New Mix: Ólafur Arnalds, First Aid Kit, More
Clockwise from upper left: First Aid Kit, Ólafur Arnalds, Anjimile, Pillow Queens, Sonny Singh Courtesy of the artists hide caption
It's been 159 days, or 3,816 hours or 228,960 minutes since I last saw a concert. I was reminded of this when I listened to a version of Willie Nelson's "On The Road Again," performed by the Swedish duo, First Aid Kit. It's the line, "The life I love is makin' music with my friends / And I can't wait to get on the road again," that really got me. And the footage from First Aid Kit's video really drove it home. I also got nostalgic from hearing the song by Blu DeTiger, titled "Figure It Out," which made me want to drive down the road, music cranked and windows open.
Also, on the show this week: NPR Music's Cyrena Touros brings us the music of Pillow Queens, an Irish band that makes music in the spirit of Pussy Riot. We also hear the artist Anjimile, a nonbinary trans musician who reminded Cyrena of the folkish movement of the early 2000s.
I'm enthralled by a six-song EP from the artist known as AMAARA and her music that grew out of the ending of a marriage and other life-altering events.
I'm also thrilled to have new music from one of my favorite composers, Ólafur Arnalds. He's teamed up with another Icelandic musician known as JFDR for a compassionate tune filled with electronics and strings.
We end on an uplifting note from Sonny Singh. The trumpeter from Red Baraat offers us a tune steeped in Sikh devotional themes, with an anthemic Punjabi sound.