Anticipation. Excitement. Elation. Confusion. Disappointment. This week, Frank Ocean is all of these things and more.

Supremely talented Chicago MC Noname first announced herself to the world two years ago on Chance The Rapper's Acid Rap. On Telefone, she's finally stepping out on her own with one of the strongest statements on womanhood, life in the hood, and life in general that we've heard in recent memory. Marcus K, Dowling and Briana Younger join us to discuss this monumental mix-tape that was well worth the wait.

PLUS! Singer/songwriter Esmé Patterson's critically acclaimed LP We Were Wild, is as perfect a slice of pop-rock that you're going to find in 2016. We've got a new track to help get you acquainted.

Rumor has it that despite the constant cries of “foul”, 98% of all videos (over ONE BILLION) on YouTube are 100% kosher from a licensing perspective. Say what?

Twenty-five years in the making, Nels Cline’s Lovers captures the passion and history of an artist who has spent a lifetime pursuing his musical truth. On his Blue Note debut, Cline mashes together original compositions with interpretations of the music that has informed his career to craft a delicate statement about relationships, the worth of self-indulgence and jazz’s place in the modern music space.

And speaking of modern jazz….

Guitarist Julian Lage - a frequent collaborator of Cline’s - put out a slightly phenomenal album in 2015. We’ve got a taste aof World’s Fair to jog your memory

Soundcloud may be up for sale, and Deezer, yet another streaming music service launches in the US. Just another day in the #streamingwars.

Fronted by punk legend Kathleen Hannah, The Julie Ruin is back with Hit Reset, a savage record that's all killer and no filler. Like you expected anything less.

And speaking of savage...Washington DC jazz-emo-thrash duo Dove Lady may be lacking in members but they make up for it with a righteous, and righteously sophisticated, noise. We've got a track for you to feed your head with. 

Franz Nicolay is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, true punk philosopher, and now…an author.

The Humorless  Ladies of Border Patrol chronicles Nicolay and his wife Maria’s tour through the underground punk/DIY scene of Russia and the Ukraine and is unlike any travelogue that has come before it. Immersive, poignant, and a treat for the senses , Ladies is the next step in an already vital career for Nicolay that is required reading for fans of music, punk, or just gaining a new perspective on the world we all share.

But enough of us gabbing. How about we let Franz tell you all about it…

Freetown Sound, the latest LP from Blood Orange (aka singer/songwriter and composer Dev Hynes), was already one of the most anticipated releases of 2016 when it dropped. But nobody could have been prepared for the seemingly infinite amount of sonic truths, social commentary, and emotional revelations set free with each successive listen.

 Great albums are easy to spot coming down the pipe. Important albums only come along when they’re most needed. Freetown Sound is both.

Come hang out with Kevin, Marcus K. Dowling (Getting Over) and Marcus J. Moore (Senior Editor, Bandcamp) for a spell to get to the bottom one of the best albums of the year.

And speaking of "best albums"..

Aaron "Ab" Abernathy's Monologue, a potent mix of old school funk, jazz, and good old-fashioned songwriting, is coming soon. Whet your appetite with the first single from this remarkable album, "Favorite Girl".

A 2003 case against Ticketmaster has finally reached a settlement, which means that you, and you, and you, and YOU get vouchers to a whole mess of free shows. Orrrrrrrrrrr not.

In just a few short years, singer/songwriter Sarah Jarosz has manged to become a heavy-hitting mainstay on the folk, bluegrass, and Americana scenes. On her latest release, Undercurrent, Jarosz has built on the foundation she laid on 2013's critically lauded Build Me Up From Bones, to produce an instant classic of modern folk.

State Champion is a band. That rocks. That's the pitch. 

Now push play. 

Warner Music has delivered what may be a crippling blow to small record record stores everywhere. But does it matter? 

Since 2006, Richmond, Virginia's Inter Arma has been setting the heavens on fire with an unholy mastery of metal that promises as much doom as it does unrepentant beauty. On their latest album they're upping the ante and have produced not just the best album of their career, but one of the finest albums of 2016. #SPOILERS

Don't know Xenia Rubinos? We've got you covered. Get a taste of her latest album Black Terry Cat. Thank us later.

RadRadHolyShitRadRadRadHolyShitRadRadRadHolyShitRadRadRad
HolyShitRadIdidn'tknowrocknrollcouldbethiscoolRadRadHolyShit
RadRadRadHolyShitRadRadRadHolyShitRadRadRadHolyShitRadRad
RadHolyShitRadRadRadHolyShitRadRadRadHolyShitRadRadRad
olyShitRad.

That's kinda what it's like listening to The Mystery Lights.

This is what it's like talking with them.

Sixteen years ago, All Songs Considered’s Bob Boilen didn’t just change the game with his podcast about the music he loved and nothing but, he pretty much INVENTED the game.

Now Bob has set his sights on the literary world with his new book Your Song Changed My Life. A collection of conversations that is “…less like a record and more like a stack of 45’s,” Your Song Changed My Life checks in with some of rock and roll’s biggest names, as well as a few up -and -coming greats to explore not just what makes these artists tick, but why music is so important to us all.

For our 200th episode we’re sitting down with Bob to talk about his book, his life as a journalist (and other things), what drives his love of music, and much, much more.

Whether you’re a fan of All Songs Considered, a creative looking for inspiration or just a lover of music, this podcast might change your life.

Mail The Horse is a BAND. 

Don't call em Americana band. Don't call em a Folk band. Don't call em a Jam band. They're just a BAND.

And a goddamn good one at that.

Here's the part where we hang out. 

Word is starting to come out that Apple might be in talks to buy Jay Z's TIDAL. Is this the beginning of the end of the streaming wars or...nah...that's totally what it is.

Laura Mvula's second album The Dreaming Room, is a symphony of soul and jazz that's pushing the boundaries of both genres. Marcus J. Moore (Senior Editor at Bandcamp) and Marcus K. Dowling (Getting Over) join us to celebrate one of this years must hear albums. 

Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek, I'm With Her) is back with a new LP, Young In All The Wrong Ways, and we've got the title track for you to get lost in.

Jimmy Page and Robert Plant wrote some of the mightiest rock and roll songs of all time. Recently another artist made a claim to their throne and rock supremacy. They lost. We still have questions.

Nothing says America like some furious, turn-that-shit--to-eleven rock and roll, and nobody makes that music better in 2016 than Nashville's Diarrhea Planet. On their latest LP Turn To Gold, their opening up the throttle and taken everyone along for a quite righteous ride.

My Morning Jacket guitarist Carl Broemel released All Birds Say, his exception debut solo album back in 2010. Now he's back for round two on his upcoming 4th of July, and we've got taste for you. 

The use of cell phones at concerts continues to be a hot button topic for music fans. A new company Yonder is here to tell you where you can stick it (yer phone).

Mitski is back with a new album that blows the doors off of any expectations we might have had for her follow up to 2014's Bury Me At Makeout Creek. Paul and Maddy (Wolpow-Gindi) sit in to parse this mothef@#@er of an album,

Do you like good things? Yes? Good. Jamila Woods' has made a good thing and we've got it for you to assimilate into you life. 

Kanye West. He can't, he won't and he don't stop...being an a-hole. (We) Discuss.

Caveman is a killer f@#@ing band who has made couple of killer f@#@ing albums. Their latest effort Otero War continues this trend with a little bit of sci-fi epic for good measure.

Do you love rock and roll? The Mystery Lights looooove rock and roll and they're here with a savage new track to testify for you. Dig it.

Spotify has been in the news A LOT lately guys. Then a couple weeks ago the internet got ahold of their financials and…well…we’re here to talk about what happened next.

Toronto indie-punks White Lung are back with a fierce new album that comes straight from the 90’s into Paul’s heart. Is it enough to convince Kevin though?

On Everything’s Beautiful, legendary jazz pianist Robert Glasper has assembled an army of modern talent and the ghost of Miles Davis to produce one of the best albums of their. We’ve got a taste for you to dig baby, dig it the most.

With 2011's Photograph and 2014's The Lights From The Chemical Plant, Robert Ellis established himself as one best singer-songwriters working today. 

Robert Ellis, his third major release (and one of the best albums of 2016) builds on that foundation, but refuses to be constrained to any genre, country or otherwise. 

On a recent visit to Washington, DC, Robert stopped by the basement to talk about his new album, life on the road and how great songwriting beats all. 

You deserve this podcast. You earned it. 

Noah Berman (Louis Weeks) and Ian Taronji (The Lucky So & So's) are both formidable guitarists with connections to the DC scene. Kevin is also a guitarist, minus the formidable. Together the three are going full wonk on the instrument that has, in no small part, shaped their lives.

William Tyler is a guitarist. He is not connected to the DC scene. He also is not a hack. His new album Modern Country aims to prove that and then some.

Remember that time the band Avers rocked the f@#@ out of 2014 with their album Empty Light? Well, they're back, and we've got the first single off of their upcoming sophomore LP, Omega/Whatever, for you to shove in yer earholes and enjoy.

Any questions?

Wanted Man is a righteous rock and roll band from Washington, DC.

Kenny Pirog is a righteous dude who fronts said righteous rock and roll band from Washington, DC.

This is a righteous conversation with a righteous dude who fronts a righteous band.

Any questions? 

It’s sad and shameful that in 2016 that bands like Screaming Females, Modern Baseball, and Speedy Ortiz have to set up a hotline for fans to call if they’re at a show and find themselves being touched or treated inappropriately, and yet here we are talking about our collective inability to not be f@#-ups... again. Dammit.

And speaking of Modern Baseball…

The Philadelphia emo-punks have spent the past few years building a devoted (that’s putting it mildly) following and on their latest LP, Holy Ghost, they just may have hit the big time.  Is the world ready for Category 5 feels-a-cane? We’re aiming to find out.

PLUS! Robert Ellis’ excellent self-titled LP is here and we’ve got one of its finest moments for you to put in your ear-holes…and your heart.

Trust us. We may actually know what we’re doing. 

In March of this year, singer/songwriter Laura Gibson released Empire Builder. Not only was it her strongest record to date, but it is undeniably one of 2016's finest releases.

Around that time, we invited Laura (and her band) over the morning after an exhilarating performance at Iota Club and Café to talk about the new album, her transition to becoming a (mostly) full-time New Yorker, higher learning, and much much more. 

PLUS: Our friend Jonny Grave drops by to talk about his new album and the release show on June 7th for said album where he aims to prove its mettle to ya.

This is podcasting at it's fullest potential.