Thursday's first song in 13 years, "Application for Release From the Dream," is a soaring, searing return. Stephen J. Cohen/Getty Images hide caption
Music Lists Lists of top artists and top songs compiled by musicians, critics, and noted NPR hosts.
Music Lists
There's a trio of fantastic records featuring drummer Jim White all out in the first half of 2024. Anna White/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Kyle Gass and Jack Black of Tenacious D performing live. Paul McConnell/Getty Images hide caption
Dancers perform as a solar total eclipse occurs in Matantimali, Central Sulawesi on March 9, 2016. OLA/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Sonhos Tomam Conta roughly translates as "dreams take over," which is a perfect way to think of this samba-infused shoegaze project from São Paulo. Courtesy of the artist hide caption
New Jazz Underground pushes at the corners of hard bop and hip-hop. PETER LueDERS/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Image from the cover to Laraaji's 2023 album, Segue to Infinity. Illustration by Jackie Lay/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
In a music scene policed by politics and faith, there was none more real than Michael Knott. Kate Gutwein Smith/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Kamasi Washington, Tyla and Iron & Wine. B+ / Jeremy Soma / Kim Black. Illustration by Jackie Lay./Courtesy of the artists. hide caption
Kamasi Washington's "Prologue" will give you chills of the body and thrills of the mind. B+/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Pianist and composer Kelly Moran translates her love of figure skating into the luxuriant "Butterfly Phase." YouTube hide caption
Ruth Anderson and Annea Lockwood's Tête-à-tête, one of 2023's most intimate records, features field recordings of their voices that span decades. Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Durand Jones' "Wait Til I Get Over" is one of the songs that hit us hard in 2023. Rahim Fortune hide caption
Meshell Ndegeocello Courtesy of the artist hide caption
When you're hitting the books, you need the right soundtrack. Angela Hsieh for NPR hide caption
The record, the debut album by the indie supergroup featuring Julien Baker (left), Phoebe Bridgers (center) and Lucy Dacus, was released in March, more than four years after the trio's debut EP. Shervin Lainez/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
In 2023, pianist Awadagin Pratt released a terrific comeback album, his first in 12 years. Courtesy of the artist hide caption
