The Songs Giving Us Life Right Now

Plus, a Tiny Desk (home) concert from Rhiannon Giddens.

by Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna Aurélia Durand/NPR Our friends at NPR’s Code Switch podcast go deep on the overlapping themes of race, ethnicity and culture and how they play out in our lives and communities – and, not for nothing, the team also has pretty great taste in music. This week, Code Switch dedicated an episode of its podcast to the music that’s helping them make it through this time of crisis: Things can seem pretty bleak right now. At Code Switch, we’ve been covering various aspects of the coronavirus pandemic: the way it’s disproportionately infecting and killing black communities; the hurdles minority business owners are facing when it comes to trying to save their small businesses; and the tough questions about race our listeners are thinking about. So on this week’s episode of Code Switch, we went back to a favorite segment of ours, born years ago when the podcast was just a young’n: Songs Giving Us Life. The news can feel exhausting and dark year-round, so we like to take a few seconds at the end of some of our podcast episodes to share songs we hope make you smile. This time, we asked our listeners what they’re dancing to while they’re isolated at home. For one listener, Missy Elliot’s “Cool Off” is the perfect song to bring the party vibe back home. We also called some of our past guests (like actor Yara Shahidi, and musicians Flor de Toloache and Amara La Negra) to ask them what their “quaran-tunes” look like right now. (Spoiler alert: One guest’s answer inspired an epic ’90s rap battle.) We hope it inspires you to sing along with our hosts, Gene Demby and Shereen Marisol Meraji. Dianne Lugo, NPR’s Code Switch P.S. Subscribe to Code Switch to get the latest episode in your feed each week, or listen on Spotify. Newsletter continues after sponsor message Featuring Pulitzer-winning composer Steve Reich has been keeping busy during quarantine by writing a new piece from his winter getaway in Los Angeles. He told NPR Music’s Tom Huizenga about composing during the crisis. Lady Gaga’s latest album, Chromatica, came out this week. After a brief detour from the sound that first made her famous, the return to high-concept dance pop is something new and old at the same time. At this point in a normal year, Bob Boilen would have already seen over 200 bands – many of them at D.C.’s 9:30 Club. That, of course, isn’t the case this year. The venue, whose 40th anniversary is this weekend, changed Boilen’s life. And for many years, NPR Music streamed concerts from the club. We’ve rounded up over 100 of them for you to listen to: from Bright Eyes to Femi Kuti to Sleater-Kinney to Robert Glasper and many, many more.   Jon Batiste spent his 33rd birthday playing an intimate, private concert with his band in the round while Jazz Night in America captured the show – and now, you can watch the entire performance. New Music Being homebound means hearing more birds. This week’s NPR Classical playlist includes composers with birds on the brain, including Respighi, Messiaen, Biber, Bartók and Rautavaara, some of whom mimicked birds and others who used recordings of birdsong.  A good cover song can be hard to find, but look no further than this week’s All Songs Considered mix, which features Soccer Mommy and Jay Som covering each others’ tunes, plus Lucy Dacus taking on a Yo La Tengo song released on the day she was born and Caroline Spence making Jimmy Eat World’s “The Middle” an Americana anthem.  Bright Eyes’ latest preview of its forthcoming new album – the group’s first in nine years – feels eerily prophetic, or at the very least, perceptive: Awash in haunting strings, “One and Done” is a dystopian scene of end times.  Tiny Desk Kisha Ravi/NPR For the past four decades, Wire has consistently crafted artful, inventive rock sounds. For Bob Boilen, who’s been a fan since the British band’s earliest days, bringing the pioneering group to his desk was a thrilling treat.  Sometimes you just need the comfort of classic tunes. Rhiannon Giddens – who has passed the time in quarantine making homemade pasta – understands. Together in Dublin with her partner Francesco Turrisi, the duo, who blew us away at the Tiny Desk last year, recorded a Tiny Desk (home) concert of lived-in tunes. One More Thing Forget Colbert, Kimmel and Fallon: Elmo’s got his own talk show now, and he’s bringing serious star power with guests Lil Nas X and Kacey Musgraves.  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 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