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NPR Music Streams New Folk And Rock Albums As Part Of "Exclusive First Listen" Series


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Entire Albums From The New Pornographers, Josh Ritter And Kris Kristofferson Available For Advance Listening Today At npr.org/music

Beginning today, NPR Music presents an advance stream of the new album from one of indie rock’s most acclaimed supergroups, as well as two more previews spotlighting the heyday and future of American folk: The New Pornographers’ Together, Josh Ritter’s So Runs the World Away and Kris Kristofferson’s Please Don’t Tell Me How The Story Ends: The Publishing Demos 1968-72. All three albums are available for free, on-demand listening until their release on May 4 at www.npr.org/music as part of the site’s “Exclusive First Listen” series.

A.C. Newman, Dan Bejar (a.k.a. Destroyer) and Neko Case join forces with fellow indie rockers to form the New Pornographers for an aptly titled fifth album, Together. Far more than a side project, the band distinguishes itself by cranking out albums that often earn praise equal to each member’s signature efforts. Adding to the anticipation of this latest release are contributions from high-profile friends, including Annie Clark (St. Vincent), Zach Condon (Beirut), Will Sheff (Okkervil River) and the horn section from Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. Together is available now, a week ahead of its official May 4 release, at NPR Music: www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126174756

Releasing a string of five acclaimed albums in the past decade, singer-songwriter Josh Ritter quietly became one of modern folk’s top artists. The beginning of this decade finds Ritter entering what he calls a “new period” in his life, reflected on his new record, So Runs the World Away. Whatever changes the musician has experienced, one constant is his ability to craft a song. “I’ve come to expect good records from him,” says NPR Music’s All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen, “but this one took my breath away.” Audiences can hear why Ritter continues his conquest of the musical world by checking out NPR Music’s advance stream of So Runs the World Away today until May 4: www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126173168

By the mid-1960s, Kris Kristofferson had already been in the Army and been distinguished as a Rhodes Scholar. Yet he was sweeping Columbia Studios’ floors in Tennessee in the hopes of making a living as a songwriter. Kristofferson’s struggle paid off, big time. Over the years, many of his compositions have made their way into the Great American Songbook and been big hits for other musicians: Ray Price (“For the Good Times”), Waylon Jennings (“The Taker”), Bobby Bare (“Come Sundown”), Johnny Cash (“Sunday Morning Coming Down”) and Janis Joplin (“Me and Bobby McGee”). Please Don’t Tell Me How the Story Ends: The Publishing Demos 1968-72 is the culmination of a five-year effort, and compiles 16 previously unreleased Kristofferson demos, showcasing not only his talent as a songwriter but also his gifts as a performer. This glimpse into the beginning of one of the most storied American singer-songwriters can be heard at NPR Music until May 4: www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126169194

Starting next Monday, May 3, NPR Music will preview the new album from popular indie band The National and the latest beats from laptop musician -- and composer of Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim bumper music -- Flying Lotus.

Complete track listings and album information are available at NPR Music, where there are also extensive archives of concerts, interviews and reviews with artists of all genres. NPR Music’s “Exclusive First Listen” series is one of the site’s most popular features, and has offered pre-release streams of albums from Broken Social Scene, Gorillaz, Jonsi and Merle Haggard, among many others. In addition to the streams detailed in this release, the series also currently includes The Fall’s Your Future Our Clutter, and is frequently updated with new material.

The “Exclusive First Listen” series is just one feature of NPR Music, which celebrates great music in every genre and is an industry leader in music discovery. The free, multimedia website at www.npr.org/music offers 300 new features monthly and an extensive archive, in collaboration with NPR’s newsmagazines, 12 public radio member stations and the passionate NPR community. NPR Music creates and distributes inventive music coverage across multiple platforms -- from web, to radio, to podcast, to mobile, to social media, to live events -- with first listens to new albums, live performances, concerts at the Tiny Desk, interviews, reviews and blogs.



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