Our Favorite Music Of The Year (So Far)

Plus, a powerful video reflection on the meaning of Independence Day.

by Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna Courtesy of the artist Just like that, it’s official: We’re (only? Already?) midway through the year. And before we charge full steam ahead, we’re pausing to reflect. “On its relentless whiplash toward the middle, the first six months of 2020 have reframed, redefined, shocked, torn down, confounded and crumbled our expectations, our priorities, our concepts of distance and closeness, of responsibility, of tragedy, of joy,” writes our senior editor Jacob Ganz. “They changed how we listened to music, too: so often alone, through wires and screens and glitches and delays. But in six full months packed with moments where we needed music to cope with challenges new and old, there was so much to see us through.” As is tradition, we waved goodbye to June by asking our teammates to help us make a couple of lists. First, our favorite albums of the year (so far), which includes Run The Jewels’ ringing alarm bell about the state of America, Waxahatchee’s potent poetry, Fiona Apple’s righteous masterwork and more. And our favorite songs of the year (so far) include a supernova song mashup from Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé, a magnificently reflective song from Bob Dylan and an appeal for empathy across racial divisions from Mickey Guyton. Onward, Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna Newsletter continues after sponsor message New Music This week on All Songs Considered, members of our team shared their favorite songs and albums of June, including heart-soothing performances by Jenny Lin, a poignant address to our time from SAULT and a bleary sound collage from Space Afrika. In just the past month, we’ve gotten vital new releases from artists well into what some might consider their "retirement" years, including Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Willie Nelson. Ann Powers explains how their artistic trajectories mirror the Baby Boomer generation they inspired on All Things Considered. This week, Alt.Latino hosted a conversation about the relationship between Afro-Latinx communities and the Black Lives Matter movement. Plus, hear a story from Alt.Latino contributor Marisa Arbona-Ruiz about a Spanish-language translation of "The Star-Spangled Banner.” Special Feature Today we’re sharing a powerful short film from our colleagues in the newsroom. Video producers at NPR asked five young descendants of Frederick Douglass to read and respond to excerpts of his famous speech, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" As the U.S. celebrates July 4 amid nationwide protests and calls for systemic reforms, the resulting short film also asks all of us to consider America’s long history of denying equal rights to Black Americans. Tiny Desk Courtesy of the artist 🌎 🌍 🌏 This week, we took the Tiny Desk spirit around the world. Our globetrotting tour of Tiny Desk (home) concerts began in South Korea with Coreyah, a six-piece that creates traditional Korean music with a modern twist. Next, we journeyed to Malawi to meet Nelson Mulligo of the Malawi Mouse Boys. Brazil-born, L.A.-based guitarist Fabiano Do Nascimento combines jazz, bossanova, samba and folklore in his transcendent, almost hypnotic set. Finally, head to Gdańsk, Poland, for a concert from Trupa Trupa, a rock band that remains optimistic, even while performing in a dark basement space. Incoming On July 8 at 10:30 a.m. ET, Jazz Night In America will be premiering a full-length concert film on NPR Music’s YouTube channel featuring Jazzmeia Horn. She and Jazz Night host Christian McBride will be hanging out with fans in the sidebar chatroom – we'll see you there! One More Thing Hamilton comes home. 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