When Bob Boilen and I sat down to record this week's podcast, the Presidential inauguration and weekend marches were still fresh on our minds and the songs we ended up playing this week seem connected.
The first song we play comes from a pop singer based out of Los Angeles who goes by the name MILCK. Here's the video that went viral of MILCK performing her song "Quiet" a cappella with a group of other singers at the Women's March in Washington, D.C. On our show today we play the original studio version of "Quiet," a profoundly moving rallying cry for women's rights.
Another clearly connected track comes from Angel Olsen and her contribution to a project called Our First 100 Days: One Hundred Songs That Inspire Progress And Benefit A Cause For Change. Olsen didn't write her song "Fly On Your Wall" specifically for the project. But the song looks at what can happen when you let someone else control your life and for Angel Olsen, it felt like an appropriate fit.
We've also got new music from Jesca Hoop, who sings about self-empowerment and the importance of being in the moment; We called up singer Charlotte Day Wilson to talk about how her song "Work" took on new meaning following the the U.S. elections. She created a video based on her new perception of her song, a hypnotic homage to the queer community.
All that, plus Father John Misty dives deep into the state of humanity in his latest opus, "Pure Comedy," new music from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Tim Darcy of the Montreal rock band Ought somehow channeling Roy Orbison and we end the show with a band we discovered about a year ago, Overcoats. Bob Boilen predicted after last year's SXSW that it would soon be a favorite of the All Songs Considered audience. The duo has just announced its debut album — the mix of harmonies and spare beats has Bob hanging on to his positive prediction. --Robin Hilton
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