Object Of Sound
64 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 1 year ago - ★★★★★ - 261 ratingsObject 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
Hop On the Souuuul Train (feat. Ericka Blount Danois)
March 26, 2021 10:00 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBThis week marks the release of Hanif’s new book, A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance, and the opening chapter dives into the colorful world of Soul Train. Bell bottoms, the Soul Train line, afro’s as high as the sky. Hanif and journalist Ericka Blount Danois talk through how the show forever changed fashion, dance, and carved out a path for the all-Black media empires we see today. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode visit http://bit.ly/oos-soultrai...
Songs for the End of the World (feat. Sydney Sprague)
March 19, 2021 10:00 - 29 minutes - 26.8 MBFor Hanif, music that some folks would consider ‘dark’ like emo, doom metal, and goth, have helped him find illumination. In this episode, Hanif talks to a master of darkly humorous lyrics, Sydney Sprague, about her debut album, ‘maybe I will see you at the end of the world’ and what it takes to make music at a time when survival feels like a question mark. Plus, Hanif and Sydney make a playlist of songs that’d be the perfect soundtrack to the apocalypse. For the playlist of songs curated ...
Unpacking The GRAMMYs (feat. Sidney Madden and Rodney Carmichael)
March 12, 2021 11:00 - 33 minutes - 30.4 MBThis week on the show, we're taking a critical look at The GRAMMYs. We bring on NPR’s Sidney Madden and Rodney Carmichael to talk through the systemic inequities of an event that each year decides which musician can be called the “best.” Why do we still care about awards that trail seemingly years behind the culture? Plus, Hanif, Sidney and Rodney share which artists they think should be recognized, whether or not they take home an award this weekend. For the playlist of songs curated for th...
One Year Later (feat. KeiyaA)
March 05, 2021 11:00 - 31 minutes - 29 MBFor the first month of the pandemic, Hanif couldn’t listen to music. Then KeiyaA dropped her album Forever Ya Girl! and the idea that new music could be made, in this moment, shook him. This week on Object of Sound, we're thinking back on the exhausting, scary, revelatory year we’ve just lived through, and how the pandemic has changed the need for music in our lives. We talk to KeiyaA about crystals, writing scene-rich lyrics and the music that carried her through these last 12 months. For t...
Going Solo (feat. Matt Berninger)
February 26, 2021 11:00 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBMatt Berninger started out as the frontman of The National, but recently he’s taken off on his own artistic path. With the re-issue of the National’s early albums out today, we speak with Matt about revisiting past selves, his collaboration with Booker T. Jones, and take a broader look at artists who have reinvented their sound after going solo. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode visit http://bit.ly/oos-solo / Show Notes / Matt Berninger says Willie Nelson’s Stardust was a...
Baldwin and Me (feat. Meshell Ndegeocello)
February 19, 2021 11:00 - 27 minutes - 25.2 MBWhen Grammy nominated bassist Meshell Ndegeocello read James Baldwin for the first time, her world shifted on its axis. Like many before her, Baldwin’s words reverberated into her creative process. In this episode, we speak with Ndegeocello about the literary ancestors who inform her music, the arc of her decades-long career, and Hanif shares a playlist of songs inspired by poetry and literature. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode visit http://bit.ly/oos-meshell / Show Note...
Infinite Love (feat. Sylvan Esso)
February 12, 2021 11:00 - 33 minutes - 30.2 MBSylvan Esso’s Nick Sanborn and Amelia Meath are tired of your typical love song. They’re more interested in the music that flows from an argument, singing about heartbreak, and falling back in love with yourself. As Valentine’s day approaches, we talk to the duo about what it takes to make art together as romantic partners, crack open what a love song can be, and Hanif reads a poem by Nicole Sealey. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode visit http://bit.ly/oos-love / Show Note...
Oh Say Can You See? (feat. Wesley Morris)
February 05, 2021 11:00 - 31 minutes - 29.2 MBIt’s Super Bowl weekend, and we’ve invited critic Wesley Morris on to talk about Whitney Houston’s jaw-dropping rendition of the Star Spangled banner. On the 30th anniversary of her performance, we explore the beauty and complexity the national anthem holds for Black Americans and ask: how should we be listening to the National Anthem today? For the playlist of songs curated for this episode visit http://bit.ly/oos-wesley / Show Notes / Wesley and Hanif reference Whitney Houston, Marvin G...
Jazmine’s Tale (feat. Jazmine Sullivan)
January 29, 2021 11:00 - 28 minutes - 26.5 MBThe strength of Black women as storytellers stands out on arguably the most celebrated album of this year, Heaux Tales, from Jazmine Sullivan. Through stories told by Jazmine’s close circle of women, the album explores themes of love, sex and Black womanhood. In this episode, we talk with Jazmine about her writing process, taking breaks from music and her upcoming performance at the Super Bowl. / Show Notes / For the playlist of songs curated for this episode visit http://bit.ly/oos-jazm...
Music Gets Masked Up (feat. Sasha Geffen and Harmony Holiday)
January 22, 2021 11:00 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBFrom the late MF Doom to Grace Jones and Orville Peck, we take a look at musicians who have worn masks to protect their identities at a time when we’re all masking up to protect one another. In this episode, we talk with writers Sasha Geffen and Harmony Holiday about the different ways artists choose to mask up, and how covering one part of who we are can also uncover creative freedom. / Show Notes / For the playlist of songs curated for this episode visit http://bit.ly/oos-masks Read Ha...
Playlists for our Future Selves (feat. Moses Sumney)
January 15, 2021 11:00 - 30 minutes - 27.9 MBWhen one song sits next to another, a new story is told. We talk with Moses Sumney about composing the arc of his album græ, making playlists, and how he honors his own work by refusing to define it. Welcome to Object Of Sound. / Show Notes / For the playlist of songs curated for this episode visit here. Moses referenced the album Speaker Box and The Love Below by Outkast. Hanif and Moses recommend cleaning your house to Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa. Moses says the albums Forever, Ya ...
What Makes a Great Cover Song (feat. Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy)
January 13, 2021 01:15 - 30 minutes - 28.1 MB2020 was arguably the year of the cover song. Listening to a familiar song spun a new way can be grounding or groundbreaking. We talk to the often covered and prolific performer of covers, Jeff Tweedy, about what goes into a great cover, and what it’s like to hear his own songs re-translated by other musicians. / Show Notes / For the playlist of cover songs curated for this episode visit http://bit.ly/oos-covers, Jeff Tweedy’s book is How to Write One Song, Watch episodes of The Tweedy Sh...
Afrofuturism is Now (feat. Sudan Archives, Jenna Wortham, and Kimberly Drew)
January 13, 2021 00:58 - 23 minutes - 21.9 MBFollowing a year like no other, stepping into a future of unknowns, the time to envision liberation is now. In this episode, we speak with vocalist and violinist Sudan Archives who spins the ideas and sounds of afrofuturism into her work, as well as co-editors of the book Black Futures, Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham. We track the evolution of afrofuturism from outer space to inner space in a dynamic playlist, and discuss how music has helped us create the world we want to inhabit. / Show...
Object Of Sound: Trailer
January 12, 2021 16:50 - 2 minutes - 2.46 MBObject of Sound from Sonos Sound System 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. Check out Object Of Sound in your podcast feed, every Friday, starting January 15th.