Last week, after I played a monstrously good guitar rock cut by Major Stars, Bob Boilen rolled his eyes while foolishly claiming the guitar solo was dead. So we did an entirely scientific poll (it wasn't scientific) on Twitter to see what listeners thought. As I expected, the vast majority — nearly 70 percent — said, "No, Bob." The guitar solo is not dead.
So this week, after rubbing Bob's face in it (it's the only way they learn), I took pity and allowed him the first spin. What I heard left me breathless — the unbelievably gorgeous "Stretch Your Eyes" from the Danish singer Agnes Obel.
We've got that and a whole lot more on this week's show, including a visit from NPR Music's Saidah Blount who premieres a new cut by the English psych rock group TOY.
Bob and I also remember our longtime friend and NPR colleague Robert Goldstein, who passed away over the weekend. Robert was, among many things, the music librarian here at NPR. But was his band Urban Verbs that inspired Bob to play music back in the late '70s. You can read more about Robert in this remembrance from Bob and NPR's Tom Cole. In honor of Robert, we close our show with a song from the band's first album for Warner Brothers from 1980, called "The Only One Of You." --Robin Hilton
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