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NPR News

New Mix: Harry Styles, The National, Fleet Foxes And More

NPR | By Robin Hilton,
Bob Boilen
Published May 16, 2017 at 11:21 AM EDT
Clockwise from upper left: The National, Kalbells, Harry Styles, Fleet Foxes
Courtesy of the artists
Clockwise from upper left: The National, Kalbells, Harry Styles, Fleet Foxes

Yes, it's true: Harry Styles of the British boy band One Direction has taken a huge left turn on his debut solo album, turning in an infectious, sometimes gritty batch of rock songs inspired by The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and other classic bands he grew up listening to. Robin kick's this week's show off with one of these surprising new songs, the playful earworm "Carolina."

Bob follows with the complete opposite, a song from Kalmia Traver he's currently obsessed with. Traver, a singer and saxophonist from the band Rubblebucket, has a new solo album under the name Kalbells, filled with a kaleidoscope of colorful sounds, including coyote howls and whistling.

Also on the show: World Cafe host Talia Schlanger joins us with a gorgeous, stripped-down tear-jerker from Anthony LaMarca , singer of folk-pop duo The Building, recorded at her request; Fleet Foxes does some soul-searching with another track from its first new album in nearly six years; Dr. Danny of the psych-rock band The Lemon Twigs goes solo with a trippy new EP; and The National reflects on the age of alternative facts with a cut from its upcoming album Sleep Well Beast.

Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

NPR News
Robin Hilton
Robin Hilton is the Senior Podcast Producer for NPR Music and hosts the New Music Friday episodes of All Songs Considered. He is also a composer and multi-instrumentalist whose original scores have appeared in podcasts, films, radio programs and other works. He arranged and performed the theme for NPR's Weekend All Things Considered and composed and performed its elections coverage theme. You can hear more of his music here.
Bob Boilen
In 1988, a determined Bob Boilen started showing up on NPR's doorstep every day, looking for a way to contribute his skills in music and broadcasting to the network. His persistence paid off, and within a few weeks he was hired, on a temporary basis, to work for All Things Considered. Less than a year later, Boilen was directing the show and continued to do so for the next 18 years.