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The Contenders, Vol. 23: Brandi Carlile, Blood Orange, Magdalena Bay, more
NPR Music
It’s a week of surprises as we update our running list of the year’s best music, with a mix of songs that refuse to be any one thing. Plus, singer Brandi Carlile drops a stunning, stadium-sized rock anthem. NPR Music editor Sheldon Pearce joins host Robin Hilton. Featured artists and songs: 1. Brandi Carlile: “Church & State,” from ‘Returning to Myself’ 2. Hannah Frances: “The Space Between (feat. Daniel Rossen),” from ‘Nested in Tangles’ 3. Kelly Moran: “Don’t Trust Mirrors,” from ‘Don’t Trust Mirrors’ 4. Blood Orange: “The Last of England,” from ‘Essex Honey’ 5. Magdalena Bay: “Second Sleep” (single) Weekly reset: A family of bears rummage through a forest on an autumn afternoon. Enjoy the show? Share it with a friend and leave us a review on Apple , Spotify , or wherever you listen to podcasts. Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: allsongs@npr.org 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
View originalIt’s a week of surprises as we update our running list of the year’s best music, with a mix of songs that refuse to be any one thing. Plus, singer Brandi Carlile drops a stunning, stadium-sized rock anthem. NPR Music editor Sheldon Pearce joins host Robin Hilton. Featured artists and songs: 1. Brandi Carlile: “Church & State,” from ‘Returning to Myself’ 2. Hannah Frances: “The Space Between (feat. Daniel Rossen),” from ‘Nested in Tangles’ 3. Kelly Moran: “Don’t Trust Mirrors,” from ‘Don’t Trust Mirrors’ 4. Blood Orange: “The Last of England,” from ‘Essex Honey’ 5. Magdalena Bay: “Second Sleep” (single) Weekly reset: A family of bears rummage through a forest on an autumn afternoon. Enjoy the show? Share it with a friend and leave us a review on Apple , Spotify , or wherever you listen to podcasts. Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: allsongs@npr.org 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
- Published
- October 28, 2025
- Status
- active
- GUID hash
- 698cea8000a157ef478f283f58d5b0250799d65fb5e22f8742c66737b446604b
- Archive key
- the-contenders-vol-23-brandi-carlile-blood-orange-magdalena-bay-more--entry_bdc1be6d986ad7f7f3eae9257a17
- Archive id
- entry_bdc1be6d986ad7f7f3eae9257a17