NPR Music's "First Listen" series boast "14 for 14" new albums

Music fans of all genres are eagerly anticipating next Tuesday, Sept. 14, as it’s shaping up to be one of this year’s biggest for new releases. In advance, NPR Music whets the appetites of all those eager ears with “14 for 14” – streams of 14 albums coming out that day, from artists such as The Bad Plus, Chromeo, Robert Plant, Steve Reich and Mavis Staples. All of the albums are now available for free, on-demand listening at www.npr.org/firstlisten as part of the site's "First Listen" series. The chosen 14, in alphabetical order, are:

The Bad Plus: The trio fires off a succession of original instrumentals on Never Stop.

Bilal: The neo-soul singer smoothly mixes catchy hooks and experimentation on Airtight's Revenge.

Black Milk: The emerging rapper doesn't shy away from the hype on the gamely titled Album of the Year.

Blonde Redhead: Penny Sparkle is the sublime result of the band taking a new approach to recording.

Bostich + Fussible: Bulevar 2000 follows up the electronic duo’s last Grammy-nominated release.

Chromeo: The synth-happy duo brings funky humor to its first major-label release, Business Casual.

Justin Townes Earle: The singer-songwriter offers a simple and heartfelt third album, Harlem River Blues.

Junip: Swedish singer José González showcases his new project with Fields.

Of Montreal: The popular indie band’s latest, False Priest, swirls together of funk and guitar noise with disco, '80s new wave, techno beats and neo-psychedelic soundscapes.

Robert Plant: The rock icon revives his Band of Joy to further explore Americana.

Steve Reich: Double Sextet and 2x5 feature the first recordings of the composer’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Double Sextet.

Mavis Staples: The gospel legend continues her comeback streak on the Jeff Tweedy-produced You Are Not Alone.

Superchunk: The '90s rock favorite returns with a rocking new album, Majesty Shredding.

The Walkmen: Libson marks the indie band’s most cohesive record yet.

Complete track listings and album information are available at NPR Music, where there are also extensive archives of concerts, interviews and reviews with artists of all genres.

The "First Listen" series is just one feature of NPR Music, which celebrates great music in every genre and is an industry leader in music discovery. The free, multimedia website at www.npr.org/music offers more than 300 new features monthly and an extensive archive, in collaboration with NPR's newsmagazines, 12 public radio member stations and the passionate NPR community. NPR Music creates and distributes inventive music coverage across multiple platforms – web, radio, podcasts, mobile, social media, live events – with first listens to new albums, live performances, concerts at the Tiny Desk, interviews, reviews and blogs. Many of the site’s features are also available to mobile audiences with the NPR Music App for the iPhone and iPod Touch.