Robin Hilton

In his first new music since dropping last year's invigorating ode to the Delta Blues, Kingfish, guitar phenom Christone "Kingfish" Ingram shares a sizzling take of the song "Empty Promises." Originally written and recorded by the late bluesman Michael "Iron Man" Burks in 2008, Ingram updates the anti-love ballad with his own signature solos that are both raw and breathtakingly precise.

It's list-making season or, as we like to say, time to shake out the calendar and look back at all the incredible new music we got in 2019. So we want to know: What were your favorite albums (or EPs) released this past year? Use the poll below to tell us. You can pick up to 5 releases. Don't rank your list and don't vote for the same release more than once. (Those votes won't be counted.) We'll share the results in an upcoming episode of All Songs Considered.

What are your favorite songs of the past decade? These are tracks released between 2010 and 2019. We know there were a lot, but we'd like to know what songs stand out the most to you — the ones you've gone back to again and again. Using the form below, tell us you favorite song or songs from the 2010s. You can pick up to five.

Fifty-five years after first forming in London, The Who is back with an album of brand-new songs. WHO, due out later this fall, will be the band's 12th studio record. It includes the first single, "Ball & Chain," a gritty swamp-rock critique of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp and the powers that have kept it open.

"Down in Guantanamo," Roger Daltrey sings, "we still got that ball and chain. That pretty piece of Cuba designed to cause men pain."

The 2010s are almost over, so we want to know: Which albums, songs and artists defined the decade? What moments (the death of David Bowie or Prince, for example) or trends (streaming, social media) will we most remember?

To be clear, we're talking January 2010 to the end of December 2019.

Tells us about it in the poll below. (You don't have to fill out every field unless you want to.) We'll feature some of your ideas in an upcoming episode of All Songs Considered.

Capitol Records is sharing an early take of The Beatles song "Oh! Darling," along with a completely remixed version of the track. The two cuts appear on a 50th anniversary edition of the band's penultimate studio album, Abbey Road.

Wilco has announced it'll release the band's 11th studio album later this year. Drawing its title from the poetry of Friedrich Schiller — and Beethoven's Ninth symphony — Wilco's Ode to Joy will feature what frontman Jeff Tweedy calls "really big, big folk songs," including the album's first single, "Love is Everywhere (Beware)."

Spoon has dropped its first new song since the 2017 album Hot Thoughts. "No Bullets Spent" is classic Spoon, with crisp guitars, spare beats and frontman Britt Daniel's cryptic observations, this time on youth and coming of age in a world plagued by gun violence and economic inequality. "You got an education," sings Daniel. "Don't know what you got 'til you're 22 / Got a mortgage hung around your neck." Repeatedly he pleas, "What we need now is an accident / No one to blame and no bullets spent."

Your picks for the best new artists of 2019 (so far) include a lot of bands and musicians we've been following for a while – Maggie Rogers, Stella Donnelly, Nilüfer Yanya and Jade Bird have all been releasing music for several years – but they didn't drop an official full-length debut until this year.

It's the podcast... as a playlist! For nearly two decades, All Songs Considered has treated music discovery as a mission, to share in the joy of new artists and old favorites. Updated weekly with songs featured on the show.

Stream: Spotify, Apple Music.

Every Friday is a gift. You made it to the end of the week, you get paid and hundreds of albums and singles are released. While we can't take credit for the first two accomplishments, All Songs Considered host Robin Hilton is here with members of the NPR Music team to guide you through the essential music out each Friday.

It's been a crazy-packed week of surprise singles, with new tracks dropping from Charli XCX, Mac Miller's first posthumous verse (with Anderson .Paak's Free Nationals) and country singer Sturgill Simpson's "The Dead Don't Die," a song he wrote

Radiohead has officially released 18 hours of demos and outtakes recorded between 1995 and 1998 during the band's OK Computer sessions, after the tapes were reportedly stolen and leaked online.

The midyear point is a good time to pause and take stock of all the great new music that's come out, which usually includes releases from a whole bunch of new and emerging artists. We'd like to know who your favorite new band or musician is in 2019, so far. We'll define a "new artist" as someone who released their debut, full-length album in the first half of the year. (If they don't yet have a full-length, their first EP or single will do.)

Bon Iver is back with its first new recorded music in three years. The band this morning dropped two new songs with lyric videos. The first, "Hey, Ma," is a glittering remembrance of childhood and a mother's love. "Tall time to call your ma," sings Justin Vernon over faded home videos of his family. "I was tokin' on dope / I hoped it all won't go in a minute / With the past that you know."

Sufjan Stevens is celebrating Pride Month (which begins June 1) with the release of two new songs. The first, "Love Yourself" is based on a sketch Stevens originally wrote and recorded in 1996. "Love, can you love yourself," Stevens sings in a euphoric chorus. "Show me everything, every reason to believe in yourself."

In the summer of 1973, Carole King was at the peak of her popularity and influence. She had ushered in a new era of singer-songwriters that dominated popular music; Tapestry, which she'd dropped two years earlier, was still a top-selling album, well on its way to becoming one of the most-loved and best-selling albums of all time. King had also just released Fantasy, a thematic album recorded with a jazz-funk band, and embarked on her first-ever live concert performance outside of the United States.

Rhye has built its reputation on crooning, soft-focus love ballads. But on the band's latest release, Spirit, singer Mike Milosh offers something unexpected: a set of downcast, solo piano instrumentals. On this week's All Songs Considered we hear the stark and beautifully gloomy cut "Malibu Nights."

Our shortlist of the best albums out this week includes a stirring call for social justice from soul and gospel legend Mavis Staples, rapper YG's powerful remembrance of Nipsey Hussle and the first new release in six years from lo-fi rock veterans Sebadoh. Host Robin Hilton is joined by NPR Music's Ann Powers, Sidney Madden and Stephen Thompson as they share their picks for the most essential albums dropping on May 24.

Featured Albums:

1. Mavis Staples: We Get By
   Featured Song: "Sometime"

The Prince Estate has announced plans to release another album of previously unreleased tracks recorded between 1981 and 1991. The album, titled Originals, will be available June 7 exclusively on Tidal's Hi-Fi subscription tier, with physical copies, downloads and wider streaming services following on June 21. It features 15 demo versions of songs Prince wrote and recorded for other artists, including Sheila E., The Time and Kenny Rogers. Fourteen of the tracks have never been released before.

The Boss is back with his first new studio album in five years. Western Stars is due out June 14 on Columbia Records and, according to a press release announcing the record, will be largely influenced by the Southern California pop sounds of the late '60s and early '70s.

"This record is a return to my solo recordings," Springsteen says in a statement, "featuring character-driven songs and sweeping, cinematic orchestral arrangements. It's a jewel box of a record."

We've been anxiously waiting for Lizzo to drop her debut full-length album ever since she dominated our South by Southwest showcase in 2017. Cuz I Love You is finally here and it's full of the kind of fearless swagger, unapologetic pride and boundless joy that's won over so many fans. We open this week's New Music Friday with just one of the standout cuts, "Juice."

Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy is surprising fans with a new album this week. WARMER is due out April 13 and will initially be available on vinyl only as a Record Store Day exclusive limited to 5,000 copies. The album is a sequel to Tweedy's previous full-length, WARM, which came out less than five months ago.

We've returned from our weeklong grind through the South by Southwest music festival happy, though a little dazed, with ringing ears, and a whole bunch of incredible discoveries. On this All Songs Considered we run through some of the most memorable music and performances, from the shredded noise rock of Rev Rev Rev and thundering soul of Yola Carter to the Afro-Cuban grooves of Cimafunk and the remarkable voice of Tamino. Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson and I each saw around 100 different shows in just a few short days, way more than we could ever share in a single episode.