Object Of Sound artwork

Object Of Sound

64 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 year ago - ★★★★★ - 260 ratings

Object Of Sound brings you in tune with the music shaping our culture today. Hosted by poet and critic Hanif Abdurraqib, each episode blends the eclectic curation of freeform radio with artist interviews and textural storytelling, guiding you to a new way of listening.

Produced by work x work for Sonos

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Episodes

The Sound of Where You Come From (feat. Angélica Negrón)

March 31, 2023 10:00 - 31 minutes - 28.5 MB

What is the sound of where you come from? Is it a particular song you remember from your childhood? Maybe it’s a collection of remembered sounds from your first home—a train that passed nearby, or the wildlife that would sing at night. Maybe it’s the first song that you ever really connected to, the one that first made you feel like you belonged. In this special episode, we’re exploring this question from many perspectives. Hanif speaks to composer and multi-instrumentalist Angélica Negrón, ...

The Listening Lounge: The Sound of Where You Come From

February 16, 2023 11:00 - 2 minutes - 2.29 MB

Imagine walking inside a room that was made for fans of this show. We've teamed up with the first-ever immersive podcast experience happening Feb 23-26 at Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg Brooklyn to make it happen. Flip through original vinyl and artifacts from the show, add your selects to a living playlist, and if you're lucky, run into Hanif in the room! All the details are available at bit.ly/oos-experience

This Year In Music (feat. Kelela, Sam Sanders, & Santigold,)

December 09, 2022 11:00 - 50 minutes - 46.3 MB

Welcome to our first ever year end special, ‘This Year In Music with Hanif Abdurraqib.’ December is the perfect time to look back on all the incredible music that has been released over the past year: the songs that moved us to dance, and the songs that helped us endure. In this hour-long deep dive, we'll review the musical highlights of 2022 and make predictions about the future of music in 2023 together with special guests Kelela, Sam Sanders, and Santigold. Credits: This show is produced...

This Year In Music (feat. Kelela, Sam Sanders, & Santigold)

December 09, 2022 11:00 - 50 minutes - 46.3 MB

Welcome to our first ever year end special, ‘This Year In Music with Hanif Abdurraqib.’ December is the perfect time to look back on all the incredible music that has been released over the past year: the songs that moved us to dance, and the songs that helped us endure. In this hour-long deep dive, we'll review the musical highlights of 2022 and make predictions about the future of music in 2023 together with special guests Kelela, Sam Sanders, and Santigold. Credits: This show is produced...

Future Facing Sound (feat. Fatoumata Diawara)

December 02, 2022 11:00 - 28 minutes - 26.2 MB

In Mali, where Fatoumata Diawara was raised, it is common for women to sing, but much rarer for women to play an instrument. As a result, Fatoumata—who is one of the first, if not the first woman guitarist in all of Mali—has developed a self-taught, intuitive guitar playing style that is entirely her own. “This way of playing, it's me,” says Fatoumata. “It represents my fight as a musician, as an African, and as a lady on stage.” In this episode of Object of Sound, Fatoumata talks to Hanif a...

Celebrating The Last Waltz (feat. Hrishikesh Hirway)

November 18, 2022 11:00 - 34 minutes - 32 MB

The night before Thanksgiving, Hanif has a special invented tradition: every year, he makes a batch of cupcakes and watches The Last Waltz—and every year, he finds new things to love about the film. Directed by Martin Scorsese, The Last Waltz is a 1978 concert film documenting the final performance of The Band. To Hanif, the movie is not just a collection of great performances, but a study in exquisite tenderness, and how to say goodbye. Hrishikesh Hirway joins Hanif to discuss the film in t...

Growing Up and Alongside (feat. Ben Gibbard)

November 11, 2022 11:00 - 34 minutes - 31.4 MB

“Music is a time machine,” says Ben Gibbard, singer and guitarist of Death Cab for Cutie. Just a few bars of a beloved song can be transportative, an instant reminder of another time and place. “And if you've been that in someone's life, you have a responsibility to keep that material alive.” For Ben, that means continuing to honor and perform work from Death Cab for Cutie’s back catalog—some of which he wrote when he was only twenty years old—while constantly pushing the band to new creativ...

When It’s All Gone, Something Carries On (A Tribute to Scott Hutchison)

November 04, 2022 10:00 - 44 minutes - 40.7 MB

“While I’m alive, I’ll make tiny changes to Earth.” Written by Scott Hutchison, the late frontman of the band Frightened Rabbit, this line has provided comfort, consolation, and inspiration to those who loved Scott’s music. A talented and witty lyricist, Scott’s songs could be devastatingly crushing or funny, visceral or resonant—sometimes all in the same track. But an artist is more than the work they produce, and so, on this episode of Object of Sound, we’re celebrating not only Scott’s mu...

The Breakup Album (feat. Tegan and Sara)

October 28, 2022 10:00 - 30 minutes - 27.6 MB

Before Tegan and Sara sat down to make Crybaby, they had to navigate a series of breakups—with their label, their management, and (almost) with each other. “This is our breakup record,” says Sara Quin, “but we're not going to break up. We’re siblings. We can’t.” In the turmoil that followed, Tegan and Sara rebuilt their professional team, repaired their relationship, and completely reinvented their collaborative songwriting process for Crybaby, one of their most exciting releases yet. In thi...

The Wonders of Songwriting, Pt. Three (feat. Carly Rae Jepsen)

October 21, 2022 10:00 - 31 minutes - 29.1 MB

Carly Rae Jepsen is a writer’s writer. “I am very excited about the idea of writing it in all directions,” Carly says — and for the making of her latest album, The Loneliest Time, that meant writing literally hundreds of songs. On this episode of Object of Sound, Hanif and Carly Rae Jepsen talk about the unique collaborative process that went into narrowing that collection of songs down to the thirteen tracks on the album. Carly opens up about the challenges and opportunities of songwriting ...

The Wonders of Songwriting, Pt. Two (feat. Nick Hakim)

October 14, 2022 10:00 - 25 minutes - 23 MB

“One of the most meditative things about writing is that you kind of forget where you are,” says Nick Hakim. “If you're tapped into it, you're not really thinking about anything else.” On this episode of Object of Sound, Nick recalls the spontaneous 5:00am recordings and free writing that went into the making of his new album COMETA, out October 21. Plus, Nick treats us to a special sneak peek of Perfume—one of Hanif’s favorite tracks off COMETA—and shares with us the inspiration behind the ...

The Wonders of Songwriting, Pt. One (feat. Ravyn Lenae)

October 07, 2022 10:00 - 29 minutes - 26.8 MB

“I came into my own and I was able to find my voice through my writing,” says artist Ravyn Lenae. The making of her album, HYPNOS, was a four-year-long journey of blood, sweat and tears—but the result is a meticulously crafted debut, a collection of songs on which Ravyn herself has curated every element, right down to individual snares and bass lines. In this episode, the first in our three part mini-series, “The Wonders of Songwriting,” Hanif and Ravyn dig into the editing process that prod...

The One Who Digs (feat. Björk)

September 30, 2022 10:00 - 30 minutes - 27.8 MB

“It’s like digging a hole and moving into it, and listening to a lot of bass, and loving it.” So says Björk of the meaning behind the word ‘Fossora’—the title of her tenth studio album, just released today. On this episode, Hanif and Björk break Fossora down concept-by-concept, from the sextet of bass clarinets that shape the album’s grounded, sonic world, to the album’s themes of digging deeply into our ancestral roots, and the pleasures of setting down new ones. To close the show, Hanif ri...

Storytelling Through Song (feat. Danielle Ponder)

September 23, 2022 10:00 - 32 minutes - 29.5 MB

“When I'm onstage, it's the happiest I feel. It's the most in love with myself I feel,” says Danielle Ponder. “I know that’s my purpose.” On this episode of Object of Sound, Danielle and Hanif talk about how Danielle left her successful career as a public defender to follow her purpose and become a musician full time—and how Danielle sees storytelling as a vital skill for both professions. Hanif and Danielle dig into the making of her debut album ‘Some Of Us Are Brave,’ and Danielle reveals ...

Writing For the Future (feat. Madison Cunningham)

September 16, 2022 04:00 - 31 minutes - 28.9 MB

Welcome to Season Four of Object of Sound! To kick us off, Hanif sits down with Madison Cunningham, who just released her latest album, Revealer. Hanif and Madison dig deep into the songwriting process: the vulnerability and ultimately, the surrender that is required to put a piece of yourself out into the world. Throughout the conversation, Hanif and Madison investigate what it is like to confront our own reflections, and find the balance between who we think we are, and who exists behind t...

You Belong To No One (feat. Margo Price)

May 06, 2022 10:00 - 26 minutes - 36.9 MB

“I have lived half my life in fear of judgment,” says Margo Price. “I'm so done with it.” In the final episode of this season, recorded from the back lounge of Margo’s tour bus, Margo reveals how the experience of writing her autobiography, Maybe We’ll Make It, empowered her to let go of her fear and tell her personal story. Plus, Margo talks to Hanif about her on-the-road reading list, her upcoming Sonos show Runaway Horses, and what she thinks of the evolving Nashville music scene. Hanif c...

Homecoming (feat. PJ Morton)

April 29, 2022 10:00 - 28 minutes - 39.6 MB

So many coming-of-age stories focus on leaving where you’re from—but what compels someone to come back? Musician PJ Morton returned to his hometown of New Orleans in 2016, and since then, he’s established an independent record label, founded a non-profit organization, and worked to restore the home of jazz pioneer Buddy Bolden. In this episode, Hanif and PJ talk about embracing the strength in your roots, and the making of his just-released album, Watch the Sun, which features appearances fr...

Beautiful (feat. Mavis Staples)

April 22, 2022 10:00 - 28 minutes - 26.5 MB

“I still have every bit of my voice,” says singer and civil rights icon Mavis Staples. “It’s still here, and I’m still here.” Throughout her career, Mavis has used her voice to uplift the truth through song, and after seventy years, she has no interest in slowing down. This year Mavis is on tour throughout the US and Europe, and on May 20th, she will release a new album, Carry Me Home, recorded with The Band’s Levon Helm. On this episode, Hanif speaks to Mavis about the album, why she won’t ...

Karaoke Dreams (feat. Marianne Chan, Garvaundo Hamilton, and Raina Lee)

April 15, 2022 10:00 - 36 minutes - 33.1 MB

“Anyone who loves music can karaoke.” So declares Raina Lee, Karaoke Queen and author of Hit Me With Your Best Shot: The Ultimate Guide to Karaoke Domination. In celebration of National Karaoke Week, our new favorite niche holiday, we’re devoting a whole episode to karaoke. We’ll hear tips for picking the perfect song and what it takes to rule the karaoke stage from Raina and 2020 World Karaoke Champion Garvaundo Hamilton. Plus, listeners from across the country call in to perform some of th...

My Anger Is My Friend (feat. Yaeji)

April 08, 2022 10:00 - 29 minutes - 26.8 MB

What does anger look like? In Yaeji’s case, the answer is simple: a fearsome, bedazzled hammer. At least, that’s the idea behind her forthcoming debut album. “It's a story about me and my anger,” says Yaeji. “My anger is materialized into this hammer that I befriend.” In this episode, Hanif sits down with Yaeji to talk about her songwriting process, her debut album, and the usefulness, the beauty, and the complicated nature of anger. Hanif closes the episode with a final thought: when we sto...

Nothing Is Easy (feat. Jack White)

April 01, 2022 10:00 - 28 minutes - 26.1 MB

Jack White has won twelve Grammys, founded his own label, and is regularly ranked as one of the top guitarists of all time—but, “I’ve never felt like I’ve arrived or felt satisfied,” he tells Hanif. It’s that restlessness and discomfort with success that keeps pushing Jack into new creative territory. In this episode, we talk to Jack about his two forthcoming albums, Fear Of The Dawn and Entering Heaven Alive, and what it means to consistently return to the challenge of making something new—...

The Sounds of the Game (feat. Monica Lynch & Haley O’Shaughnessy)

March 25, 2022 10:00 - 30 minutes - 27.5 MB

Just in time for the final weeks of March Madness, we’re bringing two of our favorite things together – music and basketball. Hanif heads to a Cleveland Cavaliers v. Detroit Pistons game to take in the sounds courtside. Then, together with sports journalist Haley O’Shaughnessy and former Tommy Boy Records President Monica Lynch, we’ll uncover the stories that explain why you hear what you hear at a game, and dig into 90s nostalgia. Plus, Hanif makes a playlist of his favorite arena hits. For...

Transformation Through Repetition (feat L’Rain)

March 18, 2022 10:00 - 31 minutes - 28.8 MB

“I'm just so fascinated by the voice,” says Taja Cheek, the experimentalist and multi-instrumentalist behind L’Rain. “It feels so scary to me, but that's also what kind of draws me closer to it to try to figure it out.” It’s this fascination Taja credits with inspiring the dreamy and ethereal vocal manipulations on Fatigue, L’Rain’s second album. On this episode, Hanif and Taja sit down ahead of L’Rain’s upcoming tour to talk in detail about her process, the power of repetition, and confront...

Great Movie Soundtracks (feat. Wesley Morris)

March 11, 2022 11:00 - 36 minutes - 33.1 MB

“Soundtracks are the unsung heroes of film.” That’s the premise of this special episode of Object of Sound, recorded live at On Air Fest 2022. Hanif and New York Times critic at large Wesley Morris took to the stage in Brooklyn to talk about four of their all-time favorite Black movie soundtracks, from Do the Right Thing (1989) to Love and Basketball (2000), from Boomerang (1992) to Belly (1998). Plus, a playlist of standout hits from soundtracks of the 1990s. For the playlist of songs curat...

To Love Ourselves Well (feat. Allison Russell)

March 04, 2022 11:00 - 32 minutes - 29.9 MB

“The journey to self-love is not quick, or easy, or ever over,” says musician Allison Russell, whose solo album Outside Child was released to widespread acclaim last year. In this episode, Allison and Hanif sit down to talk about healing and moving towards self-love through trauma—and the rollercoaster of emotions that often comes along with that work. How can we embrace the totality of our past, comfortably inhabit our contradictions, and love who we are in this moment—whether we feel shame...

Detroit Techno (feat. Eddie Fowlkes and Imani Mixon)

February 25, 2022 11:00 - 26 minutes - 24.6 MB

“For a very long time, people knew of techno as a genre, but never placed it in Detroit,” says writer and cultural producer Imani Mixon. In this episode, we’re digging deep into the origins of that Detroit techno sound. Hanif and Imani are joined by “godfather & originator” of Detroit techno himself, Eddie Fowlkes, to guide us through the evolution of techno, from the basements of Detroit to the airwaves of Europe, and beyond. Plus, Hanif guides us through a playlist of his top Detroit techn...

The Magic Trick (feat. Ibeyi)

February 18, 2022 11:00 - 26 minutes - 24.6 MB

Welcome back to Object of Sound. In the debut episode of our third season, we’re talking about the power of music to heal, inspire, and invite magic into our lives. “When we sing, we are deathless” says Lisa-Kaindé Diaz, one half of the duo Ibeyi describing her relationship with twin sister and collaborator, Naomi Diaz. That connection creates a special kind of magic, which is woven throughout the tracks of their forthcoming album, Spell 31. In this episode, Hanif sits down with Lisa and Nao...

Christmas At Home with Hanif Abdurraqib (feat. Hrishikesh Hirway and She & Him)

December 17, 2021 11:00 - 49 minutes - 45.6 MB

Welcome to our first ever holiday special, ‘Christmas At Home with Hanif Abdurraqib’ an hour long deep dive into the world of Christmas Music. Whether you’re flooded with warm nostalgia at the first beat of Jingle Bells, or like Hanif didn’t grow up with the holiday but are nonetheless enchanted by the aesthetics of it, this episode is for you. We’ve invited special guests Hrishikesh Hirway and the duo She & Him on the show to talk about Christmas standards, eggnog, and lay praise at the fee...

Harvest Together (feat. Aaron Dessner)

October 01, 2021 10:00 - 22 minutes - 20.2 MB

“Collaboration—that's the easiest way to grow” says Aaron Dessner, member of the National and Big Red Machine, and a prolific collaborator with artists from Taylor Swift to Kanye West. In our final episode of Season two, we’re talking to Aaron about what it’s like to learn and experiment alongside other musicians, and how valuable that can be for breaking through into new creative frontiers. To close out this season, Hanif leaves us with an expression of gratitude, and a final thought on mus...

In Praise of Aaliyah (feat. Kathy Iandoli and Kiana Fitzgerald)

September 24, 2021 10:00 - 36 minutes - 33.9 MB

It’s been 20 years since Aaliyah’s passing, and for most of those years, her music has been largely inaccessible. Kept off streaming platforms, hidden from the internet. That is, until now. With nearly all of Aaliyah’s catalog freshly released into the world, we’re celebrating by devoting our full show in praise of Aaliyah. With a deep dive into her influence on fashion, music and culture and a playlist of tracks that feel like the summer of 2001... And still hit today. Joining Hanif are jou...

Source Material (feat. Sufjan Stevens and Angelo de Augustine)

September 17, 2021 10:00 - 21 minutes - 19.8 MB

What do you do when you revisit a beloved movie from your childhood, only to find out it's not quite what you remember? If you’re Sufjan Stevens and Angelo de Augustine, you write a song about it. Their forthcoming album, A Beginner’s Mind, is a journey back into childhood nostalgia and perspectives, shaped by films the pair watched while recording together. Through their songwriting process, Sufjan and Angelo strip away what was dark or violent in their source material, transforming it and ...

Source Material (feat. Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine)

September 17, 2021 10:00 - 21 minutes - 19.8 MB

What do you do when you revisit a beloved movie from your childhood, only to find out it's not quite what you remember? If you’re Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine, you write a song about it. Their forthcoming album, A Beginner’s Mind, is a journey back into childhood nostalgia and perspectives, shaped by films the pair watched while recording together. Through their songwriting process, Sufjan and Angelo strip away what was dark or violent in their source material, transforming it and ...

Southern Identity (feat. Adia Victoria)

September 10, 2021 10:00 - 37 minutes - 33.9 MB

 “What about the Black woman who does not care to save you?” asks Adia Victoria. “How about the Black woman who is trying to look after her own skin, because you're not looking out for her?” Adia’s forthcoming album, A Southern Gothic, is rich with these questions and the characters who ask them, moving between romanticizing the South and interrogating it, all while embracing the complexity of Adia’s Southern identity. On this week’s episode, Adia and Hanif dig into the widespread influence ...

Screwed Up Sound (feat. Lil Keke and Brandon ‘Jinx’ Jenkins)

September 03, 2021 10:00 - 32 minutes - 29.5 MB

DJ Screw changed hip hop forever. You’ve heard his signature sound, even if you don’t know his name. On this episode, co-hosted by Mogul’s Brandon ‘Jinx’ Jenkins, we sit down with Lil Keke to talk about the warbly, slowed-down style of mixing called Chopped and Screwed born out of Houston in the ‘90s, and how this sound spilled out from car stereos and into the culture at large.  For the playlist of songs curated for this episode head over to https://bit.ly/screwed-up-sound.   Music In Thi...

Everything You Hear Belongs to You (feat. Bartees Strange)

August 27, 2021 10:00 - 31 minutes - 28.7 MB

“The way I look at music is it's all mine” says Bartees Strange. “I can do whatever I want with whatever I hear, period.” When Bartees approaches a song—whether he’s reimagining or remixing another artist, or writing for himself—he doesn’t hold back. In this episode, Hanif and Bartees talk about making their art into their career, and the journey they each took to get there. Plus, Hanif and Bartees explain how living well and fully engaged with the world and people around them is an essentia...

Ode to Joan (feat. Joan Armatrading)

August 20, 2021 10:00 - 23 minutes - 21.4 MB

“All I need to be inspired is to be alive,” says Joan Armatrading. Throughout a career spanning over 50 years, Joan credits her singular songwriting to a relentless fascination with other people: how they love and live. This week on Object of Sound, listen in as Joan and Hanif talk about the process of bringing to life everyday observations, and transforming them into evocative, vivid stories through song. Plus, Joan reveals what it takes to be constantly evolving as an artist, while staying...

The Crossfade (feat. Thao Nguyen and Josh Kun)

August 13, 2021 10:00 - 50 minutes - 46.6 MB

We’re breaking format to create something completely new: a collaborative performance of music, poetry and ideas between Hanif, artist Thao Nguyen (Thao & The Get Down Stay Down) and scholar Josh Kun. Named after the tool that mixes tracks on a DJ controller, Josh has been organizing an event series called ‘Crossfade Lab’ where he brings artists together to ‘mix without erasing, combine without destroying’ and find new places of connection between their work. In this episode, Hanif and Thao ...

Guitar Sheroes (feat. H.E.R.)

August 06, 2021 10:00 - 28 minutes - 26.3 MB

Hanif and Grammy award winning artist H.E.R. sit down to talk all about the guitar: H.E.R.’s relationship to the instrument, her many inspirations and the long lineage of Black women who’ve defined popular music and culture before her. They discuss how H.E.R. intuitively found her voice on her latest album Back Of Mind, and they explore what it means to redefine R&B music in the present moment. This week’s show comes with a playlist curated by Hanif of songs by Black women guitar players, an...

Biz Markie Was More Than “Just A Friend” (feat. Lynnée Denise and Dart Adams)

July 30, 2021 10:00 - 31 minutes - 28.7 MB

“His fingerprints are all over the culture.” On this week’s episode, we pay tribute to the great Biz Markie, the legendary rapper, deejay, sampler, and emcee who passed away earlier this month. Hanif invites hip hop experts, Dart Adams and DJ Lynnée Denise onto the show, to celebrate the fullness of Markie’s legacy-- someone who masterfully used humor to create a persona that could always get a crowd roaring. We explore how Biz Markie was so much more than the clown prince or his hit song “J...

The Contract (feat. Wesley Morris and Switched On Pop)

July 23, 2021 10:00 - 35 minutes - 32.9 MB

Love it or hate it, every summer has a song you just can’t escape from. It’s playing out of every car window, at every bodega, in every club and in your head on repeat. “We are all unknowingly entering into a contract to declare one song as a song of the summer” says Hanif. But in a time when there’s less communal listening than ever before, will there be just one song that defines these months of 2021? This week on the show, we’re analyzing the song of the summer from all angles with writer...

Confessions (feat. Lucy Dacus)

July 16, 2021 10:00 - 28 minutes - 26.3 MB

 “I care about words more than music,” says musician Lucy Dacus. Lucy recently released her third album, Home Video is a compilation of stories and vignettes pulled directly from her journals, dating back to her childhood. For Lucy, deep honesty in the form of song lyrics is almost compulsive. On this week’s show, Lucy and Hanif each unpack what it means to be a confessional writer, and together explore what honesty can offer an artist, or how it can hurt them. Plus, a reading list from Lucy...

Summer of Soul (feat. Questlove)

July 09, 2021 10:00 - 26 minutes - 24.6 MB

For 50 years, footage of the Harlem Cultural Festival – a summer-long fête featuring the likes of Nina Simone, Sly and The Family Stone, and Stevie Wonder – was buried in the archives. And the story of the Harlem Cultural Festival was buried along with it. Finally, the footage is being brought to light by Questlove in the new film ‘Summer of Soul’ a powerful testament to the artists of that era, and an energetic ride into the styles, sounds and politics of 1969. In this episode, our exclusiv...

This Summer of Live Music (feat. Esperanza Spalding and Cherie Hu)

July 02, 2021 10:00 - 44 minutes - 40.4 MB

We’re in an unprecedented moment of emergence: long-shuttered venues are reopening their doors, artists are hitting the road again, and you’re probably thinking about what concerts you’ll be heading to in this new world. We’re looking ahead to a summer full of live music, and what it means to listen together -- again. Hanif speaks with GRAMMY Award winning artist, Esperanza Spalding on creating ‘Songwrights Apothecary Lab’ and how live music can help rebuild our communities. And journalist C...

Ode to the Duet (feat. Sharon Van Etten)

June 25, 2021 10:00 - 29 minutes - 27.4 MB

After a long year apart, there’s something particularly comforting about listening to a duet. In this week’s episode, we talk to Sharon Van Etten, who recently released ‘Like I Used To’ a duet with Angel Olsen. Hanif and Sharon dig into the interpersonal stories behind some of their favorite duet collaborators, unpack what makes for a great pairing of voices, and make a playlist of their top duet songs. To listen to the playlist of songs curated for this week's episode visit www.mixcloud.com...

Ahead of Their Time (feat. Mykki Blanco)

June 18, 2021 10:00 - 27 minutes - 25.5 MB

Welcome to season two of Object of Sound! As the world opens back up, we’re entering a moment of collective renewal and return, so it feels right to speak with an artist who is versed in reinvention: Mykki Blanco. Hanif sits down with Mykki to talk about the release of their new album ‘Broken Hearts and Beauty Sleep’ coming out today, and the two enter into a layered conversation about what it means for an artist to be labeled as ‘ahead of their time.’ Visit https://bit.ly/oos-mykki to check...

Musician’s Work (feat. Brittany Howard)

April 30, 2021 10:00 - 32 minutes - 30.1 MB

For the season finale of Object of Sound, a reminder that you are an artist, regardless of what you do for work. Before Brittany Howard became a striking soloist and lead singer of Alabama Shakes, she worked at Cracker Barrel, sold cars, and even delivered mail in rural Alabama. In this episode, Hanif and Brittany reflect on how they preserved their creative lives and taught themselves writing and music while on the job. They dive into a shared love of funk and Brittany reveals how she learn...

Beyond Tastemaking (feat. Hrishikesh Hirway)

April 23, 2021 10:00 - 33 minutes - 30.3 MB

 What does it mean to be a curator of songs? The one friend who recommends new records, specifically with your tastes in mind. Hanif speaks with Hrishikesh Hirway, the creator and host of Song Exploder and a fellow music enthusiast. In this episode, Hanif and Hrishikesh discuss the communal and emotive nature of music sharing. They reflect on the experience of often being the only person of color at punk shows and what it means to, now, be in a position to evaluate music, while moving beyond...

They’re Calling Me Home (feat. Rhiannon Giddens)

April 16, 2021 10:00 - 30 minutes - 27.8 MB

What makes a home? Is it where you create? Where you feel seen? And for a musician like Rhiannon Giddens, how does the idea of home shape the sound of her music? This week, Hanif sits down with North-Carolinian multi-instrumentalist Rhiannon Giddens from her new homebase in Dublin. They talk about how Ireland has seeped into her music, muse on the banjo as a weapon and a tool of archiving Black histories, and how Rhiannon is able to masterfully draw influences -- wherever she finds herself. ...

Protest and Possibility (feat. Vijay Iyer)

April 09, 2021 10:00 - 33 minutes - 30.4 MB

When you think of protest music, you might think of the rock anthems of the 1960’s, or rap that turns frustration into elegantly poignant lyrics. For pianist Vijay Iyer, music without lyrics—has always been political music. This week, we talk with Vijay about the release of his new album 'Uneasy,' which in many ways is a protest album. We delve into the political history of jazz, the role of music in protest movements today. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode visit http://bit...

Redemption Songs (feat. Julien Baker)

April 02, 2021 10:00 - 28 minutes - 26.1 MB

When Julien Baker and Hanif first met, they felt pulled by the orbit of each other’s work—work that is emotionally layered and complex. This week on the show, Hanif and Julien catch up. Of course, they talk about Julien’s recent album release, Little Oblivions —which Hanif wrote the liner notes for— but they also get into ideas of self-redemption, digesting emotions through music, and missing the miraculous feeling of live music. Plus, Hanif and Julien collaborate on a playlist of their pers...

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