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All Songs Considered
12:41 pm
Tue May 21, 2013

New Music: Mount Kimbie, Laura Mvula, Jagwar Ma, More

Credit Courtesy of the artists
Clockwise from upper left: Mount Kimbie, Laura Mvula, Jagwar Ma, Leah Siegel of Firehorse
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By editor

Originally published on Wed May 22, 2013 1:15 pm

This week on All Songs Considered, hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton offer up a musical sampler of many styles from around the world. There's an upbeat, atmospheric cut with amazing harmonies from the magnetic Laura Mvula, a voice you'll hear a lot more of this year; Firehorse's blazing combination of neo-soul, hip-hop and electronic beats; a heavy, hypnotic track from New York duo Small Multiples and some transfixing psych-pop from Jagwar Ma.

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Live in Concert
11:20 am
Tue May 21, 2013

First Listen Live: Queens Of The Stone Age, '...Like Clockwork'

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Credit James Bailey for NPR
Queens Of The Stone Age live at The Wiltern on May 23.
Credit James Bailey for NPR
The band debuted new songs from their upcoming album ...Like Clockwork, which will be released via Matador Records on June 4.
Credit James Bailey for NPR
Dave Grohl is one of three drummers on record, but touring drummer Jon Theodore from Mars Volta joined QOTSA for this show.
Credit James Bailey for NPR
Michael Shuman (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Dean Fertita (keyboards, guitar, backing vocals).
Credit James Bailey for NPR
Frontman Josh Homme's lengthy stint in the hit supergroup Them Crooked Vultures, and what Homme calls "a manic year" all inform the brooding, stormy sound of ...Like Clockwork.
Credit James Bailey for NPR
In addition to the new material, the band performed older favorites, such as "No One Knows," "Kalopsia," and "A Song For The Dead."
Credit James Bailey for NPR
Queens Of The Stone Age in performance at a sold-out show at The Wiltern in Los Angeles on May 23.
Credit James Bailey for NPR
The Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles.
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Originally published on Fri May 24, 2013 5:10 pm

Queens of the Stone Age's first album in six years follows an unusually chaotic stretch for the band: Lineup and label changes, frontman Josh Homme's lengthy stint in the hit supergroup Them Crooked Vultures, and what Homme calls "a manic year" all inform the brooding, stormy sound of ...Like Clockwork.

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Deceptive Cadence
11:08 am
Tue May 21, 2013

Gods And Monsters: 5 Unforgettable Wagner Moments

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Credit Ken Howard / Metropolitan Opera
The Valkyries, led by Brunnhilde (soprano Debra Voigt, lower left), are the warrior maidens of Richard Wagner's epic Ring cycle.
Credit Ken Howard / Metropolitan Opera
Eric Owens plays the greedy dwarf Alberich, displaying his golden ring, in Wagner's Das Rheingold.
Credit Ken Howard / Metropolitan Opera
Mark Delevan as Wotan and Deborah Voigt as his daughter Brunnhilde in Wagner's Die Walküre.
Credit APF/Getty Images
Peter Seiffert and Katarina Dalayman as the title characters in Tristan und Isolde, Wagner's cosmic tale of love.
Credit Getty Images
Klaus Florian Vogt sings the role of Walter the brash, young game-changer in Wagner's Die Meistersinger.
Credit Ken Howard / Metropolitan Opera
Parsifal (Jonas Kaufmann) lifts the Holy Grail as Gurnemanz (Rene Pape) looks on, in a recent Metropolitan Opera production of Wagner's final opera, Parsifal.
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Originally published on Wed May 22, 2013 3:02 pm

  • William Berger on 'Parsifal'
  • William Berger on 'Das Rheingold'
  • William Berger on 'Die Walküre'
  • William Berger on 'Tristan und Isolde'
  • William Berger on 'Die Meistersinger'

How much do you know about Richard Wagner? Probably two unfavorable facts: He wrote very long, grandiose operas and was Hitler's favorite composer. As true as they are, those simple examples barely hint at the complexity of this endlessly creative and confounding artist.

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World Cafe
8:02 am
Tue May 21, 2013

The National On World Cafe

Credit Diedre O'Callaghan / Courtesy of the artist
The National.
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The National's rise has been slow and steady, to match the growth and evolution of its dour but beautiful rock sound. In this installment of World Cafe, the band tells host David Dye how sleep deprivation led its members to craft more straightforward songs on their new album, Trouble Will Find Me.

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Favorite Sessions
6:31 am
Tue May 21, 2013

The National: Falling For 'Graceless'

Credit WFUV
The National performs live at The Cutting Room studios in New York City.
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By Russ Borris

Seeing The National live in concert can be an intense and cathartic experience. Seeing the band play new songs in the cozy confines of The Cutting Room Studios takes that experience to a new level. The band is in fine form here, as it performs "Graceless," one of the many stand-outs on the new Trouble Will Find Me.

Watch the rest of WFUV's studio session with The National at WFUV.org.

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