NPR: All Songs Considered

Our weekly rundown of the best new albums out now includes the latest from Laura Marling, The Strokes' best new release in years, Hamilton Leithauser and more. Featured Albums: 1. The Strokes — The New Abnormal Featured Song: "The Adults Are Talking" 2. Laura Marling — Song For Our Daughter Featured Song: "Only the Strong" 3. Pokey LaFarge — Rock Bottom Rhapsody Featured Song: "End of My Rope" 4. Midwife — Forever Featured Songs: "S.W.I.M." and "C.R.F.W." 5. Hamilton Leithauser — The Loves of Your Life Featured Song: "The Garbage Men" 6. Active Child — In Another Life Featured Song: "Weightless" 7. Watkins Family Hour — Brother Sister Featured Song: "Keep It Clean" 8. STRFKR — Future Past Life Featured Song: "Dear Stranger" Other notable releases for April 10: ADULT. — Perception is/as/of Deception; The Dream Syndicate — The Universe Inside ; Eliza Gilkyson — 2020 ; Joe Satriani — Shapeshifting ; John Anderson — Years ; Local H — Lifers ; Maddie & Tae — The Way It Feels ; Rosie Carney — I Dreamed I Was The Night ; Stay Inside — Viewing ; Tory Lanez — New Toronto 3 ; Trace Mountains — Lost in the Country ; The Ultimate Fakebook — The Preserving Machine ; Webb Wilder — Night Without Love.

On this special edition of All Songs Considered, we look back at the life and legacy of the late John Prine through ten of the defining songs from his nearly 50-year career. Host Bob Boilen is joined by NPR Music's Ann Powers as they play cuts from across the singer's deep catalog, from his self-titled, 1971 debut to his final album, 2018's The Tree of Forgiveness. 1. "Sam Stone" from John Prine (1971) 2. "Angel From Montgomery" from John Prine (1971) 3. "Hello In There" from John Prine (1971) 4. "Yes I Guess They Oughta Name A Drink After You" from Diamonds in the Rough (1972) 5. "Sabu Visits the Twin Cities Alone" from Bruised Orange (1978) 6. "Unwed Fathers" from Aimless Love (1984) 7. "Lake Marie" from Lost Dogs + Mixed Blessings (1995) 8. "In Spite of Ourselves" from In Spite of Ourselves (1999) 9. "She Is My Everything" from Fair & Square (2005) 10. "When I Get To Heaven" from The Tree of Forgiveness (2018)

In a conversation with All Songs Considered' s Bob Boilen, Ed O'Brien reveals how he made Earth, an album that's both boldly colorful and intimate. Earth is an album that feels both boldly colorful and intimate — one that reflects the two landscapes that underlie this record: Brazil and Wales. Mark Ellis, who works under the name Flood, largely produced this album. He has not only a long history of working on big productions from U2 to PJ Harvey, but also has a child in the same school as Ed O'Brien's and so the two have become close friends. That friendship accounts for the warmth on this record. There are also some extraordinary players, including Radiohead bandmate Colin Greenwood, guitarist Adrian Utley from what Ed calls the other "head" band, Portishead, drums from Omar Hakim and Wilco's Glenn Kotche, bassist Nathan East, singer and guitarist Laura Marling and the list goes on. On March 23, Ed O'Brien posted on social media that he most likely had the coronavirus but was expecting a full recovery. Our conversation on April 2 begins with an update on his health. Stay in touch with our newsletter:

Our picks for this week's best new albums include the latest from Thundercat, M. Ward, country singers Ashley McBryde and Sam Hunt, ambient cello tunes from Clarice Jensen and more. Featured Albums: 1. M. Ward — Migration Stories Featured Song: "Unreal City" 2. Ashley McBryde — Never Will Featured Song: "Martha Divine" 3. NNAMDÏ — BRAT Featured Song: "Salut" 4. Wilma Archer — A Western Circular Featured Songs: "Last Sniff" and "Killing Crab" 5. Thundercat — It Is What It Is Featured Song: "Fair Chance" 6. Clarice Jensen — The Experience of Repetition as Death Featured Song: "Day Tonight: 7. Anna Burch — If You're Dreaming Featured Song: "Can't Sleep" 8. Sam Hunt — Southside Featured Song: "Hard to Forget" Other notable albums out on April 3: All Time Low — Wake Up Sunshine; Born Ruffians — JUICE; Caleb Caudle — Better Hurry Up; Ellis — Born Again; The Lovely Eggs — I Am Moron; Nina Simone — Fodder On My Wings ; Peel Dream Magazine — Agitprop Alterna; Purity Ring — Womb; Wu Fei & Abigail Washburn — Wu Fei & Abigail Washburn ; Yves Tumor — Heaven to a Tortured Mind. Keep up with the latest from NPR Music with our weekly newsletter. Sign up at

Listening to music during this pandemic has cast new light on old familiar tunes. Here's a listener-curated mix-tape of songs whose lyrics have an eerie — or comforting — connection to our current crisis.