All Songs Considered

Big Thief’s Buck Meek, Joji and more of the week's best songs

January 13, 2026

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  • The hosts of *All Songs Considered* are kicking off the new year by curating a running list of the best new tracks they are currently obsessing over, featuring artists like Buck Meek and Joji. 
  • Buck Meek's new song "Gasoline" is highlighted for its playful, intimate lyrics about early love, contrasting cosmic imagery with grounded, nonsensical language. 
  • The episode features a diverse selection of new music, including a collaboration between classical violinist Pekka Kuusisto and folk singer Sam Amadon, a genre-hopping track from Joji, and a haunting setting of an Emily Dickinson poem by Joyce DiDonato and Time for Three. 

Segments

Introduction and New Music List
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(00:01:06)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts begin the year with a clean slate, starting a running virtual list of new tracks they are currently loving and playing repeatedly.
  • Summary: Robin Hilton and Tom Huizenga are starting the year by compiling a list of new music they are obsessing over. This list is a running compilation that will be updated throughout the year. They immediately transition to discussing the first featured track from Buck Meek.
Buck Meek’s New Solo Track
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(00:01:40)
  • Key Takeaway: Buck Meek, guitarist for Big Thief, is releasing his third solo album, ‘The Mirror,’ featuring the song “Gasoline,” which details the nonsensical, intimate language made up between new lovers.
  • Summary: The first song played is “Gasoline” from Buck Meek’s upcoming album, ‘The Mirror,’ due February 27th. The lyrics describe the early, tentative stages of falling in love, including making up words while making love. Tom Huizenga considers Buck Meek the ‘secret weapon’ of Big Thief, noting Adrianne Lenker’s background vocals appear on the new album.
Pekka Kuusisto and Sam Amidon
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(00:08:16)
  • Key Takeaway: Violinist Pekka Kuusisto’s album ‘Willows’ features folk singer Sam Amidon performing American folk tunes arranged for string orchestra, with the recording process coinciding with significant personal loss for Kuusisto.
  • Summary: The hosts play “Way Go Lily,” a children’s song from the Georgia Sea Islands, performed by Pekka Kuusisto and Sam Amidon from Kuusisto’s album ‘Willows,’ released February 20th. Kuusisto is known for eccentric performance techniques, including swallowing miniature microphones. The album also includes arrangements of works by Caroline Shaw and a piece dedicated to Kuusisto’s late brother.
Joji’s Genre-Hopping Pop Rock
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(00:15:39)
  • Key Takeaway: Joji’s new single “Love You Less” from his upcoming album (titled ‘P*** In The Wind’) features a guitar intro reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine while maintaining a versatile pop rock structure.
  • Summary: Joji’s music is characterized as genre-hopping pop rock with surprising sonic elements. The song “Love You Less” has a guitar sound that evokes My Bloody Valentine’s fuzziness, though the overall track leans pop. His new album is scheduled for release on February 6th.
Dickinson Setting by DiDonato
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(00:22:12)
  • Key Takeaway: Composer Kevin Putz set Emily Dickinson’s poem “Because I could not stop for Death” for opera star Joyce DiDonato and the string trio Time for Three, resulting in a version that sounds more sinister than traditionally interpreted.
  • Summary: The collaboration features mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato and Time for Three performing Kevin Putz’s setting of Dickinson’s famous poem, found on the album ‘Emily - No Prisoner Be,’ out January 30th. The pulsating string arrangement and chanting vocal style make the poem sound unexpectedly creepy, especially considering the speaker has been a ghost for centuries.
Jana Horn’s Calming Music
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(00:28:50)
  • Key Takeaway: Jana Horn’s self-titled album, out January 16th, features spare, beautiful, and calming music, exemplified by the track “Don’t Think,” which uses enigmatic lyrics that suggest a mantra of letting go.
  • Summary: Jana Horn creates beautiful, calming music, often featuring just her voice and nylon string guitar. The track “Don’t Think” carries wisdom akin to Rumi’s poetry, centering on themes of change and being present. The host uses the phrase “Don’t think” as a personal mantra for calming the mind.
Daniel Bjarnassen’s Fragile Hope
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(00:34:32)
  • Key Takeaway: Icelandic composer Daniel Bjarnassen’s symphonic work “Fragile Hope” is a 15-minute piece written in memory of his late colleague, composer Jóhann Jóhannsson, and features dark, evocative textures culminating in a quote of Jóhannsson’s melody.
  • Summary: Daniel Bjarnassen conducts the Iceland Symphony Orchestra on his album ‘The Grotesque and the Sublime,’ out February 27th. “Fragile Hope” opens with low pitches and unconventional instrumental sounds, reflecting Jóhannsson’s legacy of light and shadow. The piece concludes with a subtle, evaporating ticking clock beat.