Tiny Desk Family Hour; Best Latin Music From South By Southwest

Plus, the Lizzo-Missy Elliott collaboration of your dreams.

Michael Lavine/Courtesy of the artist Maybe our team is still riding the high of all the amazing discoveries at South by Southwest, but we were overwhelmed by how much great new music came out this week. On this week’s New Music Friday rundown from All Songs Considered, we dive deeper into a few of our favorites, like the guitar-rock heroics of Ex Hex, the heartfelt wisdom of Jenny Lewis and the genre-bending releases from Emily Wells and Lafawndah. (And there’s even more we didn’t get to linger on in the podcast, including new releases from Lucy Rose, Bill McKay, Avey Tare and Strand of Oaks, plus an impressive debut from Nilufer Yanya). And sometimes, the best discoveries aren’t new. Take Duster, one of hundreds of bands in the late 1990s who made music that was loved by a small audience, then disbanded and assumed its story was over. Then a new generation of fans – including one of your newsletter editors – discovered them, helping to rescue its music from the abyss: This week, Duster’s entire catalog was reissued. With open ears, Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna New Music For the All Songs Considered team, this year’s SXSW served as a showcase for global talent, including Brazilian ten-piece Bixiga 70, Russian dream-pop trio Chkbns and Australian singer-songwriter Indigo Sparke; for Felix Contreras of Alt.Latino, this year was proof that SXSW has become increasingly important for fans of Latin music. The Lizzo-Missy Elliott collaboration of your dreams has arrived. This week’s First Listens include an impressive psychedelic guitar album from Tuareg musician Mdou Moctar, a bold and stylistically-diverse release from the underrated rapper and producer Quelle Chris and more. Hear them now before they’re streaming next week. Featuring At our first-ever Tiny Desk Family Hour, an epic evening of intimate Tiny Desk-style concerts at Austin’s Central Presbyterian Church during SXSW, we hosted a genre-spanning range of Tiny Desk alums, from Wyclef Jean and Gaelynn Lea to Amanda Palmer and even a few extremely emotional puppets. Dick Dale changed the sound of rock and roll when he upped the reverb on his guitar and applied the Arabic scales of his father's native Lebanon. The surf rock legend died last week at 81. This week, we’ve got two features fixated on history: After making her way to Chicago during the Great Migration, Mary Lane developed a following in local blues clubs; now 83, she's released a new collection, Travelin' Woman. Meanwhile, pianist Jeremy Denk’s latest album is a exploration of time through music, beginning with austere, medieval tones before landing on the minimalism of the modern age. Tiny Desk Amr Alfiky/NPR NAO’s 2018 sophomore album, Saturn, is radiant with celestial, synthy sounds. But at the Tiny Desk, with sparser arrangements, her lyrics ring with new clarity, offering a sense of grounding. One More Thing This week, the Library of Congress – as it has done annually since 2002 – announced a wide variety of recordings it has selected as culturally significant and worthy of preservation, including Jay-Z’s The Blueprint, Ritchie Valens' "La Bamba" and Earth, Wind & Fire's "September." (We’re guessing the Library has this whole “preservation” thing down better than Myspace.) What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: nprmusic@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Books, Pop Culture, Health and more! Need a new playlist? Follow NPR Music on Spotify! 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