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Music Reviews

Review: 'Neon Golden'

The German group The Notwist makes electronic music with laptops and samplers. They pile sounds one atop another into massive collages. Over a decade they've become known for a heavy, industrial rock sound. With their newest release, Neon Golden, the group takes a different approach. Critic Tom Moon has a review.

Review: 'Neon Golden'

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Gregor Piatigorsky: A Musician's Love of Art

Gregor Piatigorsky, the Russian cello virtuoso, used to talk about "tasting the blood" of music -- music as destiny. "You are taken by it," he said. Piatigorsky also was taken by the works of art he collected. Samples of his collection -- along with his prized Stradivarius cello -- are on exhibit in Baltimore. NPR's Susan Stamberg reports.

Gregor Piatigorsky: A Musician's Love of Art

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New Music

Annoying Music for May Day

The birds are singing, the flowers are blooming and May Day is soon upon us. But somehow Jim Nayder, the Annoying Music Man, finds a way to spoil the beauty of it all. On Weekend Edition Saturday, Nayder shares some terrible recordings he considers appropriate for May Day with NPR's Linda Wertheimer.

Annoying Music for May Day

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Angola's Children and the Legacy of Civil War

This month, Angola celebrated its first year of relative peace following 27 years of brutal civil war. The impact of that long-lasting conflict on Angola's children is documented in a new book, Free to Play in Peace. Published by the Christian Children's Fund, the book is a collection of drawings, poems and essays that express the children's memories of war and hopes for a future without it. See a gallery of the drawings online.

Angola's Children and the Legacy of Civil War

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Love Songs Come Alive in 'Bel Canto' Style

Mexican tenor Ramon Vargas releases In My Heart, a CD of 17th and 18th century Italian love songs sung in the Bel Canto or "beautiful song" style. It's a type of operatic singing characterized by rich tonal lyricism and brilliant display of technique. NPR's Michele Norris talks with Vargas.

Love Songs Come Alive in 'Bel Canto' Style

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'Style Wars': Documenting Graffiti Artists

Style Wars celebrates New York City graffiti artists' modern-day hieroglyphics, and captures the days and nights when the young outlaws ruled the subway lines. NPR's Mandalit del Barco reports on the 20th anniversary re-release of the 1983 television documentary on DVD. See video clips and photos from the film.

'Style Wars': Documenting Graffiti Artists

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Indie Musicians Leverage Musical Trends to Thrive

Poor CD sales and Internet theft of song files spell tough times for the mainstream music business, but it's a different story for musicians who reject the conventional "record label" business model. For these artists, the same trends that hurt the conventional recorded-music industry prove to be a boon for independent musicians and producers. Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers reports.

Indie Musicians Leverage Musical Trends to Thrive

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'Rocky Top' Songwriter Felice Bryant Dies

Songwriter Felice Bryant dies at age 77 at home in Gatlinburg, Tenn. She collaborated with her husband to pen some of the best-known tunes in country music and early rock 'n' roll. Her songs Bye Bye Love and Wake Up Little Susie were Everly Brothers standards, just as Rocky Top became a country standard. NPR's Melissa Block offers a remembrance.

'Rocky Top' Songwriter Felice Bryant Dies

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Music Interviews

Remembering Nina Simone

Jazz legend Nina Simone dies at her home in southern France at age 70. The singer, pianist and composer's career was filled with politics and controversy; her deep, supple voice accompanied a regal, onstage presence. NPR's Melissa Block remembers the musician's life.

Remembering Nina Simone

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Review

Music Reviews

Music Review: 'Chinatown' from the Be Good Tanyas

The Canadian trio The Be Good Tanyas releases its second album, Chinatown. The album is a rich blend of folk, country, old-timey and new-timey music. Meredith Ochs reviews this new release.

Music Review: 'Chinatown' from the Be Good Tanyas

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Children's Book 'Holes' Goes from Page to Screen

The children's book Holes arrives in movie theaters. The Newbery Medal-winning author, Louis Sachar, also wrote the screenplay. Andrew Davis, who also directed The Fugitive, works with a young cast plus grown-up stars Sigourney Weaver and Jon Voight. NPR's Lynn Neary reports.

Children's Book 'Holes' Goes from Page to Screen

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Sandoval Pays Tribute to Trumpet Idols

Arturo Sandoval's virtuosity is on full display in his newest album, Trumpet Evolution. On each of 19 songs, he imitates the style and technique of a great trumpeter who has come before him -- from Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie to Miles Davis and Wynton Marsalis. NPR's Linda Wertheimer speaks with Sandoval about his musical tribute.

Sandoval Pays Tribute to Trumpet Idols

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Movie Review: 'Holes'

Literature aimed at adolescents is difficult to translate to film. Yet, a buzz builds around the film version of a Newbery Award-winning novel. Like the book, the movie is called Holes. NPR's Bob Mondello says it has a shot at being as big a hit on screen as it is at bookstores.

Movie Review: 'Holes'

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