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New Mix: The 1975, Nothing, Laurie Anderson On Hurricane Sandy, More

Clockwise from upper left: Laurie Anderson, cover art for Nothing, Audible, Liminal
Courtesy of the artists
Clockwise from upper left: Laurie Anderson, cover art for Nothing, Audible, Liminal

Music often touches on the intimate and ephemeral — a fleeting crush, the deteriorating relationship, a euphoric, one-night-only celebration. But songs on this week's episode of All Songs Considered grapple with more sweeping, thematically weighty subjects, from xenophobia and immigration (IDLES) to Hurricane Sandy (Laurie Anderson) to the inherent meaninglessness of life (Nothing) — things beyond individual control.

Also on the show: a cool Tiny Desk entry from the neo-soul group Audible; the distinctively millennial reflections of The 1975's newest single; the wishful thinking of New York songwriter Sam Evian; and excerpts from the "endless mixtape" of Liminal, the newest project of Icelandic rock band Sigur Rós.

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

Catherine Zhang
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.
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.