Our Favorite Songs And Albums Of 2021 (So Far)

Plus, a Tiny Desk (home) concert from terrific young classical players.

View this email online by Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna Courtesy of the artists Now that we’re halfway through 2021, many of us have begun our tentative reentry into the world. A mix of excitement and hesitancy during this strange year has meant that many of us have needed something a little different from our listening. Some of us have looked for unique, brand-new voices, while others have been soothed by the sounds of tradition and collectivity. Some of us sought albums about joy or songs made for the dancefloor, while others have chased down gentle lullabies and soothing ambient tracks. As has become our mid-year tradition, rather than sharing ranked lists, we asked each member of our team to share one song and one album from the first half of the year that has stuck with them. We’re biased, but we think the results give you a little more insight into the listeners that make up the NPR Music team. Looking for even more recommendations? Our friends at Alt.Latino invited some pals onto the podcast to talk about their favorite albums and singles from the first half of 2021, and All Songs Considered shared an episode about the best new artists of 2021 (so far). “The mind is just a hard drive,” Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna Newsletter continues after sponsor message New Music This week on New Music Friday from All Songs Considered: G Herbo digs deeper into his vulnerabilities, The Go! Team shares a record of wild pop euphoria, Laura Mvula releases her first album in five years and more. NPR Classical’s latest playlist update celebrates American mavericks to mark the independent spirit in our homegrown composers — from Charles Ives and Ruth Crawford Seeger to Morton Feldman, Harry Partch and Missy Mazzoli. #NowPlaying is our blog highlighting the best new songs, picked by our team and our friends at member stations. This week’s selections include hooky hardcore courtesy of Turnstile, a driving jazz-funk sunburst from Brandee Younger and grungy guitar rock from Squirrel Flower.  Many on our team have been fans of Lucy Dacus since we heard her debut album in 2016. Her recently released third album, Home Video, is an impressive and intimate collection of snapshots from her youth and teen years that channels what it means to revisit the past with the wisdom of distance. Featuring Following Britney Spears’ emotional appeal last week, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny denied Spears’ request to have her father, Jamie Spears, removed from the financial aspects of her conservatorship arrangement.  If you missed our Listening Party featuring pop critic Ann Powers and singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile discussing the 50th anniversary of Joni Mitchell’s Blue, check your podcast feed: We’ve shared the full conversation – including a story from Carlile on how her wife first insisted she immerse herself in the record – on a new episode of All Songs Considered. Crafted from footage of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, Summer of Soul, the directorial debut of The Roots’ Questlove, is a breathtaking chronicle of Black culture in a pivotal moment, writes critic Eric Deggans. You can also hear a conversation about the film on a new episode of Pop Culture Happy Hour. When the pandemic brought life in New York to a standstill, bassist Endea Owens combined music and message by hosting what she called Community Cookouts, serving up free meals over performances in Harlem. The Jazz Night In America team joined Owens uptown and in Queens to hear the sounds and learn more about Owens’ inspiration. For her series "America/Beautiful," Korean-American pianist Min Kwon commissioned over 70 composers to create variations of the hymn "America the Beautiful." She spoke to All Things Considered’s Ari Shapiro about her connection to the song and the inspiration for the project. From NPR Live Sessions: Watch Shungudzo perform a World Cafe At Home session.  Tiny Desk NPR It's been said that our young people are the hope of our future. If that's true, the future of classical music looks blazingly bright, judging from one of this week’s Tiny Desk (home) concerts, featuring alums of From The Top, the radio program that spotlights today's terrific young players. Also this week: To celebrate 50 years of NPR, we asked a handful of creative beatmakers to recreate the iconic themes from our news programs. Plus, we shared a home concert from Sleater-Kinney, with a full band backing up Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein for three tracks from the band’s new album Path of Wellness, plus a reimagined version of “One Beat." Incoming When composer Caroline Shaw won the Pulitzer for music at age 30, it led her to places many of her peers never reach: recognition beyond the classical scene, and the freedom to work on any kind of creative project that interests her. Next week, we’ll share a profile of Shaw that traces the flexible and ever-evolving nature of her career. One More Thing 🎆 An NPR tradition Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from WUFT 89.1 (edit station). 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! 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