NPR: All Songs Considered

Bob Boilen and I are back together again to share some of the phenomenal new music we've been hearing, starting with Brittany Howard's stirring and inspired "He Loves Me," from her upcoming solo debut Jaime. She named the album after her sister who passed away when they were both teenagers. The music is a celebration of the human spirit.Also on the show: Big Thief surprises us with the band's second album of 2019 and this one is fierce; Bob is back from the DIY Musician Conference with a couple of discoveries: a playful, idiosyncratic British artist known only as EB and the singer-songwriter Anna Larson, who has a powerful reflection on mass shootings called "Acting Alone."We've also got new cathartic sounds from The Messthetics, the Philadelphia-based band Queen of Jeans and more. — Robin Hilton

Host Robin Hilton is joined by NPR Music's Ann Powers, Lyndsey McKenna and Sidney Madden as they share their picks for the best albums out on Aug. 16. FEATURED ALBUMS: Sleater-Kinney - The Center Won't Hold; Frank Turner - No Man's Land; Snoh Aalegra - Ugh, Those Feels Again; Cousin Stizz - Trying to Find My Next Thrill; Shura - Forevher; Lillie Mae - Other Girls; Rodney Crowell - Texas; The Hold Steady - Thrashing Thru The Passion. OTHER NOTABLE ALBUMS OUT AUG. 16: Blanck Mass - Animated Violence Mild; Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors - Dragons; Jason Lytle - Nylon and Juno; Maria Usbeck - Envejeciendo; Oso Oso - Basking in the Glow

School is really hard — and for many, music is the one thing that grounded them or made them feel connected to something bigger. On this encore edition of All Songs Considered , we hear moving stories from our listeners of how music became a force in their lives and helped them get through school. We'll also share the songs they say made a difference.

Our list of the week's best albums includes spiky and inventive punk from The Regrettes, sweetly reflective folk from Fionn Regan, the return of Ra Ra Riot and more. FEATURED ALBUMS: 1. The Regrettes - 'How Do You Love?;' 2. half alive - 'Now, Not Yet;' 3. Fionn Regan - 'Cala;' 4. Murs & 9th Wonder - 'The Iliad Is Dead And The Odyssey Is Over;' 5. Marika Hackman - 'Any Human Friend;' 6. Ra Ra Riot - 'Superbloom;' 7. WHY? - 'AOKOHIO.' OTHER NOTABLE RELEASES FOR AUGUST 9: Bas - 'Spilled Milk Vol. 1;' Rick Ross - 'Port Of Miami 2;' Electric Youth - 'Memory Emotion;' Marc Cohn & Blind Boys Of Alabama - 'Work To Do;' Tori Kelly - 'Inspired By True Events;' P.P. Arnold - 'The New Adventures Of P.P. Arnold.'

Originally from 2014 - Carrie Brownstein joins the All Songs gang to chat about relentless ear-worms, annoying novelty songs and other songs our hosts think of as quite possibly the worst of all time.