Remembering Loretta Lynn

Plus, hear our favorite new songs on the #NowPlaying blog [View this email online]( [NPR Music]( Oct. 8, 2022 by [Marissa Lorusso]( This week, we’re sharing the best new songs we’ve heard recently on our #NowPlaying blog; plus, remembering country icon Loretta Lynn. [Paramore]( Zachary Gray/Courtesy of the artist Where do you turn to discover your next favorite song? Sure, there are a million algorithmically curated playlists tailored to every specific mood, taste and vibe — but sometimes, you just want some really solid suggestions from a trustworthy friend or two. That’s basically how we like to think about [#NowPlaying]( our blog of today’s essential songs, picked by my NPR Music teammates and our friends from member stations. Recently, there have been a ton of great new tracks that have caught our attention. Early this week, Resident Viking Lars Gotrich wrote about the [new single from Paramore]( which he calls an “aqueous and taut” song that shows the band members “barreling ahead at the most thrilling heights of their musicianship.” This week’s selections also featured an earnest and angsty rock ballad from [WILLOW]( a danceable and frustrated working-class anthem from New Orleans punks [Special Interest]( a delightfully strange and subdued new song from [Fever Ray]( and an ebullient and accessible piece of new music from composer [Steve Reich]( (“If you've ever been hesitant to dip your toe into the pulsating music of Steve Reich,” says my colleague Tom Huizenga, “now is the time to take a full-on nose dive”). Once you’ve fallen in love with those songs, keep coming back: We update the blog with new selections several times a week. --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- Featuring - This week, country music icon [Loretta Lynn]( died at age 90. Over the course of her 60-year career, Lynn brought unparalleled candor about the domestic realities of working-class women to country songwriting, all while never losing touch with her identity as a simultaneously modern and down-to-earth country woman who could communicate that to crowds. - In the 1970s, [Joyce Moreno]( seemed likely to join a list of Brazilian luminaries that included João Gilberto, Astrud Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim. But her album Natureza remained unreleased — until now, with a release on the British imprint Far Out Recordings. “Like a previously unseen Polaroid,” says writer Andy Beta, “the album captures Moreno's music at that moment, strictly on her own terms.” - When Yamen Mekdad and Mark Gergis met in 2018, the pair combined their love of Syrian cassettes into a project aiming to save them and share them more widely. Now, their collection — called the [Syrian Cassette Archives]( — is living and growing online. - For the Mexican band Son Rompe Pera, tradition and modernity coexist peacefully. Its members cut their teeth performing as a traditional marimba band — but as they grew up, they ventured into punk and psychedelic music, and started to think about [rock and cumbia]( as allied genres instead of foes. - Watch [Ethel Cain]( perform “Crush” and “Thoroughfare” live at WNXP’s Sonic Cathedral. New Music - Country singer [Ashley McBryde]( has released two celebrated major-label albums and, this year, was nominated for five Country Music Association awards. For her next step she could have released another record of tough and tender country songs, like the ones that established her. And yes, she recorded that album — but then, she decided another project had to come first: Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville, a witty concept album about the residents of a fictional hamlet, in the long tradition of character-driven tales in country music. - Rapper [Open Mike Eagle]( has always been attuned to underground hip-hop's bigger picture, in ways that show how often he's had to keep on his toes. In an interview about his new album, Component System with the Auto Reverse, the artist discusses hip-hop's repurposing spirit, feeling a divided sense of loyalty to Chicago and LA and making sense of rap's "golden era.” - This week on [New Music Friday]( from All Songs Considered: the fifth full-length album from WILLOW, a new release from musically omnivorous Chicago artist NNAMDÏ, the latest record from venerated space-jazz ensemble Sun Ra Arkestra and more great albums out this week. Tiny Desk [Susana Baca's Tiny Desk (home) concert]( NPR As part of our El Tiny takeover at the Tiny Desk, we shared a Tiny Desk (home) concert from musician (and former Peruvian Minister of Culture) [Susana Baca]( that proves her status as a curator of folklore and culture of the highest order. Plus, Mexican singer-songwriter [Carla Morrison]( stopped by the Tiny Desk for an intimate, emotional performance. (“I’m not saying you should have a box of tissues nearby while you watch Carla Morrison’s performance,” says my colleague Felix Contreras, “but it came in handy for me.”) One More Thing [Our money’s on Otis](. --------------------------------------------------------------- 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. 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