Happy Friday, everyone, from NPR Music. It's New Music Friday. I'm your host, Stephen Thompson, and I'm here with my friend and colleague, Nate Chenin of WRTI in Philly. Hey, Nate. What's up, Stephen? So first up, the music you're hearing, the biggest album release of the week, as far as public reach and interest is concerned, is by Harry Styles. His new album is the follow-up to Harry's House, which won Album of the Year at the Grammys a few years ago. This one is more focused on kind of electro pop and dance music. The first single, Aperture, debuted at number one. We'll be hearing about this record for many months to come. It's called Kiss All the Time, Disco Occasionally. Nate Chenin, I know you're predominantly a jazz guy, but I also know you have an extremely broad musical palette. What are your thoughts on Harry Styles? I enjoy Harry Styles. I admire Harry Styles. I don't love his music, typically. He strikes me as, like, a genius persona. I think he's a really, really good pop star. And I've interviewed a trombonist named Kalia Vandiver who was on his last stadium tour. And she talked about what a terrific sort of team leader he is and how much trust he puts in his band members. And so, like, I have just generally positive feelings about him as a person. I'm like, I'm glad he's out there doing his thing. But I got to say, his music just never quite, it never thrills me. Like, I always feel, like, satisfied but not inspired. Although, you know, it's cool that he's veering into this electropop dance floor direction. And I think that the idea of uplift and abandon, like, we could all use some of that right now. It goes without saying we did not have advanced copies of this record prior to this conversation. We're going to have a full episode of Pop Culture Happy Hour that I'll be hosting next week, talking about this record more in depth. You know, my interactions with Harry Styles, I interviewed him. You can go on YouTube and find me interviewing him in front of the tiny desk about our shared love of the Green Bay Packers. I remember this interview. Harry Styles has a Green Bay Packers tattoo on his arm, and I needed to know more. It's interesting that you kind of say that thing about him being a great team leader, because he was an extraordinarily warm and kind and compelling person to be around. And I find myself rooting for him, even though I find his music kind of intermittently inspired. And I love several of the songs, kind of from each of his last couple records. And I'm very interested to hear what he does with this one, because I think there's potential for it to go in some interesting places. And I appreciate, kind of as you alluded to, his willingness to stretch his sound. But let's kick the show off for real with the first record we're going to talk about in depth that we have heard in its entirety. It's a new EP by Flying Lotus. It's called Big Mama. So, Stephen, you said we've heard this one in its entirety. You can hear this one in its entirety while doing the dishes and still have dishes left to do when it ends. What is it, like 13 minutes? 13 minutes. In this EP? 13 minutes. And yet the metabolism of it is so speedy that it feels like an epic, you know? And this is in keeping with Flying Lotus and his aesthetic. His birth name is Stephen Ellison. He is a producer and electronics artist who comes from a lineage. His aunt was Alice Coltrane. And he's very much tuned into this kind of like astral exploration sonically. But he's always been really attuned to sort of glitchy, electronic, atmospheric vibe. He's also very interested in video games and anime and, you know, all of that is in this release. There is an 8-bit vibe that comes through in some of these tracks. There's a track called Antelope Onigiri, and it feels like 8-bit video game music. There's a song called Pink Dream, and it gives you that feeling of leveling up in Mario Brothers. Totally. Listening to that track, it feels like you are battling Bowser. But this record, as you said, Nate, it's kind of a pocket epic. It really takes you on a journey. and I loved reading Flying Lotus kind of talking about what he wanted to accomplish with this record. And he said, you know, and I quote, I wanted it to feel like being shot out of a cannon, just explosive, unpredictable energy, like a machine that had just lost its mind. Yeah, totally. You know, it's also worth noting that Flying Lotus founded Brain Feeder Records, which has been a really important and influential, you know, boutique label of this century. and, you know, put out music by Thundercat and Kamasi Washington and many others. But Flying Lotus himself has primarily been recording for Warp. And so this actually, I don't know why, but this marks the first full Flying Lotus release on his own label imprint. Oh, interesting. Which also feels kind of significant. This is like a soup to nuts Flying Lotus brain feeder product. Absolutely. And I appreciate, Nate, the way even within the structure of this EP, it's seven songs, it's like 13 minutes, but it still has a way of ebbing and flowing. It still takes breaks. It still takes you on sonic detours. The track Horse Nuke opens on this kind of mysterious, haunting note, like it's a score of a science fiction movie. before, obviously, you know, eventually over the course of the song, it explodes into kind of skittish electro-maximalism. But I appreciated that this piece still took time to breathe. And so really in 13 minutes, it takes you on what feels like a movie-length journey. I would be curious to see as an experiment, you know, sometimes people take a song and they slow it down. You know, you create like the, you know. Justin Bieber's baby slowed down 800 times. Totally. And it sounds like Sigur Rós. Totally. I wonder what that would be like with this EP. Because, you know, as you say, there's a lot that happens. Like, if you were to run this at half speed or slower, like, you know, it would still have a lot of kinetic energy. And I wonder what it would feel like. I might have to try that sometime. Try it. Do it. Send it to me. All right. That is Flying Lotus. His new EP is called Big Mama. Next up, the artist Water Baby has a new album called Memory Be a Blade. It's brought me on the floor Things you say Makes me want you more Could it have been you Could it have been me too Who knows where I'd be If I was ever reminded of you Could it have been you Could it have been me too Who knows where I'd be If I was ever reminded of you So Water Baby is a Swedish pop and R&B singer who kind of works in that space of genre-blending, progressive R&B. Think people like Dijon and Omar Apollo. Definitely influenced by people like Bon Iver. Artists who kind of take their music, deconstruct it a little bit, warp it a little bit, and present it back to you in these strange and haunting and hypnotic ways. There's kind of a bedroom pop vibe to a bunch of the tracks on this record, but really what I felt myself doing was like retreating under headphones with it because there's real intimacy to it the closer you listen. Yeah, I totally agree. you know, the close listening reveals the extreme attention to detail in the recording of this material. You know there are also some really intentional flourishes You know there more than one track on this album where you hear the introductory throat clearing before the singing begins You know she kind of like and then she gets into her singing. It's like, why would you include that? You know, it's a kind of like verite. Yeah, it's this idea of like, we are figuring this out together, you know, like you're here for the rough draft, right? And that's very much sort of the message of these songs and of this delivery. The combination of sounding off the cuff, but being extremely intentional and deliberate in the musical decisions that you're making gives it this feel that you are just in the palm of her hand. And you take like the title track of this record, Memory Be a Blade, and it's got these string flourishes. It's got these touches that are really beautiful that really kind of hook that song kind of under your skin, but it really still, it's also enshrouding her. It's creating a little bit of a sense of mystery where you're like, what is she saying? What is she saying? You're kind of leaning in closer and closer as the song goes on and I think that she's really good at hiding the work, right? That goes into it where it feels off the cuff even though it so clearly isn't. My favorite piece of girl used to be In your eyes In your eyes In your eyes In your eyes You know, she's also good at hiding the words. Yes. I have to say that part of me leaning in is trying to figure out what she's singing. It's a little bit off-putting to me, to be honest, because she's a singer-songwriter. And I want to, you know, that sort of affect of intimacy makes me want to get inside these lyrics. And when I read a little more about her process, some of the lyrics on this album were basically freestyle. You know, like she was sort of getting hung up on the pressure of trying to craft songs. And so she kind of, you know, surrendered to the process of, you know, just feeling the vibe and the groove and singing whatever came to mind. And so, you know, in a certain way, even though she's a singer-songwriter, some of these songs don't feel as songwriter-crafted to me as they are, like, vibed into being. That is Water Baby. Her new album is called Memory Be a Blade. We've got more records we're going to talk about in depth out today, March 6th. But first, let's take a quick break. From NPR Music, it's New Music Friday. I'm Stephen Thompson here with my pal Nate Chenin of WRTI in Philly. Before we move on to our next record, Nate, I wanted to ask you, how are things going at WRTI? Oh, we are just humming over here. There's so much happening on the scene. You know, as you know, we are a classical music station as well as a jazz station. And so we cover both domains. And Philadelphia is just popping at the moment. Among other things, the city is gearing up for America's 250th anniversary. Oh, yeah. I've heard a little something about that. Philly is the cradle of liberty. And there's a lot of events coming up. And here at the station, we decided to pay tribute to that with an editorial series that I'm organizing called Let Freedom Ring. And it's a series of stories from, you know, music history that are profoundly American and distinctly Philadelphian. And so our most recent story, I actually assigned a piece to Sun Ra's biographer, John Swed. His biography of Sun Ra came out almost 30 years ago. And so I asked him to sort of reflect anew on the Sun Ra legacy. So these are the kinds of stories we're telling. It's been really, really fun to dig in and think about, you know, things that are familiar that could be seen in a new light or stories that may not be familiar to folks. Gives us a good excuse to just dig in. Yeah, that's wonderful. All right, let's move on to Shabaka. Shabaka's new album is called Of The Earth. Shabaka, now a mononym, is Shabaka Hutchings from The Commod is Coming and Sons of Kemet, a very, very adventurous jazz musician who works across many different instruments, many different forms, jazz music that sprawls into dance music, that can sprawl into ambience, that can sprawl in so many different creative directions, and is an extremely prolific collaborator. You hear Chewbacca Hutchings pop up all over the place, including on the record we're going to talk about next. This record is his first for his own label, Chewbacca Records, and it's entirely him. He's exploring beats and electronics and flute and he's rapping. He's doing everything himself and crafting a record that moves in so many different directions so seamlessly. Yeah, this is an artist who is perpetually on a journey. Yeah. Shavaka is a killer tenor saxophonist, and that's how a lot of people got to know him through Sons of Kemet and The Comet is Coming and his own band, Shavaka and the Ancestors. But several years ago, he declared that he was hanging up the saxophone and focusing on flute and specifically on shakuhachi, which is the Japanese bamboo flute that has a very fearsomely difficult technical path to mastery. and Shabaka really decided to devote himself to that practice, you know, traveling to Japan. I believe he even carved his own shakuhachi out of bamboo stalks. I mean, it's, you know, this is someone who really is about the craft. And for Shabaka, who, you know, he has family history in Barbados. He's always been interested in the Afro-Caribbean diaspora. Carnival rhythm is always, like, really important to him. And there are moments on this album where he brings back in that feeling of like folkloric, communal, sort of dance-oriented rhythm, right? So on a track like Dance in Praise, you hear that. It's simultaneously spiritual and inward-seeking, but also like, you know, it makes your body move. Let's mention, I mean, A Future Untold, which kind of opens the record. It's kind of in that dreamy, ambient jazz mode, right? Like there's this quality of like you're almost listening to ambient music as much as jazz. But obviously, you know, we've already heard an excerpt from Dance and Praise, which is a much more kind of full-bodied sound. But he's also, there's a track called Go Astray, which is this kind of sinister, haunting, kind of morphing song. And it's showcasing his rap style, you know, which is kind of low and dense and there's almost a burbling quality to his voice and the way he incorporates his voice in the song. And just sampling those three songs gives you such a sense of the extreme breadth of this record. Mind and see, justify the feeling, claim it's their basic need. The right to enslave, fake, come to speculate. Futures, I stay blind to the sharks that reside in the heart. We should say, too, that there's a lot of electronic texture and tonality on this album. He's become a really adept electronics producer. He's not dabbling at this point. He really knows what he's doing and is able to meld the organic quality of the flutes and woodwinds with the synthetic sound of these synthesizers and other electronics. And so it feels like a really well metabolized hole to me. build your partner that help me that is shabaka his new album is called of the earth next up joshua edahan has a new record it's called i know you're hurting everyone is hurting everyone is trying you have got to try With a little bit of luck and a handful of courage We will make it through the night and out to where the sun is Where the love is, manifesting with my mates Bright-faced and beaming, backseeding Benji's Mazda The world is loud but we sing louder Pistol fingers through the window, my joy is a whistle Loud in its belief, after this something good is coming My losses, they've taught me how to win Maybe the reason, ain't how good at swimming It's because I was born with wings. And the answer's right here in our hands. It always was. So Joshua Edehen is a British-born, Sweden-based Nigerian artist and poet. Kind of came up in the spoken word universe. He's a peer and friend of the artist Scroobius Pip, if you've ever heard his kind of melding of spoken word and electronic music. I should note, we just talked about Shabaka Hutchings in the previous segment, and Shabaka has collaborated extensively with Joshua Etahin. He actually turns up as a guest on this record. Joshua Etahin, you know, is maybe best known for kind of a viral song that is on this record called Mum Does the Washing, which is built out of a Twitter thread kind of boiling many different political parties and belief systems down to a metaphor about who does the laundry. It's so good. It's so good and so interesting and so like boiling very complex ideas down to bullet points, but in a way where you're just hanging on his every word. And it is such a striking track. Religion. Your mom does the washing. You thank God. Atheism. Your mom does the washing. You make a 12-part YouTube video demanding peer-reviewed evidence that she did, in fact, do the washing. Zionism. You shoved your mom into the washing machine, and the spinning made her dizzy, and that dizziness made her vomit, and you point to that vomit and call it anti-Semitism. Americanism. Your mom does the washing. It's in the Constitution. End of discussion. You know, this is a dance music album. It's funny. I feel like we mentioned Harry Styles at the top of the show, and there's this intimation that Harry Styles is looking to encourage transcendence on the dance floor. And if he can do even a little bit of what Joshua Irihan does on this album, I think it'll be a success because that is what this album does. You know, there's a lot of like techno and house rhythm here. It is most of the time a dance floor record, but on top of those beats, he is articulating some really, really thoughtful and pointed encouragement, sort of exhortations. You know, this is like an album that feels kind of post-therapy. Oh, yeah. In a really earnest way. I suspect it is literally post-therapy. Yeah, yeah. And I say to myself, hey, don't let it get you down. When life gets too loud, my bad mind's underproud. And my feelings form a crowd. I say, hey, don't let it get you down. I do want to call out his creative partner, Ludwig Parment, who crafted a lot of the instrumental beds that he's working with here. That this is definitely a pairing of a pretty sophisticated producer with a wordsmith, right? And I think they come together really, really well. I think Joshua Etahan's story is really compelling and kind of inspiring. He, you know, kind of wrote a lot of his poetry or has written a lot of his poetry from a dark place. went through a really difficult stretch in his life and kind of came out of it on the other side, to the extent that we can come out of that kind of thing fully on the other side, wanting to pair his poetry with uplifting dance music and kind of use his voice to inspire a little bit more. I know that sounds kind of corny, but it really comes through here in these songs about finding connection and community. Brother, we have to find a way to get on top of our hurting. I mean, one of the most potent examples for me is brother. He's addressing the listener, you know, in the second person, right? He's kind of like saying, you know, you've done some things that you're not proud of. You've been through some things that have hurt you. But the refrain is, you are loved. You are valued. You belong. The winds behind you are still strong. And, you know, those are very simple affirmations, but in the context of the, you know, the sonic tapestry of the track and then also everything that he has said leading up to it, every time I hear it, it kind of brings a catch to my throat. You know, it's like, man, this is like, this is really powerful stuff. And I'm sure that, you know, there's someone out there who will hear it and be changed in a certain way. Maybe you have said some unfortunate things to yourself, huh? Some cruel and unfortunate, cruel and unfortunate things. Like it's too late. Your heart isn't in the right place. Nobody want to see your face. But I have been there, brother. And that is far from the case. You are loved. You are valued. You belong. The winds behind you are still strong. That is Joshua Edahen. His new album is called I Know You're Hurting. Everyone is Hurting. Everyone is Trying. You have got to try. We've got one more record we're going to talk about in depth, as well as a lightning round of some of the other best albums out today, March 6th. But first, let's take a quick break. From NPR Music, it's New Music Friday. I'm Stephen Thompson, here with Nate Chinen of WRTI in Philadelphia. Before we get to our lightning round of some of our other favorite records out today, March 6th, we wanted to talk about one more record. It's by The Scythe. It's called Strictly for the Scythe. So The Scythe is a hip-hop collective led by Denzel Curry. You know, kind of works as its ringleader. Lots of kind of group raps. The other artists incorporated are A$AP Ferg, BK Therula, Tia Corrine, Kinyata. and you get just this big melding of voices and styles, kind of cross-generational. The number of voices that kind of pop up help give this record loads and loads and loads of energy. Stephen, I just got to say, the South still got something to say. It sure does. Man, this is a statement, this album. It has, as you said, like squad energy. Absolutely. It has a feeling of critical mass. You see on this album a whole lot of variations in flow, in style, and a few different versions of what I see as its core message, which is maybe a response to market conditions. conditions. You know, I think about the lead single Lit Effect, and it's like taking aim at influencers and, you know, like the rappers who are making a big show on social media. And it's kind of a timeless hip hop obsession. But like, what is realness in this moment? One thing I really like about Lit Effect, I'm glad you mentioned that song, is that it showcases BK The Rula. And I do appreciate the way this record foregrounds women. And, you know, BK The Rula and Tia Corrine both pop up and really have, like, very, very, very strong features on this record. sometimes these kind of collective hip-hop records will kind of bring together eight different dudes. And you can kind of get a sense of where a certain amount of individuality gets lost. And I don't think the individuality gets lost here, in part because they're foregrounding women and women who are exceptionally talented. Yeah, and the narratives also follow that identity. You know, I think of a track like Hoopty, which is just like, it's so exuberant and in your face and also grounded in a real specificity of experience. You know, all of this feels very natural. You know, like nobody is straining to like make sure that everybody gets a taste. You know, it's really like, no, no, we all we all came like ready to go. And I gotta say I went to bed last night with the song You Ain Gotta Lie just bored its way into my skull and I could not shake that hook These choruses dig in with a persistence that is, it is hard to shake. That is The Scythe. Their new album is called Strictly For The Scythe. Now, Nate, you know as well as I do, we could not get to every terrific record out today, March 6th. So we are going to welcome in a few of our friends and colleagues, each of whom is going to bring one record out today, March 6th, that they want to recommend. I'm actually going to kick us off. terrific recommendation from my treasured colleague and fellow Wisconsinite Elle Mannion. She tipped me off to a singer-songwriter named Cece Coakley, who's got a new EP out today, March 6th. If you want kind of a pat comparison, I get Phoebe Bridgers vibes, Waxahachie vibes, all the moodiness and gentle twang those names suggest. There's such a distinctive voice here, such a strong sense of phrasing and drama, and so much all-around potential for great things. I can't wait to hear more. C.C. Coakley's new EP is called Pleasant Attack. So this came up in the process of getting ready for this episode. I feel like it's a sneak attack, but it's a new album by the alto saxophonist and producer Terrace Martin. Many people know him for his work with Kendrick Lamar. But Terrace has a new album out called Purpose, and it features his signature production with a handful of really special guests, including the trumpeter Keon Harold and the vocalist Taylor McFerrin. It kind of gives us what Terrace does best, which is, you know, balancing really active drums with just this very, very cool vibe. These tracks feel a little bit like miniatures, but they, you know, they definitely, like, bring you to a place. And it's another really cool melding of contemporary R&B, hip-hop, and jazz from one of the masters of that melding. That's Terrace Martin, and the album is titled Purpose. So we're going to welcome onto the show, dear friend and colleague Anne Powers. Welcome Anne. Hello guys, how are you doing? Hey. Hey Anne. I'm so happy to be here and talk about a really extraordinary album. It's a compilation. Now we know that compilations can be kind of random sometimes, but sometimes they cohere and they become remarkable. And that's the case with Help 2, which is a sequel to the 1995 compilation Help. That 1995 compilation made history, raising more than $1.5 million for children living in war-stricken areas like Bosnia. It also won a special Brit Award. It featured people like Radiohead, Paul McCartney, Noel Gallagher. This one kind of recreates the circumstance of the 1995 version. The super producer James Ford brought a ton of musicians into Abbey Road Studios in London for a week to collaborate with each other. And the artists include this just-get-ready-for-a-crazy list. Arctic Monkeys with their first single since 2022. A Rouge Af-Tab, Cameron Winter with a new song, Damon Albarn, Depeche Mode, Green Chatton, DeFontaine's DC, the whole band, K-Tempest, just a ton of artists. Olivia Rodrigo does a beautiful version of Magnetic Field's Book of Love. That's one of my favorite tracks on the record. Beba Doobie covers Elliott Smith. This compilation just has so much to offer, and I just really encourage you to listen to it. Don't avoid it because you think, oh, it's just a random collection of songs. It's a really special record. It's called Help Too. The book of love has music in it. In fact, that's where music comes from. Some of it is just transcendental. Some of it is just freedom Wonderful. Thank you, Ann Powers. Let's bring in Tom Huizinga, dear friend of the show. He's taught me more about classical music than I ever thought I was capable of knowing. What have you got for us, Tom? Hey, folks, I've got some music to lower your blood pressure, Stephen. It's some very chilled out sounds by the late Icelandic composer Johan Johansson, recorded by pianist Alice Sara Ott, who, by the way, played a brilliant Tiny Desk a couple of years ago. You should check it out if you haven't. I kind of feel like Johansson's music is the gift that keeps on giving. Since his unexpected death back in 2018, he was only 48. Albums keep popping up of his music, and this one reimagines some of his best-loved pieces, including some of his film scores, as just solo piano works. Alice Sarah Ott even traveled to Iceland to record the music with folks that knew Johansson to get like a better vibe. And she plays it all on this upright piano, which kind of makes sense because she's laying the music bare, as it were, reducing it to just solo piano. And I think it adds to the inward looking feel and intimacy of Johansson's music. So let's listen to this piece, typically bittersweet. It's from the film score to The Theory of Everything, which you might remember starred Eddie Redmayne as the physicist Stephen Hawking. That's The Theory of Everything, played by Alice Sarah Ott from a new record of music of Johann Johannsen, reduced to just solo piano music. It's really great. All right. Thank you, Tom Heisinger. Let's bring on Dear Friend Boy. If Tom has taught me so much about classical music, Lars Gottrich has taught me so much about music just beyond my wheelhouse and has really helped expand my musical palette and gotten me into some of my all-time favorite artists. So glad to have you on the show. Lars, what do you got for us? So, Stephen, imagine it's the end of the 90s. Limp Bizkit is the biggest thing on radio. Unfortunately, there is anxiety around the Y2K bug. And Cher's Believe is one of the biggest songs in the world. And believe it or not, all these things collapse into one record called Matcha Loved Bedhead. Oh, yeah. which is getting a nice reissue after 26 years, after being woefully out of print. This was a collaboration between two indie rock bands in the 90s, Bedhead from Dallas, Texas. One of my favorites. Yeah, they've been kind of called the quintessential indie rock band, which is hard for me to argue with. And then Matcha, a more experimental indie rock band from Athens, Georgia, that would include elements of like post-punk and kraut rock and some gamelan instruments into the mix. So this record's got a little bit of everything. It's moody, it's anxious, as was the mood at the time. That's the record, Matcha Loved Bedhead by the band's Bedhead and Matcha. Not kind. Not kind. A smoke and a drink No more signs But in my eyes And that is our show for this week. Thank you to Lars Gottrich, Anne Powers, and Tom Heisinger for joining us for this week's lightning round. Thank you, Stephen. Thank you. Thanks so much for having us. And thank you, Nate Chenin, for taking time out of your week at WRTI. RTI in Philly. Always a pleasure. Thanks for having me. If you enjoyed this week's show, we always appreciate a positive review on Apple or Spotify or whatever app you're listening to right now. This episode was produced by Noah Caldwell and Elle Mannion and edited by Otis Hart. Our production assistant is Dora Levitt. The executive producer of NPR Music is Saraya Mohamed. We'll be back next week to discuss new music with Amelia Mason from WBUR in Boston. Until then, take a moment to be well, store up some rest for the hour we're losing this weekend, and treat yourself to lots of great music. Thank you.
