The best releases out on Nov. 4 : All Songs Considered : NPR

The mysterious U.K. group SAULT surprise-dropped five new albums this week that are as sonically diverse as they are ambitious in their breadth and scale. From the soaring symphonic scores of AIIR to the prog rock of Today & Tomorrow and gospel on Earth, each record celebrates Black music and God’s love. We hear a bit from all five albums on this week’s show and talk about the ways SAULT takes everyone to church.

But first we’ve got the droll, sometimes comical, sometimes graphic debut from the Atlanta duo Coco & Clair Clair, the brilliant lyricism of R.A.P. Ferreira, a new one from the French pop group Phoenix and more. Contributors Christina Lee and Cyrena Touros join WXPN‘s John Morrison and host Robin Hilton to share their picks for the best new albums out on Nov. 4.

Featured Albums:

1. Coco & Clair Clair — Sexy
   Featured Songs: “8 AM,” “Bad Lil Vibe,” “The Hills,” “Love Me”
2. R.A.P. Ferreira — 5 to the Eye with Stars
   Featured Songs: “fighting back,” “mythsysizer instinct,” “ours,” “tennessee farmer jutsu”
3. Phoenix — Alpha Zulu
   Featured Songs: “Season 2,” “Winter Solstice,” “Artefact”
4. Big Joanie — Back Home
   Featured Songs: “In My Arms,” “Cactus Tree”
5. SAULT — AIIR, Earth, Today & Tomorrow, UNTITLED (God), 11
   Featured Songs: “4am,” “Heal The World,” “Valley of the Ocean,” “Together,” “Life We Rent But Love Is Rent Free,” “Love Is All I Know”

Lightning Round:

• Connie Constance — Miss Power
• First Aid Kit — Palomino
• Marvin Tate’s D-Settlement — Marvin Tate’s D-Settlement
• Surya Botofasina — Everyone’s Children

Other notable releases for Nov. 4:

• Ami Dang — The Living World Demands
• Caleb Landry Jones — Gadzooks Vol. 2
• “Captain” Kirk Douglas — New Unknown
• Dean Fertita — Tropical Gothclub
• Dermot Kennedy — Sonder
• Ezra Collective — Where I’m Meant To Be
• h. Pruz — again, there
• Jakob Bro & Joe Lovano — Once Around the Room
• Lecrae — Church Clothes 4
• The Lone Bellow — Love Songs For Losers
• Okay Kaya — SAP
• Rayland Baxter — If I Were A Butterfly
• Special Interest — Endure
• Teddy Swims — Sleep Is Exhausting
• The Welcome Wagon — Esther