NPR Music

Pet Shop Boys Leave 'West End' To Explore 'Elysium'

Credit Ann Suma / Courtesy of the artist

The Pet Shop Boys' new album is called Elysium.

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Originally published on Mon September 10, 2012 12:40 pm

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For 25 years, the London synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys have done one thing better than any other duo in the UK: sell records.

In fact, they've sold 50 million records worldwide since Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe met at an electronics shop in 1981.

Many people were reminded of the Pet Shop Boys when they helped close out the 2012 Olympic Games in London with their biggest hit, "West End Girls." The duo, however, continues to make new music and has just released their 11th studio album, Elysium.

6:24 am

Sun September 9, 2012

Guitarist Sends 'Good Vibrations' In Lifelong Passion

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This summer we've brought you musical postcards of street performers from around the country. Our "Music Alfresco" series takes us to our last stop: Berkeley, Calif., where we meet guitarist Phillip Rosheger.

Music News

4:41 am

Sun September 9, 2012

Musicians Weigh Big-City Dreams Against Hometown Pride

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Credit Jonathan Sokol / Courtesy of the artist

Singer-songwriter Maryanne Sokol left Houston for New York two years ago, hoping for greater exposure but aware of the increased competition. "I felt like I was going to be like a little piece of algae in a huge ocean," she says.

Credit Courtesy of the artist

The members of the band Bass Drum of Death, drummer Colin Sneed (left) and singer-guitarist John Barrett, live in their hometown of Oxford, Miss. -- a city of around 19,000 people.

By editor

Originally published on Sun September 9, 2012 4:07 pm

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Maryanna Sokol is a 29-year-old singer and songwriter originally from Houston, but she left her hometown for New York almost two years ago.

"New York is just filled with talent everywhere you go," she says.

Even before she left Texas, Sokol began collaborating with New York musicians online. They chatted and emailed, discussing how each song should sound. With limited resources and without the support of a record label, Sokol used this process to produce her own album. But after a while, this long-distance relationship just wasn't cutting it.

1:03 am

Sun September 9, 2012

The Raveonettes: The Sound Of Surfing In The Rain

Credit Courtesy of the artist

The Raveonettes is the Danish-born duo of Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo. The band's new album is titled Observator.

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Originally published on Sun September 9, 2012 12:43 pm

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For more than a decade, The Raveonettes' members have been making albums filled with fuzz-guitar feedback and tight girl-group harmonies. The duo's latest album, Observator, takes on a different sound, thanks in part to its embrace of a new instrument.

12:06 pm

Sat September 8, 2012

The Sheepdogs In Concert

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