“White Sky”
“I Stand Corrected”
“Diane Young”
“Step”
“Diplomat’s Son”
“Unbelievers”
“Ya Hey”
“Campus”
“Oxford Comma”
“Contra”
“One (Blake’s Got A New Face)”

• Ghosts And Creaturesby TelekinesisDownload

The NPR Music Showcase at Stubb’s ( clockwise from left: Waxahatchee, Nick Cave, Cafe Tacvba, Yeah Yeah Yeahs) | Photos by John Vettese

NPR Music‘s annual showcase at Stubb’s BBQ has become a coveted ticket at South By Southwest, and last night’s bill was a knockout. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds gave a stunning, electrified performance of songs from their new Push the Sky Away; Philly’s Waxahatchee played a hushed and intimate indoors set; Mexico five-piece Cafe Tacuba rallied the outdoor crowd with song and dance; and Yeah Yeah Yeahs notched the energy up even further, premiering songs from their new LP Mosquito and taking a deep-digging trip into their back catalog.

The capacity crowd was teeming with excitement for Cave, who’s an expert at constructing a mood. “We’re going to start with a rather long song,” Cave said, pointing to the dusky sky as they took the stage. “Hopefully, by the time we finish, it will be dark.” The eight simmering minutes of “Higgs Bosun Blues” led to the equally restrained, nervy “Wide Lovely Eyes.” “Jubilee Street” dialed up the energy – it was a much more raucous take on it than we hear on the record – and by the Bad Seeds’ signature “From Her to Eternity,” the energy was so high and the volume so loud that the Stubb’s PA cut in and out. It stayed at this pinned level for the remainder of the hour-long set, meaning Cave’s normally flawless vocal delivery grew shaky at the louder points. “The Mercy Street,” however, slayed, and the title track to Push the Sky brought the vibe down to a calmer, but nonetheless uneasy level.

Waxahatchee’s indoor set followed, and singer-guitarist admitted that she was a bit nervous – this being her first South by Southwest, and on a major showcase no less. Her uneasiness showed – she played with more confidence and fervor at the tour kickoff show a few weeks back – but it wasn’t long till the performance relaxed into a touching, strangely comforting mix of solo contemplation and full-band rockery. Back outside, Cafe Tacvba’s set was mesmerizing. The band has been around for over 20 years, are pretty much rock stars in their native Mexico, but much lesser known in the U.S. Vocalist Rubén Isaac Albarrán Ortega was unreal onstage – he worked the crowd in a way that reminded me both of Anthony Kiedes and Paul Sprangers of Free Energy, leaping around the stage, pointing and smiling at members of the crowd. It was athletic, acrobatic, and the dance moves he and his bandmates delivered – while self-consciously corny on the one hand – were pretty incredible as well.

Rivaling Cave’s set in terms of audience anticipation was the performance by Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and as NPR Music’s Bob Boilen pointed out on Twitter, Karen O knows how to make an entrance. Decked out in a bright yellow jumpsuit with silver studs and wrapped in a streamer boa, she rushed onstage to the racing title track of the forthcoming album, due out April 18th on Interscope. The band played four songs from it – the gospel-punk single “Sacrilege,” as well as the spaced-out “Subway” and “Under the Earth.” The rest of their set pulled surprisingly broadly from the band’s back-catalogue, going all the way back to their debut 2001 EP for two shredders (“Art Star” and “Miles Away”), and hitting on all of their full-length albums. Like Cave, Karen’s voice was shaky at points, but more out of overexertion – if you’ve seen them live, you know she can freaking scream. Probably the most refreshing thing about their set was the air of giddiness and informality about it – like the band was playing for a small crowd of friends, not a massive crowd of fans and industry folks. And for all the whisperings you read about how Yeah Yeah Yeahs actually hate one another, how they all live in separate states and separate coasts, and how the collaborative magic of their Brooklyn beginnings is no more – it all seemed moot. The band was having a visibly great time performing with one another.

Check out a full gallery of the showcase below, and read Cave and Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ setlists below.

Nick Cave Setlist
Higgs Bosun Blues
Wide Lovely Eyes
Jubilee Street
From Her to Eternity
Red Right Hand
Jack the Ripper
Deanna
Mercy Street
Stagger Lee
Push the Sky Away

Yeah Yeah Yeahs Setlist
Mosquito
Cold Night
Under the Earth
Art Star
Gold Lion
Zero
Subway
Maps
Sacrilege
Cheated Hearts
Miles Away
Heads Will Roll

Last year, the Internet was abuzz with glowing reviews of Olsen’s sophomore release Half Way Home and rightly so, for her emotive singing, honest lyrics, and rawness of spirit resounded with many listeners (including this one). Folkadelphia was lucky enough to capture to record a few songs while Angel was in Philadelphia, which is available here for streaming and download.

Photo by Andreas Laszlo Konrath courtesy of the artist

Love This Giant brings Byrne and Clark together in provocative and frequently exciting ways, thanks in part to a slyly funky horn section and an overarching sense of brainy boldness. Though they swap lead-vocal duties, Byrne’s jittery, globe-trotting eclecticism tends to overshadow Clark’s efforts, in part because the horns’ volume forces her guitar work out of the foreground. But Byrne sounds more invigorated than he has in years, and as one of the best young singers, arrangers and guitarists in the business, Clark possesses a craftsmanship-intensive oddness which meshes nicely with his.

Listen to Love This Giant in its entirety via NPR Music here.

Fragrant World functions on many levels: It’s bound to inspire some bang-up dance remixes, in spite of (and, let’s face it, because of) the swirling, searching layers of gloom sewn into its margins. Inspired equally by R&B records and Blade Runner, it’s the sort of record that rewards a bit of exploration, but it never forgets to dole out fun, easy payoffs along the way.

WXPN Welcomes Yeasayer to Union Transfer on Friday, November 16th. Go here for tickets and more information about the show. Below, download “Henrietta” from the new album.

• Henriettaby Yeasayer from Fragrant WorldDownload

Philly-born Santigold’s sophomore album, Master Of My Make-Believe, is set for release on May 1st (via Downtown and Atlantic Records). Earlier this month, she announced a series of tour dates in support of the release, including a performance at the Trocadero on Tuesday, May 8th. From NPR Music:

As uncompromising in her own way as M.I.A., whose music attacks more viscerally, Santigold seems ambivalent about most everything she touches on Master of My Make-Believe — especially success, if “Fame” is any indication. Even the profanity-laced “Look at These Hoes” seems to straddle the line between loathing material excess and embracing it; in that case, the result feels deadpan to the point of half-heartedness.

With its frequent nods to island rhythms — and the aid of collaborators from old standbys Diploand Switch to Yeah Yeah Yeahs‘ Karen O — Master of My Make-Believe has a sprawl to it that belies its 38-minute run time. As a result, whether a given song comes out as a jolt (“Freak Like Me”) or a trot (“Pirate in the Water”), Master of My Make-Believe feels packed and filling. But fun has been edged out of the equation a bit, in favor of an emphasis on ferocity and artistry that’s increasingly hard to deny

You can read the full write-up and listen to the album in its entirety here.

From NPR Music:

Joan Osborne has just returned to the national stage with an album of her favorite blues and R&B songs, Bring It On Home. The collection, co-produced with guitarist Jack Petruzzelli, features tracks made famous by Muddy Waters, Ray Charles, Al Green andOtis Redding.

Osborne offered her interpretations of these classic cuts during a webcast from World Cafe Live in Philadelphia on Friday, April 6.

You can listen to the performance in its entirety here.

It All Means Nothing by WeGetPress

[O]n his new solo album, Clear Heart Full Eyes, Finn kicks himself free from the crutches of rock. It’s a sad sort of breakup record, barren and broken and informed by the wisdom of age, but his instantly recognizable speak-singing ramble remains. Finn’s starker side is, of course, nicely conducive to stripped-down arrangements behind Bob Boilen’s desk at the NPR Music offices: All these mournful, inward-facing songs (including the unreleased “Jeremiah’s Blues”) really require is Finn, his acoustic guitar and the indispensable pedal steel of Ricky Ray Jackson.

You can watch the video below; you can also read the full write-up and download the audio over at NPR Music.

Dusdin Condren/Courtesy of the artist

From NPR Music:

Even when she’s conveying disappointment, hurt or longing, Van Etten sounds more assertive and complex these days, aided by the ever-knottier contributions of guest players from The National, Wye Oak, Beirut and The Walkmen. The feathery coos of “Much More Than That” have given way to a tensely argumentative and conflicted sneer in “Serpents,” the remarkable first single from Tramp, out Feb. 7. When she sings, “I had a thought that you would take me seriously,” her words are smeared with accusation instead of apologies. She says it herself in the song’s chorus: “Everyone changes in time.” By the time she gets to “All I Can” a few songs later, even her most defensive pronouncements — “I do all I can / We all make mistakes” — ring out with stormy grandiosity that sounds downright triumphant.

You can read the full write-up and listen to the album here. XPN Welcomes Sharon Van Etten and Shearwater to Johnny Brenda’s at 9:15 p.m. Friday, February 10th; tickets to the 21+ show are SOLD OUT.

Photo by Joe del Tufo

From NPR Music:

Philadelphia’s Dr. Dog has drawn glowing comparisons to legendary groups — The Beatles, Pavement, Guided by Voices — across the spectrum of rock. Formed in 1999 as a side project of another band, the group soon became a local favorite, eventually breaking out after touring with My Morning Jacket‘s Jim James in 2004.

Dr. Dog’s subsequent albums achieved critical success; on Fate, the group recalled elements of psychedelic pop, while on Shame, Shame it embraces the slacker rock of the early ’90s. The band’s next record, Be the Void, comes out on Feb. 7. Hear Dr. Dog preview its new record live in concert from WXPN and World Cafe Live.

You can listen to the performance here.

Set List
“That Old Black Hole”
“These Days”
“How Long Must I Wait”
“Warrior Man”
“Lonesome”
“Over Here, Over There”
“Vampire”
“Do The Trick”

Photo by Joe Del Tufo

From NPR Music:

Yet another band that’s catapulted into the public eye via a catchy iPod jingle, Chairlift quickly built a substantial reputation on the pop scene of the late 2000s. The electronic pop group originated as a duo at the University of Colorado and then relocated to Brooklyn. Hear Chairlift perform live in concert from WXPN and World Cafe Live.

Though frequently compared to other heavily electronic groups such as MGMT and Yeasayer, Chairlift has a sound that’s far sweeter in comparison. The band’s debut album, Does You Inspire You?contained the aforementioned jingle, “Bruises,” and showcased Chairlift’s multilayered, versatile electronic sound. The band’s upcoming sophomore record is entitled Something.

You can listen to the performance in its entirety here.

Autumn de Wilde

Nada Surf releases its new album on Tuesday, January 24th, called The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy. The band performs at the TLA on Monday, April 9th. For tickets and more information about the show, go here. NPR Music is streaming the new album in its entirety here. Below, download a new song, “When I Was Young” from the album. Stephen Thompson of NPR Music writes about the album:

Now seven albums into a 20-year career, Nada Surf relies on familiar ingredients throughout The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy, out Jan. 24: big guitars, beautiful vocal harmonies, generous affirmations. But a new Nada Surf record is formulaic the way springtime is formulaic: It’s always there to be counted on, and always an intoxicating arrival.

• When I Was Youngby Nada Surf from The Stars Are Indifferent To AstronomyDownload

Tina Korhonen/Courtesy of the artist

Rodrigo y Gabriela are releasing their new album, Area 52, next Tuesday, January 24th. The album, recorded mostly in Havana with a 13-piece Cuban orchestra, is streaming now in its entirety at NPR Music. WXPN Welcomes the band to the Tower Theatre on Saturday, April 21st. For more information about the show go here. In exchange for your e-mail address you can download a new song, “Juan Loco,” for free below.

Photo by Joe Del Tufo

From NPR Music:

Real Estate doesn’t take long to set a tone of wistful, rose-colored nostalgia on Days, its second album of reverb-y beach-pop. Given thatThe Beach Boys made a virtually eternal career out of a similar formula — cheery romanticism that masks an undercurrent of alienated melancholy — it’s easy to get behind the band’s winsome charms, which are surprisingly well suited to the arrival of cool weather. The band’s music may cry out to be heard through a beachside boom box on the New Jersey shore, but singer-guitarist Martin Courtney’s words look back in bittersweet regret: “Our careless lifestyle / It was not so unwise,” he sings in the chorus of “Green Aisles.”

You can listen to the performance in its entirety here.

Photo by Kristin Wilson

From NPR Music:

At 21, Laura Marling is already one of the great young folk singer-songwriters. With a sound characterized by graceful, refined lyricism and remarkable melodies, she’s attracted widespread praise for her third album, A Creature I Don’t Know.

Growing up surrounded by music, Marling made her way to London at 16 to join the “new-folk” movement; she soon became a part of Noah and the Whale and collaborated with acts such as Mystery Jets and The Moldy Peaches. She then released her solo debut Alas I Cannot Swim in 2008, and was promptly nominated for the Mercury Prize. The graceful, gorgeous I Speak Because I Can followed in 2010.

On A Creature I Don’t Know, Marling has crafted an album both hauntingly mystifying and warmly welcoming. The album’s theme could be seen as deeply personal — Marling sings of a woman who struggles against herself and convention — but at the same time, it’s both difficult and gratifying to interpret. With jazz overtones, plucked banjo and lots of angry guitars, A Creature I Don’t Know is mesmerizing.

You can listen to the show in its entirety here.

Photo by Jon Bergman

From NPR Music:

The U.K. band Los Campesinos! makes an ornery and quotable ruckus of the kind that could only come from seven talented brats clamoring to be heard over the din they create collectively. A single Los Campesinos! song can produce enough memorable lines to fill a dozen email signatures, provided it’s possible to parse the words over singer Gareth’s Welsh-accented mushmouth and the mad clatter that constantly threatens to drown him out.

“By Your Hand,” which kicks off Hello Sadness — the band’s fourth full-length album in four years, out Nov. 15 — is full of salty zingers about hands in trousers and a lover who vomits down the front of the protagonist’s rental tux. Conflict rages on and off through the song, with Gareth proclaiming this “a good night for a fistfight,” but the ever-escalating cataclysm that accompanies it is pure joy, complete with shout-along choruses.

You can read NPR’s full write-up and listen to the album in its entirety here. Los Campesinos! performs with Reading Rainbow at 8 p.m. Friday, November 18th, at Union Transfer; tickets to the all-ages show are $15-$18. —Marielle Mondon

A folk-punk singer-songwriter from Winchester, England, Frank Turner combines rock with poetry, juxtaposing gorgeous melodies and an aggressive stage presence. He spent his early years fronting short-lived bands like Kneejerk and Million Dead, but since striking out on his own in 2005, he’s played ever-larger stages, even supporting Green Day on its European tour.

Turner’s latest album, England Keep My Bones, offers a compelling assortment of acoustic ballads, hard-rock ragers and an a cappella account of the Norman Conquest. Hear his songs from a performance at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia.

You can listen to the performance in its entirety here.

It’s also maybe the first book best read at the computer, with your browser open to YouTube. Any given page triggers memories of a classically great or awful video. Rob Tannenbaum and Craig Marks, the book’s co-authors, have been busy creating playlists to promote their new release. They’re both buddies of mine, so I asked them to do a special one for The Record. What they came up with is deliciously hideous: the top videos artists regret making, accompanied by excerpts from the book.

And there it is, sitting right at the top of the (unranked) list, the video for Hall And Oates’ “Adult Education”—of which Daryl Hall says: “Videos began to attract wannabe Cecil B. Demilles, directors who had almost unlimited budgets and did whatever they felt like. ‘Adult Education’ is a perfect example. We brought in a director I didn’t know [Tim Pope], who was newly hot. He didn’t have a clue what to do with the song. The plot? I couldn’t tell you.” Below, the video, in all of its head-scratching glory.

Via NPR Music:

Matthew Sweet has been crafting catchy power-pop since the early ’80s. He was the toast of the alternative rock scene in Athens, Ga., for much of that decade, collaborating with R.E.M.‘s Michael Stipe in a band called Community Trolls, as well as the groups Oh-OK and the Buzz of Delight. But it wasn’t until the release of his third album, Girlfriend, in 1991 that his power-pop sound broke through and paved the way to a more successful career. Sweet has been releasing well-received albums ever since, both solo and with The Bangles’ Susannah Hoffs.

Sweet’s new solo record, Modern Art, is an abstract yet introspective collection of songs. He performed songs from this record, as well as old favorites from Girlfriend, in a performance from World Cafe Live in Philadelphia.

You can listen to the entire performance here.

From NPR Music:

A veteran of 1970s bluegrass bands such as Buffalo Gals, Nancy Josephson later let music fall by the wayside in favor of a successful career as a visual artist. But in 2006, her husband David Bromberg convinced her to jam with him and some friends — and Josephson was, once again, hooked by the music. She began the folk group Angel Band, which released its first album With Roots & Wings in 2007. Along with Kathleen Weber and Aly Paige, Josephson has wooed fans with her careful attention to three-part harmonies, citing gospel and traditional spiritual music as influences.

Josephson and multi-instrumentalist Marc Moss wrote and composed most of the songs on Angel Band’s latest release, Shoot the Moon, and brought the group to World Cafe Live in Philadelphia for an afternoon performance.

You can listen to the entire performance here.

From NPR Music:

“This month, World Cafe celebrates its 20th anniversary as a showcase for music discovery, intimate interviews and live performances. While the 20 artists showcased in The Best of World Cafe are legendary, we want to get a head start on the 40th-anniversary celebration by looking ahead at who could step into the spotlight next.

World Cafe Next was designed to highlight up-and-coming artists; those who are on the precipice of buzz-band status or the cusp of becoming a household name. To bring you in on the fun, you’re invited to check out this sampler of 20 bands to watch in the coming years. All the songs have been handpicked by the minds behind World Cafe, who seem to have a knack for predicting who will make it big.World Cafe Next alumni include Fleet Foxes, St. Vincent, Dawes and Peter Bjorn & John, who have put out some of the best and most exciting albums of 2011.”

Full track listing:

Carter Tanton, “Horrorscope”
Pink Skull, “Hot Bubblegum”
Canon Blue, “Indian Summer”
Superhuman Happiness, “Needles And Pins”
Jonathan Wilson, “Rolling Universe”
Nikki Lane, “Gone, Gone, Gone”
I Break Horses, “Hearts”
Still Corners, “Cuckoo”
The Stepkids, “Santos & Ken”
Dreamers Of The Ghetto, “State Of A Dream”
TV Girl, “Lizzy Come Back To Life”
The Devil Makes Three, “Tow”
Family Of The Year, “St. Croix”
Sonya Cotton, “Frozen Hands”
Warm Ghost, “I Will Return”
Letting Up Despite Great Faults, “Teenage Tide”
Peggy Sue, “Changed And Waiting”
Zola Jesus, “Vessel”
Mariah MacManus, “Say It Again”
The Alabama Shakes, “I Found You”

Photo by Mike Vorassi

Via NPR Music:

[Singer Sam] Herring and Future Islands succeed on their latest release — On the Water, out Oct. 11 — which trades (most of) the band’s dance-floor catharsis for heart-tugging slow-burners. If you’re worried that the loss of beats per minute hinders what has made the band memorable live and in the recording studio, don’t fret. The group has the ability to make affecting music by using less — for an example, see the title track, which opens the record.

Despite the minimalist approach, Future Islands’ members make use of the studio and take advantage of the overwhelming amount of talent in their home city. Lush strings highlight “Grease,” while field recordings of wind chimes and the sea bookend the album. Wye Oak‘s Jenn Wasner makes an appearance in the lovely “The Great Fire,” while Double Dagger’s Denny Bowen provides live drums and percussion throughout On The Water.

You can read the full write-up and listen to streaming audio of the album here. Future Islands performs with Ed Schrader’s Music Beat at 7:30 p.m. Friday, December 2nd, at Kung Fu Necktie; tickets to the 21+ show are $10.

Via NPR Music:

Rachael Yamagata is a vibrant singer-songwriter whose rich and sultry voice channels influences from jazz, pop, rock and blues. That array of styles makes sense, considering that Yamagata first honed her skills as a vocalist for the funk band Bumpus and lent her voice to three of its albums.

As she shifted into a solo career, Yamagata released her first full-length LP, Happenstance, in 2004. Her new album, Chesapeake, came out this month. With a smoky voice that swirls above her elegant keyboard melodies, the product is a whimsical yet heartbreaking ode to lost love. In anticipation of the album’s release, Yamagata joined forces with her brother, director Josh Ruben, to produce a video for the single “Even If I Don’t.”

You can listen to the entire performance here.

Photo by Angel Ceballos

From NPR Music:

Conatus finds Nika Danilova, a.k.a. Zola Jesus, pushing the boundaries of her previous work to create an album filled with hauntingly beautiful songs. It also shows her taking a giant leap forward in production, with big arrangements in songs both fierce and fragile — and, for the first time, live string instruments.

As before, Danilova’s operatic vocals remain front and center. Her classically trained voice is commanding, rich and silky. Each song overflows with emotion: dark and moody, yet buoyant. As dark as they may seem, the songs have the capacity to induce comfort, even jubilation.

You can read NPR’s full write-up and listen to the album in its entirety here. Zola Jesus performs at 8 p.m. Thursday, October 20th, at First Unitarian Church; tickets to the all-ages show are $13. 

Photo by Jeff Elstone

From NPR Music:

On her new album Seasons on Earth, out Sept. 20, Philadelphia songwriter Meg Baird stokes that sonic campfire, using its heat to draw listeners near to her thoughts and observations. These are songs about transitions: growing up, growing away, searching for a place to be and a way to love. But while Baird’s lyrics may be about changes and uncertainties, she sets them to music that offers a sense of reassurance by connecting her audience to old traditions in new ways.

In “Stars Climb up the Vine” and “The Finder,” Baird’s finger-picking shares common ground with the meditative musical patterns of minimalism. There’s a discursive, unhurried quality to the way her songs unfurl, transcending the usual shape and size of folk songs. Baird’s singing — familiar to some listeners from her work with the band Espers — is both fragile and robust. There’s a sense of authenticity to this music: It’s authentically felt and expressed, authentically new, and authentically part of an ancient tradition.

You can read the full write-up and listen to the album in its entirety here, courtesy of NPR Music’s First Listen.

Neon Indian

Via NPR Music’s First Listen:

Neon Indian’s new album, Era Extraña, follows 2009′s breakthrough debut Psychic Chasms.Recorded in Helsinki and mixed by Dave Fridmann, the record builds on the charm of its predecessor by adding new musical colors and depth to Palomo’s swirling, computerized pop songs. Many of the new tracks are anchored in ’80s synth-pop and new wave, from Depeche Mode and Thompson Twins to Joy Divison and even Genesis. In fact, “Halogen (I Could Be a Shadow)” would segue nicely into “Turn It on Again.”

The added musical depth on Era Extraña prevents it from sounding like a mere extension ofPsychic Chasms. “The Blindside Kiss” is fueled by its Jesus and Mary Chain-style buzzsaw guitars and dark, reverberating vocals. “Hex Girlfriend” begins with warbly lo-fi computer-game sounds before exploding into a synth-pop joyride that’s equal parts The Fall and The Human League. “Fallout” could have been lifted from David Bowie‘s Low, with its pulsing and brooding bursts of melodic synthesizers and breathy vocals. —Bruce Warren

You can read the full write-up and listen to the album here. Neon Indian performs with Niki And The Dove at 8 p.m. Thursday, September 15, at First Unitarian Church; tickets to the all-ages show are $14–$15. 

And, of St. Vincent’s new Strange Mercy, NPR Music says:

Annie Clark’s popularity has grown considerably in the past few years — from a costumed member of Polyphonic Spree and winged member of Sufjan Stevens‘ band to an exceptional artist in her own right as St. Vincent — but so too have her musical gifts. For all that’s been said about her beguiling vocals and her knack for fearlessly creative compositions, what shines throughout St. Vincent’s new Strange Mercy is Clark’s guitar work. From the first bit of lip-curling guitar buzz in “Chloe in the Afternoon” to the freak-out riffs of “Northern Lights,” it’s clear that Clark has mastered her instrument in a way increasingly few in indie rock do. She manipulates and contorts and totally shreds on the guitar, creating a full arsenal of textures that provide the backbone of St. Vincent’s third and best album so far. —Michael Katzif

You can read the full write-up and listen to the album here. St. Vincent performs at 8 p.m. Wednesday, November 2nd, at Union Transfer; tickets to the all-ages show are $16–$18.