Show Notes
Consensus has been hard to find in 2026, but we’ve assembled our top-ten list of the most memorable songs of the year at this midway point, from the outlaw country of Charley Crockett to the glam rock of Friko, Lana Del Rey’s twisted ode to love, Vince Staples’ “White Flag” and more.
NPR Music’s Sheldon Pearce joins host Robin Hilton.
Featured artists and songs:
(00:00) Intro
(01:38) Mandy, Indiana: “try saying”
(05:09) Aldous Harding: “Coats”
(09:28) Vince Staples: “White Flag”
(14:25) Yebba: “Yellow Eyes”
(18:04) Friko: “Seven Degrees”
(22:01) Charley Crockett: “Kentucky Too Long”
(26:03) Lana Del Rey: “White Feather Hawk Tail Deer Hunter”
(32:07) Baby Rose: “Friends Again (feat. Leon Thomas)”
(37:59) Mumford & Sons: “Rubber Band Man (with Hozier)”
(42:58) Irreversible Entanglements: “Don’t Lose Your Head (feat. MOTHERBOARD)”
Reviews help! Leave us one on Apple or Spotify wherever you listen to podcasts.
Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: [email protected]
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy
More from All Songs Considered
With the arrival of the first new Olivia Tremor Control album in nearly 30 years, we attempt to make sense of the sprawling, enigmatic collective behind it known as Elephant 6.
Who’s the Mariah Carey of Halloween? Labels and artists are trying to capitalize on spooky season, but these are the songs that belong in the creepy canon, from the truly terrifying to simply seasonal and nostalgic.
A super deluxe box set of The Beatles' legendary 1965 album Rubber Soul has just been released with brand new mixes, demos and outtakes that show The Beatles breaking up with the past, their fans and everything people knew and loved about the band.
We get big and loud this week with a surprise drop from Phoebe Bridgers and her song “On Video,” from the Primetime soundtrack; the monstrously disjointed “Placeholder” from Gilla Band; widescreened shoegaze from the Danish artist Trentemøller and more.
Our latest mix of the week’s best new songs swings from the shoegaze rock of rising LA band untitled (halo) to Bach’s “Air on the G String” performed by pianist Víkingur Ólafsson. We’ve also got singer Lizzy McAlpine’s breathtaking ode to her late father, the laid-back grooves of polymath Sen Morimoto, the extraordinary voice of Scottish singer Beth Taylor and more.