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NPR News

New Mix: Julien Baker, Robert Plant, Daughter, METZ, More

NPR | By Robin Hilton,
Bob Boilen
Published August 23, 2017 at 10:13 AM EDT
Clockwise from upper left: Kip Berman of The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, Robert Plant, Julien Baker, Daughter, Liars
Courtesy of the artists
Clockwise from upper left: Kip Berman of The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, Robert Plant, Julien Baker, Daughter, Liars

It's been a little over a month since Bob Boilen and I have sat together and shared some essential tunes, but we're back with some keepers, including a new, swoon-worthy song from singer Julien Baker and a beautifully infectious track from The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart. "My Only" finds Pains frontman Kip Berman reflecting on a new chapter in his life: "I'm married, with a young daughter," he says, "and an old Volvo."

Also on the program: Former Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant continues to find new and beautiful ways to use his voice, while deftly navigating the blues and global music; the Australian band Liars, now essentially the solo project of Angus Andrew, returns with a profoundly warped new record; the trio known as Daughter get set to release what I think is its best album yet, with a mix of songs inspired by an upcoming, story-driven video game; and the Canadian noise rock band METZ has a raw and powerful new track from the group's upcoming album Strange Peace. -- Robin Hilton

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.