It’s Friday, and that means a tidal wave of newly released prestige pop is at your fingertips. In what might be the last blockbuster weekend of the year, we’ve got secretive albums from U.K. stars Dave and Lily Allen, who leaked nary a single before midnight. Demi Lovato gets back to basic, while Brandi Carlile gets introspective with some help from Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and The National’s Aaron Dessner. R&B stars Miguel and Daniel Caesar make stellar returns to the spotlight. And last (and maybe least, if you’re a purist), Bruce Springsteen reveals what an electric Nebraska would have sounded like.
New Music Friday podcast host Stephen Thompson is joined by Ayana Contreras of NPR Member station KUVO in Denver to break down their five favorite albums out today. Press play to hear the conversation and scroll down to see our long list of noteworthy albums out Oct. 24.
The Starting 5
Tortoise: Jeff Parker, Dan Bitney, Doug McCombs, John Herndon, John McEntire
Heather Cantrell/International Anthem
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Heather Cantrell/International Anthem
Our hosts share the backstories and best songs from the following albums:
🎵 Brandi Carlile, Returning To Myself
Recommended If You Like: Bon Iver, The National
🎵 Miguel, CAOS
RIYL: Frank Ocean, Childish Gambino
🎵 Tortoise, Touch
RIYL: Ennio Morricone, Neu!
🎵 Daniel Caesar, Son of Spergy
RIYL: Frank Ocean, Steve Lacy
🎵 Yazmin Lacey, Teal Dreams
RIYL: Ezra Collective, SAULT
New Music Friday is a feature of NPR’s All Songs Considered podcast. Hear the discussion on the NPR App, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
The Lightning Round
iLe.
La Buena Fortuna
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La Buena Fortuna
Five more albums we wish we had time to discuss on the podcast:
iLe, Como Las Canto YoNatural Information Society, Perseverance FlowHannah Jadagu, DescribeHether, Holy WaterJoyer, On the Other End of the Line…
Listen to each album’s best songs on our New Music Friday playlists on Spotify and Apple, or wherever you stream music.
The Long List
British rapper Dave.
Gabriel Moses/Capitol
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Gabriel Moses/Capitol
For those who want to dig even deeper, here are the week’s new albums sorted by genre:
Rap/Hip-Hop
Dave, The Boy Who Played the HarpRoddy Ricch, The Navy AlbumBilly Dean Thomas, MXHit-Boy & The Alchemist, GoldfishReuben Vincent & 9th Wonder, Welcome HomeYUNGMORPHEUS x Dirty Art Club, A Spyglass to One’s Face
R&B/Soul
Cautious Clay, The Hours: NightLeon Thomas, PHOLKS EPMonte Booker, noise / meaningNelly Moar, Love’s Law EPQueen Naija, 30. EP
Rock/Alt/Indie
Jennifer Walton, DaughtersThe Lemonheads, Love ChantJust Mustard, We Were Just HereBruce Springsteen, Nebraska ’82: Expanded EditionCarl Perkins, Some Things Never ChangeDION, The Rock ‘n’ Roll PhilosopherJim White, Inner DayParts Work (Frances Quinlan), s/t EPHorse Jumper of Love, Disaster Trick (Deluxe Edition)Major Stars, More Colors of SoundAlice Phoebe Lou, OblivionJoelton Mayfield, Crowd PleaserBabeheaven, Slower Than SoundBahamas, My Second Last AlbumBartees Strange, Shy Bairns Get Nowt EPBelly, King (30th Anniversary Edition)Circa Waves, Death & Love Pt. 2Dazy, Bad Penny EPE.R. Visit, my children will ignore you, my children will type amenEliza McLamb, Good StoryFergus McCreadie, The ShielingJesca Hoop, Selective MemoryKid Fears, Undying LoveLeanne Betasamosake Simpson, Live Like the SkyLittle Feat, The Last Record Album (Deluxe Edition)Low Girl, Is It Too Late To Freak Out?Machine Girl, Psycho Warrior: MG Ultra XMax Winter, Mourning Routine EPNaïm Amor and Kid Congo Powers, Tucson SafariNell Mescal, The Closest We’ll GetNGHTCRWLR, OZNick Mulvey, Dark Harvest Pt. 2pets, 🌀❓ (Spiral Question Mark)SPEED, ALL MY ANGELSSpiritual Cramp, RudeStroik, 65th and YorkThe Strumbellas, Burning Bridges Into Dust EPugly ozo, stargirl EPVOWWS, I’ll fill your house with an armyV/A, Naive Melodies (A reimagining of Talking Heads’ catalog)V/A, Can’t Get Enough: A Tribute to Bad Company
Pop
Lily Allen, West End GirlDemi Lovato, It’s Not That DeepRose Gray, Echo In The DustNatalie Jane, r u gonna love me?Alexander Stewart, What If?Couch, Big TalkSigrid, There’s Always More That I Could SaySkylar Grey, Angel With TattoosV/A, Nobody Wants This: The Soundtrack
Country/Folk/Americana
Billy Currington, King Of The WorldJoshua Hedley, All HatMhairi Hall & David de la Haye, Underwater CairngormsOcie Elliott, BungalowSam Burchfield, Nature Speaks
Jazz
أحمد [Ahmed], سماعSama’a (Audition)Horace Silver, Silver in Seattle: Live at the PenthousePatricia Brennan, Of the Near and FarSean Mason, A Breath of Fresh AirTheo Croker, Dream Manifest DeluxeZem Audu, You Can’t Catch Me
Global
Macario Martínez, Si Mañana Ya No EstoyAmadou & Mariam, L’amour à la folieAntibalas, HourglassOruã, SlackerSaagara, 3 The Shackleton VersionsThe Kasambwe Brothers, s/tWendy Shay, Ready
Electronic/Out There
In Transit (A Made Up Sound), s/tAuntie Flo, Birds of ParadiseBinary Algorithms, ReminiscenciasCarrier, Rhythm ImmortalChimehours, Underneath The EarthCrayon, Home Safedance arts center, dance arts center presentsDJ Aya, Good Boy EPElektro Guzzi, Liquid CenterGolden Brown, PatternerHaykal, Julmud and Acamol, Kam Min Janneh | كم من جنّةKerrie, Echoes Of The Live WireOuri, Daisy CutterPancratio, Automatic HouseRafael Toral, Traveling LightRichie Weeks, The Love Magician Archives. Boogie & Post Disco. NYC 1980 – 1983. Vol 3Squarepusher, Stereotype (Reissue)Wednesday Knudsen, Atrium
Classical
Kareem Roustom, Shades of NightMartin Fröst, B.A.C.H.
Credits
Host: Stephen Thompson
Guest: Ayana Contreras, KUVO
Audio Producer: Noah Caldwell
Digital Producer: Elle Mannion
Editor: Otis Hart
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed