Rock

In 1966 he joined L.A. rock band Buffalo Springfield; they split up three albums later due to inter-band fighting and their lack of commercial success. Young then meandered from band to band, including "Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young," while doing a lot of solo work as well. He's been called the "Godfather of Grunge," and "The king of punk."

The Swedish singer-songwriter's new album owes more to pop, disco and hip-hop than it does to rock or folk. Critic Ken Tucker says Life Will See You Now is marked by a "transporting loveliness."

Giles Martin says he included outtakes and raw performances in the new box set to show "how human the making of Sgt. Pepper was." The original album was produced by Martin's father, George.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews Styles' self-titled solo album, as well as Waiting on a Song, by Auerbach of The Black Keys. Tucker says the new albums "meet in a middle-ground of forced humility."

Critic Ken Tucker reviews the British group The xx's third album. "Beneath its sleek beauty, there's a fresh joyousness ... that at its best is something close to inspirational," he says of I See You.

In the 1960s she was a member of the girl group, The Ronettes. They were already making records with a different label when producer Phil Spector signed them and turned them into hit makers. Their songs include Be My Baby, Baby, I Love You, and Walking in the Rain. Ronnie married Phil Spector, but the marriage ended in divorce.

Rock historian missed the "Prefab Four" the first time they came along. Listening now, he finds that the Monkees' best songs have held up, mostly because they used top-notch songwriting talent.

Froom produced albums by Elvis Costello, Los Lobos, Richard Thompson, and Suzanne Vega. He joins Fresh Air to talk about how he pushes artists to new musical territories.

The New Zealand band began releasing records on the Flying Nun label in the 1980s. Four decades later, they are still at it. Rock historian Ed Ward tells story of The Chills.

Best known as a founding member of the Grateful Dead, Weir goes solo on his new album, which was inspired by his time working as a ranch hand in Wyoming as a teen. Critic Ken Tucker has a review.

Enter Me

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the newest album from Spoon, Gimme Fiction.

Rock historian Ed Ward says that musicians in Düsseldorf, Germany, including Klaus Dinger of the band Neu!, helped start a new German pop movement in the 1970s and '80s.

American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson has released All I Ever Wanted, her fourth album. Rock critic Ken Tucker has a review.

Music critic Milo Miles reviews ... For the Whole World to See, an album of previously unreleased material from the proto-punk band Death.

A new film imagines what happened when Elvis Presley met President Nixon on Dec. 21, 1970. Film critic David Edelstein says Elvis & Nixon "shows the crazy-making insulation of celebrity."

Reporter John Seabrook talks about the state of the live concert business, and how it got that way. His article on the topic, in this week's issue of The New Yorker, is "The Price of the Ticket."

The surging voices of two female lead singers create the signature sound of the five-piece band Lucius. Rock critic Ken Tucker says the band's new album, Good Grief, is often lovely and well-crafted.