was the first one that really, I was like, oh, yeah, this does have the power.” [20:04]
• Vocals & Emotional Tone:
  • Alisa: “He goes high and low on this song and it is just, you know, you’re melting, you’re melting in his hands…hopefulness.” [21:17]
• Lyric/Moment:
  • Harding, from “I’m with You”: “But I love, you know, the positivity that he has there. I’m with you. It’s really reassuring.” [21:30]

Lucrecia Dalt – A Danger to Ourselves

• Context:
  • Colombian-born composer and recording artist, mixes experimental, multilingual, and deeply personal elements.
• Collaborators:
  • Album produced with David Sylvian (Japan), includes his spoken-word; Wenona Molina features on “The Common Reader.”
    • Alisa: “That second part comes in with David Sylvian, who in this song plays Tom Waits…with this creepy blood stained monologue. It’s just, it’s so good.” [24:49]
    • Sylvian (monologue, from "Cosaarara"): “We are out of favor. A danger to ourselves.” [25:44]
• Personal Narrative:
  • Stephen: “She has talked about wanting to find ways…to kind of strip away artifice and distraction and experience universal grounding truths. And the ways to do that is by kind of telling your own story…” [26:12]
• Emotional Landscape:
  • Love’s complexity, vulnerability, and even danger.
    • Alisa: “Love is scary and it almost feels like you’re being attacked at times or that you are so in love with someone that you want to like, bite them…” [27:23]

David Byrne – Who is the Sky?

• Overview:
  • The legendary Talking Heads frontman returns with a collection inspired by personal observations and the mundanity of everyday life, featuring an array of collaborators.
• Songwriting Approach:
  • Stephen: “Taking down kind of sketches and notes for future songs…fragmented perspective of place…gives this sense of what his home means to him.” [30:55]
• Themes:
  • Finding meaning in small things, unapologetic optimism.
    • Alisa: “He takes these little fragments of his life…they seem kind of silly at first, but then there’s a message in there… slices of wisdom.” [31:53]
• Collaborators:
  • Features St. Vincent, Hayley Williams (Paramore), Ghost Train Orchestra.
  • Orchestral embellishments evoke various genres, including tango and sweeping harmonies.
    • Stephen: “They come in and give this song and a number of other songs in this record this really jaunty, freewheeling vibe…clippity clop, gallop to it…” [32:56]

3. Lightning Round: Other Notable Releases

• Saint Etienne – International
  • Stephen: “Their new 12th record will be their last, and they go out on a high note.” [35:50]
• James K – Friend
  • Alisa: “Wonderful companion for late night grooves. Her vocals are mesmerizing as she creates ghostly trip hoppy soundscapes.” [36:26]
• Ivy – Traces of You
  • Features demos by the late Adam Schlesinger.
    • Stephen: “Gorgeous, stylish, deeply sweet little song.” [41:30]
• Anais and the Hoops – Growing Pains
  • Alisa: “Jazzy indie pop music that goes down real smooth…debut EP out today.” [38:08]
• I Will Swim To You: A Tribute to Jason Molina
  • Features contributions from M.J. Lenderman, Horse Jumper of Love, Hand Habits, and more.
    • Stephen: “Jason Molina…an incredible singer and songwriter whose cult following has only grown since his death in 2013.” [39:13]

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On concept albums:
  “When you say someone is putting out a concept album, it’s like someone just offering you a sandwich, but an ice cream sandwich. Like the very best kind of album.” – Alisa [18:15]
• On collaboration:
  “He’s finding ways to combine them in really charming ways.” – Stephen (about Leon Michels) [10:23]
• On finding meaning in the mundane:
  “He takes these little fragments of his life…they seem kind of silly at first, but then there’s a message in there.” – Alisa (on David Byrne) [31:53]

Favorite Songs of the Week

• Alisa: “Words” by Big Thief
  “It’s just such a sonically moving song. It’s got this great galloping pace. It feels so freeing. I feel like I could swim in this song all day.” [40:45]
• Stephen: “Say You Will” by Ivy
  “It’s hard to separate my fondness for ‘Say You Will’ from how much I miss Adam Schlesinger … But it’s also just a gorgeous, stylish, deeply sweet little song.” [41:30]

Notable Song Segment Timestamps

• 00:23 – Hosts’ intro banter
• 01:07 – Alisa’s Song of the Summer: “Sally when the Wine runs out”
• 02:42 – Big Thief "Double Infinity" first impressions
• 06:16 – Big Thief lyric highlight: “Grandmother”
• 09:56 – El Michels Affair discussion
• 11:36 – “Shining” by Leon Michels
• 17:13 – Curtis Harding “Departures and Adventures of Captain Kurt” first listen
• 19:14 – “Gorgeous, expansive, lush soul arrangements” by Harding
• 24:49 – Lucretia Dalt and the monologue from “Cosaarara”
• 30:55 – David Byrne’s “My Apartment is My Friend”
• 35:50 – Lightning Round: Saint Etienne "International"
• 40:45 – Favorite Songs of the Week discussion

Tone & Style

The conversation is breezy, insightful, and often playful, capturing the hosts’ enthusiasm for discovery and honest discussion about new music and what it means to be a music fan in 2025.

This summary encapsulates the key music, moments, and insights from NPR’s All Songs Considered “New Music Friday: The best albums out Sept. 5” — a perfect primer for anyone seeking the essential sounds of early fall 2025.