Episodes

  • Summer’s simple pleasures: Roséwave

    Summer’s simple pleasures: Roséwave
    Jul 7 2026
    Roséwave is a feeling more than a singular sound or genre. It’s the kind of sweetness and sadness that underscores the long, languid days of summer. Long drives with old friends, watching your kids at the pool, backyard barbecues while the sun slowly sets. On this episode we share a mix of songs that offer the perfect soundtrack for your roséwave days and nights, from Linda Ronstadt’s “How Do I Make You” and Marvin Gaye’s “Ain’t That Peculiar,” to Katie Gavin’s “Aftertaste,” Waxahatchee’s “Much Ado About Nothing” and more.

    NPR Music’s Lars Gotrich and contributor Marissa Lorusso join host Robin Hilton.

    Featured artists and songs:

    (00:00) Intro and “Summertime, Summertime” by The Jamies

    (01:57) Wednesday: "Elderberry Wine"

    (04:34) The Lijadu Sisters: "Come on Home"

    (07:35) Katie Gavin: "Aftertaste”

    (12:17) Marvin Gaye: "Ain't That Peculiar"

    (15:46) Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra: “Gayane Ballet Suite: Adagio”

    (17:02) Haku.: "Looking Through My Subtle Double Eyelids"

    (19:46) Labi Siffre: "My Song"

    (22:45) Azymuth: "Faça de Conta"

    (25:09) Waxahatchee: "Much Ado About Nothing"

    (27:35) Linda Ronstadt: "How Do I Make You"

    (30:29) Addison Rae: "Diet Pepsi," from 'Addison'

    (34:56) Amerie: "Why Don't We Fall in Love"

    Reviews help! Leave us one on Apple or Spotify wherever you listen to podcasts.

    Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: allsongs@npr.org

    Note: A version of this episode originally ran in July 2025.


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    37 mins
  • The year’s best songs so far

    The year’s best songs so far
    Jun 30 2026
    Consensus has been hard to find in 2026, but we’ve assembled our top-ten list of the most memorable songs of the year at this midway point, from the outlaw country of Charley Crockett to the glam rock of Friko, Lana Del Rey’s twisted ode to love, Vince Staples’ “White Flag” and more.

    NPR Music’s Sheldon Pearce joins host Robin Hilton.

    Featured artists and songs:

    (00:00) Intro

    (01:38) Mandy, Indiana: “try saying”

    (05:09) Aldous Harding: “Coats”

    (09:28) Vince Staples: “White Flag”

    (14:25) Yebba: “Yellow Eyes”

    (18:04) Friko: “Seven Degrees”

    (22:01) Charley Crockett: “Kentucky Too Long”

    (26:03) Lana Del Rey: “White Feather Hawk Tail Deer Hunter”

    (32:07) Baby Rose: “Friends Again (feat. Leon Thomas)”

    (37:59) Mumford & Sons: “Rubber Band Man (with Hozier)”

    (42:58) Irreversible Entanglements: “Don’t Lose Your Head (feat. MOTHERBOARD)”

    Reviews help! Leave us one on Apple or Spotify wherever you listen to podcasts.

    Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: allsongs@npr.org


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    47 mins
  • Beck's 'Odelay' at 30, Mitski covers One Direction, more

    Beck's 'Odelay' at 30, Mitski covers One Direction, more
    Jun 23 2026
    We share our picks for the best new tracks of the week, including Mitski’s surprising cover of One Direction’s “Fireproof.” But first, we remember Beck’s still-mind-blowing Odelay, which just celebrated its 30th anniversary.

    NPR Music’s Lars Gotrich joins host Robin Hilton.

    Featured artists and songs:

    (00:00) Beck’s Odelay at 30

    (03:39) Perennial: “What’s New On The Beat Scene”

    (08:55) Mitski: “Fireproof”

    (13:50) Sarah Davachi: “Songs of the Smile’s Fig: III. Follies”

    (21:56) Shearwater: “Daydream Unbeliever”

    (32:33) Sleep: “Have Spacesuit Will Travel”

    (41:39) L’Rain: “soulless cycle”

    Reviews help! Leave us one on Apple or Spotify wherever you listen to podcasts.

    Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: allsongs@npr.org


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    47 mins
  • Songs for any road trip

    Songs for any road trip
    Jun 16 2026
    It’s the season of road trips -- and nothing goes better with those long and winding roads than music. This week we share our picks for the perfect playlist, breakdown what works best when, and consider some ground rules -- does the driver always have the final say?

    Reviews help! Leave us one on Apple or Spotify wherever you listen to podcasts.

    Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: allsongs@npr.org

    Featured artists and songs:

    (00:00) Eric Burdon and War: “Spill the Wine”
    (03:09) Stromae: “Santé”
    (04:57) Broadway Cast: “Alexander Hamilton”
    (07:53) Joe Iconis / Broadway Cast: “Michael in the Bathroom”
    (10:14) Abiotic: “Vermosapien”
    (12:02) Wipers: “Mystery”
    (13:36) Steely Dan: “My Old School”
    (17:28) Tunde Olaniran: “Namesake”
    (19:54) Shania Twain: “Man, I Feel Like a Woman!”
    (22:37) Pat Travers: “Amgwanna Kick Booty”
    (26:27) Anthrax & Public Enemy: “Bring The Noise”
    (27:49) Unwed Sailor: “Monster Collecting”
    (29:46) The Allman Brothers Band: “Midnight Rider” and “Southbound”
    (33:12) Lakestreet Dive: “You Go Down Smooth”
    (35:41) Black Sabbath: “Turn Up The Night”
    (37:19) Simple Minds: “Don’t You (Forget About Me)”

    Note: A version of this episode originally posted in August 2025.


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    41 mins
  • 11 more songs to reset your mood

    11 more songs to reset your mood
    Jun 9 2026
    NPR listeners share the songs they reach for when they need to reset the mood, their day or even their life.

    This is a followup to our April episode on songs for starting over. NPR’s Dora Levite joins host Robin Hilton.

    A good review helps! Leave us one on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. And tell a friend to listen!

    Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: allsongs@npr.org

    Featured artists and songs:

    (00:00) Intro

    (01:13) Quincy Jones: “Dead End”

    (02:12) Bill Withers: “Lovely Day”

    (04:51) Florence + the Machine: “Shake It Out”

    (08:06) Jacob Collier: “Something Heavy”

    (11:24) Des’ree: “You Gotta Be”

    (16:32) Peter Gabriel: “Washing Of The Water”

    (19:57) Cat Power: “Nothin But Time”

    (23:02) John Denver: “Sweet Surrender”

    (27:46) Isley Brothers: “Summer Breeze”

    (31:22) Green Day: “Still Breathing”

    (34:10) Vienna Teng: “Level Up”


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    37 mins
  • Wet Leg, Vince Staples, Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien

    Wet Leg, Vince Staples, Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien
    Jun 2 2026
    Our latest picks for the best new tracks of the week include a raging, dancefloor remix of Wet Leg’s “Catch These Fists,” a touch of vintage soul from rapper and singer Vince Staples, Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien channels Kentucky poet Wendell Berry who says, “to know the dark, go dark,” and more.

    NPR Music’s Tom Huizenga joins host Robin Hilton.

    A good review helps! So, leave us one on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. And tell a friend to listen!

    Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: allsongs@npr.org

    Featured artists and songs:

    (00:00) Intro

    (01:03) Wet Leg: “catch these fists (FDC DJs remix)” from moisturizer deluxe

    (07:05) Katie & Marielle Labèque: “The Somnambulist” (Phillip Glass) from 55

    (15:23) Balming Tiger: “Home” from Gongbu

    (22:42) Wild Up: “No. 8, Always Making New Inversions” from Julius Eastman Vol. 5: Gay Guerrilla

    (31:00) Vince Staples: “White Flag” from Cry Baby

    (36:06) Ed O’Brien: “Blue Morpho” from Blue Morpho


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    44 mins
  • What’s the defining Millennial song?

    What’s the defining Millennial song?
    May 26 2026
    We weigh the options and attempt to pick the one song that best captures the Millennial generation's experience, from the dizzying highs of the dot-com boom, when anything seemed possible, to the post-9-11 bust, the hope of the Obama years, and prolonged period of generational disillusionment.

    NPR Music millennials Hazel Cills and Sheldon Pearce join host Robin Hilton.

    A good review helps! So, leave us one on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. And tell a friend to listen!

    Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: allsongs@npr.org

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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Gracie Abrams hits a wall, and more of the week's best new songs

    Gracie Abrams hits a wall, and more of the week's best new songs
    May 19 2026
    Our latest mix of the week’s best new songs includes a moody reflection on burnout from Gracie Abrams, rising L.A. duo Evening Elephants, the elusive electronic collagists Ear and more.

    NPR Music’s Dora Levite joins host Robin Hilton.

    Please leave a glowing review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. And tell a friend to listen!

    Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: allsongs@npr.org

    Featured artists and songs:

    (00:00) Intro
    (01:45) Gracie Abrams: “Hit the Wall”
    (08:10) Zoh Amba: “Eyes Full"
    (14:18) Jazmin Bean: “Darling”
    (21:57) Ear: “Ne Plus Ultra”
    (27:46) Evening Elephants: “A Digital Touch”
    (33:07) Knats: “Carpet Doctor (feat. Geordie Greep)”


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    39 mins