The Cultural History Of Boy Bands; Celebrating Newport Jazz Festival

Plus, Taylor Swift's surprise release and new music from Sylvan Esso.

by Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna Alex Fine Boy bands don’t always get their due. Sure, they don’t want for commercial success (or fame, fortune or masses of screaming fans) — but they’re rarely seen as culturally significant. In a new book by frequent NPR Music contributor Maria Sherman, Larger Than Life: A History of Boy Bands from NKOTB to BTS, she traces the evolution of male vocal groups from The Beatles to the Backstreet Boys to the world of K-pop. (And if you’re interested in starting your journey into K-pop, Sherman developed a beginner’s guide to the genre for us, too.) This week, we shared an excerpt from Larger Than Life in honor of boy band One Direction’s 10th anniversary. In it, she recounts the founding of the band -- which she describes as “one of the most rewarding, simple experiments in modern pop music history,” its explosive popularity across five albums and the evolution of Harry Styles, pre-Tiny Desk concert. Consider it your primer if you missed 1D’s heyday and a joyful description of the power of young fans to help shape a pop band’s trajectory.  You light up our world like nobody else, Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna Newsletter continues after sponsor message New Music On our New Music Friday roundup of this week’s best new releases: a brilliant collection of remixed Motown classics, an anniversary edition of Roberta Flack’s First Take and a collaboration between Lupe Fiasco and producer Kaelin Ellis. And surprise! Taylor Swift both announced and released her eighth studio album. Folklore applies Swift’s signature lyrical style to a new palette thanks to contributions from a new — and unexpected — collaborator: The National’s Aaron Dessner. On this week’s new music mix from All Songs Considered, Bob Boilen shares a sneak peek at Sylvan Esso’s upcoming album Free Love, out in September. Also on the show: The Psychedelic Furs’ first new song in 29 (!) years.  Jazz composer and orchestrator Maria Schneider has become one of the music world's most prominent critics of copyright abuse and unfair revenue structures. Data Lords, her new double album available exclusively through ArtistShare, expands into uncharted territory, exploring the natural and digital, artificial words.  Featuring The Newport Jazz Festival is both hallowed ground and a cherished hang. But this summer, in the absence of a gathering, Jazz Night In America set out to lovingly recreate the festival experience by digging into the Newport archives. The three-part series kicked off this week with a jump back to the Golden Age and a glorious set from the 1960s. Every year, the Tiny Desk Contest receives entries from all 50 states — and that’s thanks, in part, to help from our Member stations. This week, we shared a roundup of 2020 Contest entries hand-picked by our friends from stations across the country. (For even more great Contest entries, check out this week’s episode of Tiny Desk Contest Top Shelf, which featured WFUV’s Rita Houston.) Annie Ross, the veteran jazz singer and actress, died this week. By the age of three, Ross had joined her parents' touring show. Over her long career, Ross spent time on the Paris jazz scene, performed in Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, rebuilt her career in London and took a left turn into film. Women rarely received credit for their creative work in Colonial America. But with a new album, one scholar is reviving the works of the women who lived and composed at the Ephrata Cloister — the first known female composers in America. Tiny Desk Courtesy of the artis With travel temporarily on pause, press play on Lenny Kravitz’s Tiny Desk (home) concert to be transported to his Bahamian home on the island of Eleuthera for a powerful set.  Also this week: Nilüfer Yanya is one of Bob Boilen’s favorite recent discoveries — her debut album, Miss Universe, was one of his favorite records of 2019. Her Tiny Desk (home) concert — just her and a guitar — is an impressive contrast to her full-band performance at Bob’s desk last year. Incoming We’re already looking forward to next Friday’s release of Beyoncé’s highly anticipated visual album Black Is King.  One More Thing Happy 10th anniversary to our friends at Pop Culture Happy Hour! We’re looking forward to raising our glasses to them at a (virtual) happy hour next week. 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