The Contenders, Vol. 14: Upchuck, Just Mustard, Brandon Woody, more

All Songs Considered

NPR

Music

4.4 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 24 June 2025

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This week's update to our running list of the year's best songs includes some scorchers from Atlanta's Upchuck, the shoegaze group Just Mustard, jazz trumpeter Brandon Woody and more.

Featured artists and songs:
1. Upchuck: "Plastic" (single)
2. The Westerlies (with Sam Amidon): "Paradise," from 'Paradise'
3. Just Mustard: "POLLYANNA" (single)
4. Brandon Woody: "Beyond the Reach of Our Eyes," from 'For The Love Of It All'

'All Songs Considered' 25th anniversary segment: Our No. 1 songs from 2017

Weekly reset: Frogs and crickets chattering in a rice field in Okazaki, Japan

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Transcript

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0:00.0	All right, it's All Songs Considered. I'm Robin Hilton.
0:02.8	And this week, on a very special edition of All Songs Considered, the prodigal son returns.
0:09.3	Nationan, editorial director at W.R.T.I.
0:13.1	Is that who I am, too, Robin?
0:14.6	Yeah. Are you a wild child?
0:15.8	You know, I'm trying to rein in my wilder impulses these days.
0:20.5	It's been a minute, a very long minute since we did a show together.
0:24.0	Yeah, I'm psyched to be back.
0:25.3	Thank you.
0:26.1	I think maybe not since, you know, we were hanging out drinking vermouth, and I told you
0:31.2	that jazz is overrated.
0:33.2	And you basically, you've been ghosting me ever since.
0:36.8	Yeah.
0:37.4	Yeah. I threw mine in your face. Yeah, you tossed been ghosting me ever since. Yeah. Yeah.
0:37.6	I threw mine in your face.
0:39.1	Yeah.
0:39.2	You tossed your drink in my face.
0:41.5	Now, I'm kidding.
0:41.9	You are a jazz head, of course.
0:44.3	But one of the things that I've always loved about you and the music you bring Nate is you're
0:49.0	one of those big ear listeners.
0:51.0	You love lots of different stuff.
	...

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