All Songs Considered

by NPR
2,831
Music #15

Since launching in 2000, All Songs Considered has been NPR's flagship program for music discovery, artist interviews and conversations with friends and fellow music lovers about the really big questions, like what was the best decade for music, are there albums everyone can agree on, and what do you put on when you need a good cry? Weekly, with host Robin Hilton and the NPR Music family.

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Recent Reviews
  • MidwestRob
    I miss the old format
    I have been listening for years and always looked forward to it. New format - Even though you are featuring just 4 artists I feel like I am hearing less music from those artists. All of your contributors are thoughtful and offer great insight but I am losing interest in listening and contributing to the program.
  • NJBobby
    Return requested
    I agree with the other posts regarding a return to focusing more on the music and less banter. I find myself listening less and less each week.
  • My2centssorry
    Go back to the old format
    I liked the old format better. It was more fun, sampled and discussed more music, and had varying opinions from many different people/demographics. I’m not sure why it needed to be changed but I find myself no longer listening when before I loved waking up on Fridays.
  • Yikes_2020
    Talk, with mushy opinions, and little music
    This is a diluted version of the original show, with meandering chatter passed off as commentary—and very little music per minute. I’d be curious to hear a relaunch as if the producers were making a demo—and really needed a green light in order to pay the bills. Maybe then it would be tighter, more entertaining, more share-worthy. But it isn’t, now.
  • Ppolsoin
    Go back to the old format
    I really liked it much more the old way. The long discussions get stale fast. I’m sorry to say that after listening to New Music Friday regularly I’ve just listened to my last episode and I had to cut it short. Pretentious banter just isn’t my thing.
  • Jamjo Prime
    New Music Episodes Too Long
    The Friday new music episodes are now too long with too much talking and not enough music. Please return to the old format and provide separate episodes if you want to have longer discussions on a topic.
  • Jabroniation
    Did they forget the music?
    Used to be great. Now too long and it’s all about the hosts talking to each other nonstop, competing to show you who knows more. Loved the old shorter format as it was a great balance.
  • Bruno Bleux
    Still a Worth a Listen
    Due to increased the political bent I don’t listen as much as I used to. But, hey, it is on NPR so that is expected. I still find the program a great resource for new music/artists that I wouldn’t normally discover on my own.
  • Chriskat1016
    Where did the songs go?
    I used to love this show but ever since Robin has started to hosted less, the episodes have become more about bantering and less about featuring the actual music. I find myself skipping through min by min and still only hearing conversations between hosts and not the actual music they’re discussing. Can we get back to shorter episodes with more music please?
  • Woodbio
    More music less talk
    Not liking the new format. Hosts just like to hear themselves talk. More music less analysis please.
  • Elaine12!7$6
    Please return to old format
    I wish new music Friday would go back to the old format—please. This new format is too much talking and not enough music!
  • Bossette01
    Love love love New Format
    Adds a much needed dose of new music to my ears! Thanks Robin and team - look forward to this every week! The new format is awesome - loved the Jan 16 episode with Xavi and Club del Rio!
  • melody moira rose
    The juggernaut of music podcasts
    My music library is a happier, richer, more eclectic space thanks to All Songs. For years, this podcast has been my go-to for new music, interviews, and insights from Robin and the gang. Listened to the Billy Joel episode this morning (for Billy Joel) and left looking for more from feeo. Thanks for unearthing so many musical discoveries, guys!
  • Beth1234578
    Love this podcast!
    I always listen to this podcast when walking my dog and it always gives me good song recommendations!
  • JordeauxBordeaux
    Nothing Lasts Forever
    I used to love this podcast, and would add 2-3 songs from New Music Friday to my library each week. One day I realized it had been over two years since I’ve connected with anything at all, and was listening solely out of habit. The music selection has sadly gone downhill, and I’ve since had to look to other sources for discovering new music. I wish everyone the best, but I think that’s it for me.
  • Teb1101
    Please revert to the previous format!
    Just listened to the latest New Music Friday podcast from NPR’s All Songs Considered. Almost an hour long, and covered only 5 new releases…with probably less than two minutes in total of actual music played (with some of that playing under the commentary). The show seems to have shifted from introducing a wide range and variety of newly released music (and giving listeners a chance to hear enough to pique our interest) to focusing on music critics and why (or whether) music criticism is still a relevant form of cultural commentary. Relax, guys! You know your stuff and don’t need to preen and flex and beg for the audience’s attention. Just share some music you love or find interesting and spare us the endless analyses explaining why it’s significant. Please, please, please either revert back to the earlier, pre-2024 format or rename the podcast “New Music Criticism Friday”!
  • Vine614
    Bob Boilen is sorely missed
    Ever since Bob Boilen's retirement, the ratio of "dancing about architecture" to actual music has increased dramatically. This used to be my go-to source for discovering new music and artists but looks like it is time to find a different one.
  • Roger Winston
    Thrilled to have Robin back
    Robin Hilton sounds incredible as the new host of All Songs Considered. The conversation and curation is divine.
  • Montsrrat
    Haha wow
    Just keeps getting worse
  • LOOPYHAMBURGER 1960
    Grammy review disappointment
    My first time listening to your podcast and I was so completely disappointed. Why is it that women have such a difficult time celebrating the success of other women? Yes, Taylor is everywhere at this moment in time and yes, for some it might seem like a lot, but there is no need to try to diminish her success. I’m not even a fan of hers but I have to say, if she were a male performer all we would have heard from you all was how “he” is the greatest performer of all time. Then you topped it off by not doing your homework to know that Billie Eilish was dressed like Poodle Parade Barbie. I appreciated your support for Victoria Monet and would have enjoyed your show more if you had done more celebration of artist and less criticism. This year’s show may have been one of the best celebrations of female artists and you chose to tarnished that. It came off as pretentiousness. It’s a shame, you could have had a really amazing show. 🙁
  • Fart Prodigy
    Not liking the new format.
    Miss hearing about all the new albums, hoping they return to the old format.
  • mcgolis
    New Format is great
    I have listened for year and 2024’s first new music Friday was excellent, awesome to get to hear whole songs! Keep it up!
  • humbee
    New Releases format?
    Was really hoping to hear discussions about all the new releases this week not just 40 min on one album. Hoping this isn’t the new format going forward.
  • Cherry Pickles
    Bring Back Old Format
    Just give me the top albums of the week! I’m not sure why the format changed or if it’s a long term thing, but my go-to source for new music no longer exists.
  • r111
    What happened?!
    The show radically changed after winding down 2023. Unrecognizable now. It seems like squarely targeting urban rap. Maybe that’s what they think is needed to survive and bring in new listeners. But, why not start a new pod instead of scuttling a reliable source for discovering all types of new music?
  • AlexandravT
    Downhill fast
    Why did Bob and Robin stop doing the show together? That dynamic changed set the show in a slide downhill. Now Bob is gone and it’ll never have that same magic that drew me in and opened my world to incredible music that I otherwise would have never known. RIP All Songs
  • captnzen
    If you play it, list it!!
    Most all the end of year programs don’t have a list of songs & artists played in the description on the podcasts. Ok, I’ll click on the episode webpage & see the list. Nope. The name of the song & artist has always been a springboard to go explore further. Bring it back unless it’s another peculiar cost cutting measure that’s eroding a once great brand.
  • StephenMH
    I miss Bob
    I knew the poison was in the well when they named WAP the song of the year of 2020 and Bob Boilen was very apparently absent from the discourse. He built something incredibly beautiful that was my go to for discovery and there is so much good new music coming out every week, but you’ll be searching the bottom of the barrel to find it here anymore.
  • Vader Father
    Commercials on latest
    I love this show, and I’ve been a listener for years, but the commercial cut ins in the latest episode are little ridiculous. They cut in the middle of songs, and also the episode ends roughly on a commercial in the middle of a song and doesn’t come back to it. I’m sure those are unintentional, but it definitely diminishes from the artist craft and makes it hard to get involved in the episode. I’m hoping this gets fixed, especially before the last few of the year episodes are released that I love so much. The low rating only comes from this. The host and the music is amazing.
  • Bschora
    THOSE DAYS ARE GONE.
    Now I know why Bob retired. I watched a Tiny Desk Concert a few weeks ago and right in the middle of a song, BOOM, COMMERCIAL! What?! Bye Bye.
  • JO Robinson1
    Nice listen
    Not a bad show, the reviews are honest and you would actually check out a few of the suggestions.
  • festatichiama
    good
    Great fresh music really friendly hosts, appt commentary. i'm deducting one star because these guys are such big dorks. 🤣 they did not know what 5150 is, and they were not familiar with the expression. "I woke up and chose violence", which is a really common quip on TikTok and Instagram these days. their discussion as to what these expressions meant was pretty cringeworthy. Nonetheless I will continue listening. It's a good pod.
  • Johnny john John the Johnny
    Songs that should be retired
    Quite possibly the dumbest idea for a show ever. I would recommend they retire this show. I’ve not listened in a long time and this episode just reinforces why I stopped listening. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.
  • OpenBL
    Beautiful Humans Playing Beautiful Music
    😭 😭 😭 (to Bob) Bob Boilen is such an amazing influence on me and the Internet. He's set such a wonderful precedent of amazing humans at NPR Music and folks have taken that an ran with it. I love everyone on here even if it's not my cup of tea. Keep up the amazing work!
  • cafebeans
    Farewell Bob
    Since I first heard Robin and Bob on All Songs Considered back in 2012, I was hooked. Those days of episodes featuring guests like Stephen Thompson and Ann Powers really opened my world up to the variety and beauty of music out there. There's so much to say about the show and how it's really evolved since then, but thank you Bob for your dedication to music, sincerity, humility, and humor all these years. You have forever improved my experience of music (and music library) and I will always be grateful. P.S. On the goodbye episode, after Stephen Thompson made that heartfelt pitch for a song that encapsulates their history together, I honestly was prepped for "Danger Zone" to start playing just like in so many of those episodes past. So to the tune of "Danger Zone" and rainbows, wishing you all the best on your journey ahead!
  • Dataylor1000
    Late to the party and I’m bummed
    I just started listening to the podcast less than a month ago and now I find out that Bob is leaving. Story of my life. Nevertheless, this was a great show and I’ll just have to go and listen to the older episodes, which I was already planning on doing. Dang, gonna miss this one in the future for sure.
  • ngarre
    New Music Friday
    I laughed listening to review of no name’s new album. Eagerly establishing their hip bonafides hosts gratuitously dropped buzz words like centered, toxic, forward activism something something, poet forward, specificity, colonialism, imperialism, the smoke. I laughed out loud when I heard “She ain’t wrong.”
  • NatalieB❤️🩷💖
    AMAZING PODCAST!🤩🤩🤩
    This is amazing! I love how you talk about the artist so I know who is singing and what the song is. That’s SUPER convenient so I can find new hits I like and download them. Coolest podcast I’ve listened to while I’m feeling bored. I’m a music fan, so this is perfect for my taste. Do you have any Spanish songs/artists/albums I can hear because Pop Latino is my favorite genre. Love it. Thank you.☺️
  • fightingattheDQ
    Too much pretentious talk
    Very little actual music. Sounds like a bunch of popular music majors trying to show you how smart they are.
  • mspassell
    4467744 stars!!!
    This is not the best show of all time (let’s be honest) AND YET I have been listening to it every single week at 1x speed for years (this is rare for me) and that’s because it’s useful and consistent so maybe it is the best podcast of all time?!??!
  • ARog26
    For New Music Junkies
    I became a new-music junkie about the same time I started listening to All Songs Considered. Was it correlation or causation? Who knows. I’m almost an original listener, I’d guess since about 2007. Through the show’s surprisingly few, and minor, permutations, it has held my attention like no other podcast. The reason is almost certainly Bob Boilen. I love the banter that Bob gets from whomever of the large cast of characters at NPR Music is co-hosting. Bob is so positive, interested in what the other person is saying, and fully enthusiastic about the music he brings to the shows. He and Robin Hilton are/were a perfect balance, but Robin has focused lately on New Music Friday episodes. The benefit of this development for listeners is that Bob now brings in folks with different musical tastes more often. For my own amusement, I have made autobiographical playlists for almost two decades now. All Songs doesn’t exclusively provide the material, but it introduces me to a solid majority. Thanks for the memories Bob, Robin, and friends.
  • Jay_Megs
    considering all the songs
    I appreciate all their insight, light banter and all around positivity. They have helped me discover so much of my favorite music. Thank you for providing this space. I spend all week listening to all the music recommendations from New Music Friday. I’ve tried a lot of music review podcasts and NPR’s ASC is the best!
  • TheGoldenBuffalo
    What about the music?
    Used to love listening to this show regularly. They always found great artists that were outside of the mainstream. Listened to a few episodes and it’s all about progressive ideology and messaging now. How the music sounds appears irrelevant. Not coming back. They’ve lost another listening with this strong shift to the progressive extreme left.
  • Motefaint
    What happened??
    Never thought I would stop listening to this show but I’ve finally unsubscribed. The quality of the music they feature has plummeted and the pod has become a soapbox for the woke. I really miss the old days.
  • Troyky
    No longer about music…
    This podcast used to be about awesome new music. Now it is mostly boring ramblings about the gender identity of every one who has recorded themself in the shower with their phone and posted it to Soundcloud.
  • royroddey
    Great place to hear new artists and their music
    I’ve found that I enjoy Bob’s selections over Robin’s but but throw me a curveball every so often. Been listening for many years and almost always enjoy the podcast and likely hear something new and that I really enjoy.
  • Megane 0572
    so boring, contrived and narrow
    this feeling topped it once I read Boilen’s “most astonishing song” of this year was Regina Spektor’s “Up the mountain”. Really? musically, contrived. lyrically, generic. vocally, pretentiously soulless. This is a sample of the narrow ears and stance of this program. NPR music was once upon a time a diverse intelligent program. It’s now no other than another Facebook/Instagram generic platform of noise.
  • pnw24climber
    No Standards Anymore
    I used to love tuning in to Bob and the crew as they surfaced bands I hadn’t heard of or new cuts from old faves. However lately, it seems like the standards for what is critically acclaimed music is taking a hit in favor of wide inclusion to appeal to the lowest common denominator. I’m not sure why mediocre pop songs or a plethora of same old same old rap is getting top billing on a show meant to surface exceptional music, lyricism, and production. The reason why most listeners turned to this resource was due to the taste level of the hosts. That is all but gone. I’m all for all kinds of music for all kinds of people, and I won’t say anyone is wrong for liking what they like, but this show is not the place for that. This show served a group of engaged and sharply critical in-the-know folks. I’d like to see it return to that and worry less about catering to the masses through diluted content.
  • BMWWrstlr
    And another thing....
    Bob, why does literally every female vocalist you feature have a singing voice identical to their speaking voice?!?!
  • grdvydrhg3566
    beyond portlandia
    swear word enabled Caucasians giggle p*ssy n*gger p*ssy n*gger b*tch guns (this is NPR) fryvoice preach how you think you are liberal and intellectual
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