Celebrating bird songs with Laurie Anderson, Yo-Yo Ma, Terry Riley and more

Plus, a Tiny Desk concert from JID.

View this email online Sept. 10, 2022 by Marissa Lorusso This week, we’re sharing reflections from Bob Boilen on a new record of songs and audio based around birds — plus, a Tiny Desk concert from JID. Bob Boilen This week, All Songs Considered featured a conversation about an enormous new compilation album inspired by birds, including contributions from Laurie Anderson, Cassandra Jenkins, Yo-Yo Ma, Beck, The Flaming Lips, Andrew Bird, Terry Riley and many more. My colleague Bob Boilen has really been enjoying the album lately — especially since he’s also recently gotten into birdwatching. So I asked him to tell me a little about what drew him to the release. Here’s what he wrote: I’ve become obsessed. Around 7 a.m. most mornings I grab my camera and my special lens and go looking for birds. Hummingbirds are my favorite, but so are the blue herons and northern mockingbirds, eastern bluebirds, yellow finches … and the list gets longer with new discoveries. Before COVID, I’d photograph 500-plus bands a year, but in March of 2020 all that came to an abrupt halt — now, it’s all for the birds. They’re beautiful and also more challenging to capture than a lead guitarist or a closed-eyed singer. And as I’ve discovered birding, I became hyper aware of references to birds in my music listening: the lyrical imagery, the sounds, synthesizers mimicking birds. Start listening for these things and you’ll hear what I mean. Then along comes Randall Poster, a music supervisor for Wes Anderson and Martin Scorsese films. He was living in New York City in early 2020 when the cars stopped and his neighborhood hushed. He and his friend Rebecca Reagan began to notice the sounds of birds, and they had the idea to reach out to artists and have them write songs and poems about birds. Now, an astonishing 242 original works are part of this amazing collection called For The Birds: The Birdsong Project. I spoke to Randall Poster on this week’s All Songs Considered. Give a listen. And I thought I had a thing for birds! —Bob Boilen, All Songs Considered Newsletter continues after sponsor message More to read, watch and hear Holed up on opposite coasts, rapper Roc Marciano and producer the Alchemist — two key figures in underground rap — have been gradually moving toward a shared sonic goal. The duo reaches an apex, argues critic Phillip Mlynar, on its new album, The Elephant Man's Bones. This week, singer, songwriter and fiddle player Amanda Shires spoke to Fresh Air about falling in love with the fiddle, being a "disciple" of Leonard Cohen and writing her excellent new album, Take It Like A Man. The Puerto Rican rapper Residente is recognized for being a groundbreaking, genre-bending artist — as well as a thoughtful speaker on Latin American politics who is well-versed in the region's history. Lately, he’s set his mind on challenging the meaning of America: "Everyone is American on this continent," he says. In the latest installment of Jazz Night in America’s Youngbloods series, the team talks to Isaiah J. Thompson, a young musician and composer with a mature touch and rare combination of talent, creativity, humility and honesty. This week, our friends at member station KUTX shared a video of Lyle Lovett performing live. Tiny Desk NPR “Everything JID does is intricately detailed,” writes my colleague Bobby Carter. The East Atlanta emcee recently gave a meticulous, stripped-down performance at the Tiny Desk of songs from his new album, plus career-defining songs in ways we've never heard before. Also this week: We shared a Tiny Desk concert from young rising violin star Randall Goosby filled with secure technique, natural phrasing and gorgeous tone. One More Thing “All The Things She Said” is still running through our heads. Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from WUFT 89.1 (edit station). Need a new playlist? Follow NPR Music on Spotify and Apple Music 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! 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