NHPR Music News

Alex G jumps to a major. Paramore's Zac Farro goes retro. Jim Legxacy levels up. See our long list of albums out today and listen to the New Music Friday podcast.

Michael Angelakos is reinventing Passion Pit, using residencies to workshop new music and engage fans directly. By sharing unfinished songs and embracing listener feedback he’s shaping the band’s future sound. Angelakos calls this an evolving conversation, inviting fans to join him on his experimental journey.

1960s pop star Connie Francis has died. The first female singer to chart a number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100, she sold over 40 million records before the age of 25.

The provocative singer and her sublime band give a soul-searching performance in songs that require us to look within ourselves.

It's a slow week on the Billboard charts, but a few albums and singles are still having a huge impact, including Drake's new single, "What Did I Miss?," and the soundtrack to the Netflix original movie KPop Demon Hunters.

Larry & Joe's new album combines the folk music and instruments of Venezuela and Appalachia.

The small plastic instrument has long been the go-to instrument in elementary schools. But it is capable of so much more than "Hot Cross Buns."

From the party anthem "Banquet" to the quiet "Blue," the English rock band spans its catalog at the Tiny Desk.

Justin Bieber made news on Friday when he dropped a surprise album called Swag. It is his first album in more than four years.

The new two-part documentary, which premieres Friday on HBO, is a good example of the tension between access and objectivity that filmmakers face in making documentaries on celebrities.