What's that noise? Do you hear it? It sounds like maybe a spoon in a garbage disposal. Oh, wait, it's just NPR Music producer Lars Gotrich playing death metal through his headphones again. On this edition of All Songs Considered, Gotrich sits down with host Bob Boilen and talks about some of the artists he thinks have been noticeably absent from the show this year — some hard and loud, some ethereal and restrained. Hear music from Harvey Milk, Sebmo, Extra Life, Jacaszek and more.

The results are in: After several weeks of tallying votes, we've got a pretty good idea of what NPR listeners think are the best CDs so far in 2008. Many were albums we've already covered this year on the show, but there were plenty of others we never got to. On this edition of All Songs Considered we'll look at the poll results and play some of the CDs we missed. Hear music from Panic at the Disco, Santogold, Girl Talk and more.

Hear music from Seun Kuti, son of Nigerian artist Fela Kuti, that rivals his father's, plus insanely fun songs from the Baltimore band, Ponytail. Also on the show: English folk group The Watersons see their 1975 album For Pence and Spicy Ale reissued, new music from the influential art-folk singer Bonnie Prince Billy, a.k.a. Will Oldham, and Eef Barzelay steps away from his band Clem Snide to put out a solo album called Lose Big.

All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen talks with several reviewers about the most anticipated CDs being released this summer. Hear sneak previews of new music from Beck, Randy Newman, solo work from Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes, Kimya Dawson (the singer behind the Juno soundtrack), The Hold Steady, Missy Elliott, and more.