All Songs Considered

It’s been an unprecedented year for arguing about “fake” music, and it’s not just AI. From bot-powered ticket sales and social media campaigns to manufactured artist identities and an endless wave of complaints against nepo babies, 2026 feels like a turning point in the timeless debate about authenticity in music. This week on All Songs Considered, NPR Music’s Ann Powers and Isabella Gomez Sarmiento join host Robin Hilton to break down how we’ve reached this point, what it means, and where we go from here. Tell us what you think with a review on Apple or Spotify wherever you listen to podcasts. Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: [email protected] Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

With the arrival of the first new Olivia Tremor Control album in nearly 30 years, we attempt to make sense of the sprawling, enigmatic collective behind it known as Elephant 6. NPR Music’s Lars Gotrich joins host Robin Hilton. Special thanks to Greenwich Entertainment, C.B. Stockfleth and Rob Hatch-Miller for use of audio featured in the 2022 documentary, The Elephant 6 Recording Co. Featured artists and songs: (00:00) Intro with “A New Day” by The Olivia Tremor Control (03:00) The Elephant 6 story in 60 seconds with “Black Foliage (Animation 2)” by The Olivia Tremor Control (04:28) The Apples In Stereo: “Tidal Wave” (07:34) Robert Schneider on the creative process, from the documentary ‘The Elephant 6 Recording Co.’ (12:39) The Olivia Tremor Control: “Love Athena” (16:17) The Apples In Stereo: “Glowworm” (18:14) Neutral Milk Hotel: “Ghost” (22:13) Elf Power: “Embrace The Crimson Tide” (26:08) of Montreal: “Gallery Piece” (29:25) The Gerbils: “Glue” (33:54) The Instruments: “Song for Thomas” (37:01) Beulah: “Score From Augusta” (39:35) Great Lakes: “A Little Touched” (41:21) Dressy Bessy: “I’m Still Here” (51:12) The Olivia Tremor Control: “Meeting Ourselves” (53:39) The Olivia Tremor Control: “Path of the Parallels VI - Last Occupants” (55:15) The Olivia Tremor Control: “Leaf” (57:41) The Olivia Tremor Control: “Begin Now!” Tell us what you think with a review on Apple or Spotify wherever you listen to podcasts. Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: [email protected] See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Who’s the Mariah Carey of Halloween? Labels and artists are trying to capitalize on spooky season, but these are the songs that belong in the creepy canon, from the truly terrifying to simply seasonal and nostalgic. Note: An earlier version of this episode appeared on All Songs Considered in 2025. Tell us what you think with a review on Apple or Spotify wherever you listen to podcasts. Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: [email protected] Featured artists and songs: Phoebe Bridgers: “Killer” from ‘Stranger in the Alps’ Fever Ray: “If I Had A Heart,” from ‘Fever Ray’ Sufjan Stevens: “John Wayne Gacy, Jr” from ‘Illinois’ Jack Lenz: “Goosebumps” (theme from the TV show) Disneyland Records: “Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House” Alice Cooper: “Welcome to My Nightmare,” from ‘Welcome to My Nightmare’ Oksana Linde: “Horizontes lejanos,” from ‘Travesias’ Florence + the Machine: “Everybody Scream,” from ‘Everybody Scream’ Ethel Cain: “Housofpsychoticwomn,” from ‘Perverts’ girl in red: “We Fell In Love In October” (single) Mimicking Birds: “Bloodlines,” from ‘EONS’ Van Morrison: “Moondance,” from ‘Moondance’ The Cramps: “I Was A Teenage Werewolf,” from ‘Songs the Lord Taught Us’ Dead Man’s Bones: “My Bodies a Zombie for You,” from ‘Dead Man’s Bones’ Vince Guaraldi: “The Great Pumpkin Waltz,” from ‘The Great Pumpkin’ Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

A super deluxe box set of The Beatles' legendary 1965 album Rubber Soul has just been released with brand new mixes, demos and outtakes that show The Beatles breaking up with the past, their fans and everything people knew and loved about the band. In this conversation with All Songs Considered host Robin Hilton, Giles Martin, the producer behind the new mixes and son of late Beatles producer George Martin, talks about why Rubber Soul was such a pivotal album for the band, how the music was changing, and why it sounds “reasonably bleak.” Martin also explains how the AI tools he used to update the mixes work, how he preserved the original spirit of Rubber Soul and more. Tell us what you think with a review on Apple or Spotify wherever you listen to podcasts. Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: [email protected] Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

We get big and loud this week with a surprise drop from Phoebe Bridgers and her song “On Video,” from the Primetime soundtrack; the monstrously disjointed “Placeholder” from Gilla Band; widescreened shoegaze from the Danish artist Trentemøller and more. NPR Music’s Dora Levite joins host Robin Hilton as they share their picks for the best new songs out now. Tell us what you think with a review on Apple or Spotify wherever you listen to podcasts. Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: [email protected] Featured artists and songs: (00:00) Intro (03:22) Phoebe Bridgers: “On Video” (10:26) Gilla Band: “Placeholder” (17:25) Trentemøller: “Swerve” (23:31) Wednesday: “Carolina Murder Suicide (Avey Tare Remix)” (30:29) serpentwithfeet: “sentinel” (36:37) Lily Konigsberg: “Free Byrd” Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy