For NPR Music's hip-hop and R&B editor, no list could capture an accurate picture of the year, yet there's still value in calling out the albums that felt unignorable.
It's music to the rescue on this week's All Songs Considered, with a mix of songs to slow the blood, including the one track scientists believe can reduce anxiety by up to 65%.
Featured songs and artists: • Marconi Union: "Weightless" • Mary Lattimore: "Wawa by the Ocean" from 'Collected Pieces' • Van-Anh Nguyen and Noshika Masuda: "Spiegel im Spiegel" by Arvo Pärt • Brian McBride: "Girl Nap" from 'The Effective Disconnect' • Laraaji: "Meditation No. 1" from 'Day of Radiance' • Arooj Aftab: "Saans Lo" from 'Vulture Prince' • Eluvium: "One" from 'Talk Amongst The Trees' • Enya: "Watermark" from 'Watermark' • Adele: "Somoene Like You" from '21' • Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, John Pritchard & London • Philharmonic Orchestra: "O Mio babbino caro" from 'Kiri Te Kanawa Sings Puccini and Verdi' • Yo La Tengo: "Our Way To Fall" from 'And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out' • Cassandra Jenkins: "Hard Drive" from 'An Overview of Phenomenal Nature' • Ruth Laredo: "Clair de Lune" from 'My First Recital' • Rachika Nayar: "Our Wretched Fantasy" from 'Heaven Come Crashing' • Radiohead: "Everything in its Right Place" from 'Kid A' • Clem Snide: "Nick Drake Tape" from 'A Beautiful EP'
Visit our site to see the Top 10 songs scientists say are the most relaxing.
On their debut album, the improvisational supergroup — singer Arooj Aftab, pianist Vijay Iyer and bassist Shahzad Ismaily — try to answer a musical riddle: What does listening sound like?
