Raising The Dead With Maria Callas; Beatles and Hendrix reissues

Plus, Lil Peep's posthumous album and a Joni Mitchell birthday quiz.

Evan Agostini/Base Hologram Trite, sure, but true: Everything old is new again. Archival Prince videos are now available for viewing. Electric Ladyland and the Beatles’ “White Album” are celebrating birthdays with deluxe reissues. Mineral released its first new song since its late-’90s breakup. And who needs a live performance when you can resurrect the dead with a hologram? (We jest.) So fire up a straight-to-streaming TV reboot and hit play on your favorite physical music medium of choice (cassettes, vinyl, or even CDs at this point): Nostalgia abounds and we’ve got a guide to what’s new (and old-as-new) this week. [Insert moody AIM away message here], Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna New Music  From posthumous releases by Charles Bradley and Lil Peep to 50th anniversary reissues from Jimi Hendrix and the Beatles, here are the new releases you need to hear this week. Following in the vein of reunited ’90s emo bands like Rainer Maria, Braid and American Football, Mineral is back. “Aurora,” the band’s first song in 20 years, feels like a new dawn. In the olden days, you could only see the video for Prince’s “Endorphinmachine” if you made it all the way to the end of a ’90s CD-ROM computer game. Today, things are simpler: This week, the Prince estate made that video — and several more —available to watch online. To Read When it comes to holograms, how far are you willing to suspend reality? Moments of the Maria Callas hologram performance, Callas in Concert, felt unsettlingly real, with small gestures painstakingly reimagined from concert footage. This week, a two-night gala was held in honor of Joni Mitchell's 75th birthday. NPR Music's Ann Powers attended the event and says the performances there — by old friends and collaborators like Graham Nash, Chaka Khan and James Taylor, and more recent protégés like Seal and Diana Krall — remind us how Mitchell's songs continually face down trouble and imperfection. A review of Sia's 2008 album concluded that "Sia [was] still just learning to sound like herself." Ten years later, it's clear that everybody else — from Beyoncé to Britney, from Rihanna to Amy Winehouse — learned to sound like Sia. Our Turning the Tables essay series surveys the career of pop’s most resilient songwriter. To Watch Claire Harbage/NPR Getting David Bazan at the Tiny Desk was long overdue. But getting the first live performance of the first new Pedro the Lion song in over a decade? That was a moment worth the wait. ​ From wunderkind to maverick, pianist Chick Corea’s career has been one of perpetual progress. Jazz Night in America joined the legendary pianist and his new trio, Vigillete, for a live performance at Scullers Jazz in Boston. Incoming Bob Boilen called Bernie and the Believers’ story the most powerful one that has ever crossed his desk. It’s probably the most moving Tiny Desk concert we’ve ever seen, and you can see it for yourself next week. One More Thing You say you love Joni Mitchell, but how well do you really know her? In honor of her birthday, try your hand at our 75-question Joni pop quiz. Yes, this will be on the final exam. You received this message because you're subscribed to our NPR Music emails. |  Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy | NPR 1111 N. CAPITOL ST. NE WASHINGTON DC 20002