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May 15, 2013 A record label used to actually be a label: a small, circular piece of paper that could represent a sound, an aesthetic and a standard. But if you only listen to MP3s, do labels matter to you?

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May 13, 2013 The veteran country players mix corny humor, musical merrymaking and timeless vocal harmonies. With three songs from their album-length collaboration Buddy and Jim, Miller and Lauderdale perform an endearing set at the NPR Music offices.

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May 8, 2013 If you haven't paid attention to him yet, the clawing, gnarly video for "Numb" is a perfect opportunity to catch up with Gary Clark, Jr., one of 2012's biggest arrivals.

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May 7, 2013 How can music be happy and sad at the same time? Listen to Arnalds' work and you'll hear it. This performance at New York City's (Le) Poisson Rouge re-imagines the Icelandic musician's magnificent work with a small orchestra: 28 musicians known as Ensemble LPR, along with guest singer Arnor Dan.

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May 7, 2013 Sharon Jones, whose new album, Give the People What They Want, comes out August 6, pours her heart out on a soulful new song, "Retreat."

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May 6, 2013 A new video from Alpine, a six-piece ensemble from Australia, pairs an airy electronic song with a kaleidoscopic dance routine.

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May 6, 2013 The Handsome Family's song "Woodpecker" tells the true story of Mary Sweeney, a woman who lived in the late 19th century and was known as the Wisconsin Window Smasher for her compulsive habit of breaking windows.

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May 3, 2013 "A groove with a message" is how the director of Femi Kuti's new video describes the song. It's an apt way to think of all the music made by Femi Kuti, who is the son of legendary afrobeat musician Fela Kuti.

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May 2, 2013 The soulful electronic artist makes a splash with a video that remixes David Lynch's Lost Highway.

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May 1, 2013 In an extensive interview with NPR's Bob Boilen, the New York band talks about the long process and secret inspirations — including dancehall, hip-hop and smooth jazz — behind the songs on its third album, Modern Vampires of the City.

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April 29, 2013 Brash, zany, brainy, scary and danceable, the New York quintet's music mixes rock and jazz like King Crimson at its fiercest. From the moment the band squeaks its first squawk at the NPR Music offices, it's clear that it's about to conjure up an adventure.

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April 26, 2013 Baby Alpaca's singer Chris Kittrell based the video for his band's "Sea of Dreams" on an actual dream. The finished product is both calming and surreal, with layered images of planes, boats, blimps, fish, lighthouses, trains and flying cars.

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April 25, 2013 In the video for Yellowbirds' "Young Men of Promise," the compelling animation doesn't try to match the music. Which only makes the moments when they align stand out.

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April 21, 2013 With humor intact and the guitar loud, Ready to Die reunites Iggy Pop and guitarist James Williamson.

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April 20, 2013 On the occasion of the 45th anniversary of their classic album, Odessey and Oracle, members of The Zombies talk with NPR's Bob Boilen about their unusual harmonies, touring the U.S. as British teenagers in the 1960s and why they broke up before Odessey even came out.

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