Heavy Rotation.
hide caption This Time by Ana Egge is featured in January s edition of
Heavy Rotation. Rolf Jørgensen/Courtesy of the artist
January s edition of
Heavy Rotation, chosen by NPR member stations, features music from The Avalanches, Chet Faker, Igwe Aka, Madlib, Run the Jewels and more.
All of this month s picks are available to stream on the
Heavy RotationSpotify and Apple Music playlists at the bottom of the page. As always, you can discover fantastic music programming happening across the country in real time by clicking the links to each station s website.
YouTube
Alex Maas, Been Struggling
Squirrel Flower â Streetlight Blues
January 26, 2021
Squirrel Flower performs Streetlight Blues live at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, MA, for a Front Row Boston socially-distant session. Ella O Connor Williams discovered the Boston DIY and folk music scenes when she was a teenager. Last year, she released her debut
I Was Born Swimming, a poetically-charged album that landscapes change and the shift within relationships. There s so much in the record about movement and stagnation, Williams said. Feeling stuck, needing to move, needing to stay still, swimming, falling, running, growing, etc, etc. The album s lyrics feel like an effortless expression of exactly the way it feels to change â abstract, sad, and hopeful. Williams took home the award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the 2020 Boston Music Awards.
Lake Saint Daniel â Live At The Historic Powisset Farm
December 18, 2020
Lake Saint Daniel performs live at the historic Powisset Farm in Dover, MA, for a Front Row Boston socially-distant session.
Daniel Radin has played music in Boston for years, fronting the indie rock bands The Novel Ideas and Future Teens. Recently, he self-released his debut solo album under the name Lake Saint Daniel. Good Things is a reflective work that uses soft vocals and thoughtful guitar work to explore new emotions brought on by the global pandemic.
This performance was recorded on 12/9/20.
Video credits:
Lake Saint Daniel â Faking Asleep
December 17, 2020
Lake Saint Daniel performs Fake Asleep live at Powisset Farm in Dover, MA, for a Front Row Boston socially-distant session.
Daniel Radin has played music in Boston for years, fronting the indie rock bands The Novel Ideas and Future Teens. Recently, he self-released his debut solo album under the name Lake Saint Daniel. Good Things is a reflective work that uses soft vocals and thoughtful guitar work to explore new emotions brought on by the global pandemic.
This performance was recorded on 12/9/20.
Video credits:
Monica Schipper / Getty Images for Panorama
Originally published on December 16, 2020 2:42 pm
It was a tough year for live music, but NPR s Member stations across the country managed to produce some great radio sessions before and during the pandemic. Here are the best of the bunch, featuring studio performances, home recordings and socially-distanced outdoor sets. For more live sessions from your favorite public radio stations, visit our Live Sessions section.
Alsarah & the Nubatones, Soukura
Alsarah & The Nubatones are a Brooklyn-based band with roots in East Africa. Lead singer Alsarah describes their style as East African retro-pop.
Adam Harris,
Anjimile, Baby No More