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First Watch: Rubblebucket, 'Save Charlie'

There's a moment in this rousing tune by the Brooklyn-based band Rubblebucket I think we can all connect with: singer Kalmia Traver screams "15 missed calls / can you blame me? / Charlie tell me, do you love me?" It's that exasperation, that moment in a relationship when one person finds themselves caring a whole lot more than the other, that makes this a fabulous pop song. I also love how much life this lyric video has; the color and style feel fresh and so perfect for the blasting horns and funk of the music.

The video was created by Andrew William Ralph and TJ Andrade. "We needed to create a style as original as the music itself," Ralph tells us via email. "Through experimentation using my animation and TJ Andrade's visual effects and editing, we were able to develop a look that not only unified our visions, but more importantly, drew from the band's aesthetic to bring the music and lyrics alive."

Singer Kalmia Traver calls "Save Charlie" a "cry out in favor of self-love and self-respect, heard through a story of somebody who has none. Maybe Charlie is you! (Or me?)."

The song and the just-released Save Charlie EP from Rubblebucket took a while to come together. Traver tells us that "this song is the first of the fruits to harvest from an entire year of writing and producing new music together as a band. We've had an inspiring yet challenging bunch of months, but our current state of being is: happy to be alive!"

Rubblebucket is currently on tour through the top of December.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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In 1988, a determined Bob Boilen started showing up on NPR's doorstep every day, looking for a way to contribute his skills in music and broadcasting to the network. His persistence paid off, and within a few weeks he was hired, on a temporary basis, to work for All Things Considered. Less than a year later, Boilen was directing the show and continued to do so for the next 18 years.