How Music Has Shaped Ideas — Across Generations

Plus, the year’s first Tiny Desk (home) concerts [View this email online]( [NPR Music]( Jan. 8, 2022 by [Marissa Lorusso]( This week, we’re sharing two beautiful essays from the final days of 2021 — plus, this year’s first Tiny Desk (home) concerts. [The Beatles' in the 'Get Back' documentary]( Linda McCartney/Apple Corps Ltd. At the very end of December and the beginning of January, the flood of new music generally slows to a trickle. But that doesn’t mean our team takes a break from discovering (or recommending) new music. So at the tail end of last year, the #NowPlaying team spent some time highlighting songs that slipped through the cracks of our coverage over the course of the year, but stayed in our headphones — including an [unforgettable rock song from Liz Phair]( a selection from pianist [Simone Dinnerstein]( Irish rap courtesy of [Kojaque]( and a [nine-minute avant-garde epic]( from Lushlife. And as the year wound down, we also published a pair of long, beautiful essays about how two very different acts, half a century apart, each shaped their own generation. First, my colleague [Ann Powers wrote about Peter Jackson’s Beatles documentary]( Get Back. Ann is a longtime Beatles fan, and says the documentary – in particular, the way Jackson “tenderly pulls character studies from the well of rehearsal footage” – is “deeply moving.” The film puts moments of conflict and creation behind songs that have lasted for decades on display, but watching it also gave Ann food for thought about an old myth that may have taken shape in that moment, one that also stuck with us: The idea that four white guys make a rock band. Plus, scholar and writer Jason King considered [the year in Lil Nas X:]( rapper, singer-songwriter and MVP of Gen Z. Boldly going where few gay men of color have been allowed to go before, Lil Nas X won 2021 by smashing boundaries and joyfully violating cultural taboos. --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- Featuring - The 64th annual Grammy Awards had been slated to happen on Jan. 31 — but the Recording Academy announced this week that the [ceremony will be postponed]( due to the spread of the omicron variant. - Presenting: [Slingshot's 2022 Artists To Watch](. Our friends at member stations across the country have selected a crop of artists for you to discover this year, including Gabriels, Momma, Reyna Tropical and Black Country, New Road. - C. Tangana’s album El Madrileño was one of our favorites of 2021. [The Spanish singer and rapper]( recently spoke to NPR’s Weekend Edition about pushing the boundaries of flamenco and decolonizing Spain's cultural mindset towards Latin America. Tiny Desk [Turnstile's Tiny Desk (home) concert]( NPR After it was released last August, Turnstile’s GLOW ON became a favorite within a few different pockets of the our team; when it made our list of the best albums of the year, my colleague Reanna Cruz described it as “[a bona fide pop record]( hiding behind riffs, pedals and a hardcore sheen.” Our very first [Tiny Desk (home) concert of 2022]( features the Baltimore group blasting through seven tracks from GLOW ON in spectacular fashion. Also this week: [esperanza spalding]( welcomes us into her safe space for healing through music with a Tiny Desk (home) concert featuring selections from her Songwrights Apothecary Lab project. One More Thing [Twitters gone viral]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. [Listen Live]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( Need a new playlist? Follow NPR Music on [Spotify]( and [Apple Music]( What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [nprmusic@npr.org](mailto:nprmusic@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! [They can sign up here.]( Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Books, Pop Culture, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to NPR Music emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( [NPR logo]