Bob Boilen’s Favorite Tiny Desk Concerts Of 2019; Our Most-Anticipated Albums Of 2020

Plus, a celebration of the musicians we lost last year.

by Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna Sean Gallup/Getty Images In 2019, music communities around the world lost treasured voices. Our annual In Memoriam list celebrates some of those who died last year — including opera stars, Hollywood idols, influential alt-rockers, Pulitzer-winning composers and hip-hop icons — with a musical montage of their work. Jazz Night in America also offered condolences in its yearly memorial edition of the show. In keeping with tradition, the team sought out stories from those who knew the artists best both on stage and off, offering a glimpse behind the music at the lives the artists lived. Hear NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on his childhood friend, pianist Larry Willis, and Jon Batiste honor Dr. John , who he calls “the manifestation of a cultural phenomenon.”  “An anchor lets you see the river move,” Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna Newsletter continues after sponsor message New Music On to the next! We may only be a few days into 2020, but we’re already preparing for some of the most-anticipated releases of the year. Our colleague Stephen Thompson joined Morning Edition’s Noel King to run through some of records we’re looking forward to, including new albums from Mosey Sumney and Tame Impala.  This week on World Cafe: a performance and conversation by Anthony LaMarca, who fronts The Building (and also plays guitar in The War On Drugs). He talks to host Stephen Kallao about his new album PETRA, named for the dog who was by his side as he battled cancer.  This week’s playlist from NPR Classical celebrates the late and overlooked: tracks from pianists, singers and fiddlers released last month and nearly overshadowed by the holiday hullabaloo. Featuring Each week, Lars Gotrich, NPR Music’s beloved viking, serves up a disastrously delicious all-you-can-eat buffet of music that’s usually loud, sometimes weird and always enjoyable. On this week’s All Songs Considered, he looked back at all of 2019 and shared his favorites with Bob Boilen, from Fresno heavy metal to Brazilian noise-rock and beyond. Last year marked the first time the Country Music Association's Musician of the Year award went to a woman. Jenee Fleenor is also the first fiddle player to win the award in more than two decades — a testament to her work reviving the importance of the instrument in the sound of contemporary country.  Watching the Safdie brothers’ new film Uncut Gems feels like experiencing a panic attack in real time. Starring Adam Sandler with Kevin Garnett, the movie follows a New York diamond district jeweler and gambler making one poor decision after another. But the film’s score from Daniel Lopatin — a.k.a. Oneohtrix Point Never — is cosmic and otherworldly. This week our friends at Morning Edition launched a new series: One-Hit Wonders/Second-Best Songs. Up first: Forget Eileen. Dexys Midnight Runners, the British band behind “Come On Eileen,” is more than the sum of that song’s fiddle-heavy parts. Musician Ted Leo explains why the band’s “Geno” deserves your attention. Tiny Desk Emily Bogle/NPR Spanglish Fly is helping to lead a boogaloo revival happening on the East Coast. Our colleague Felix Contreras said the band’s Tiny Desk concert turned Bob Boilen’s desk into “the hottest Latin dance club in D.C.” Also: Last year, we shared over 100 Tiny Desk concerts — and then gave Bob Boilen the unenviable task of selecting his 10 favorites, which range from megawatt pop to raging punk to family-friendly singalongs. One More Thing We love hearing our friends at Pop Culture Happy Hour’s resolutions and predictions. Do you have a music resolution of your own? Share it with us! What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: nprmusic@npr.org Listen to your favorite NPR Member station live on your Alexa or Google Home device. Just tell your smart speaker to, “Play NPR.” 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 and Apple Music! You received this message because you're subscribed to NPR Music emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy