January 9, 2012 - Scott Walker is best known for a song he did early on in his career as the front man for The Walker Brothers, “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore,” that couldn’t be more different than what he is doing now. Walker has evolved from a singer in a pop band that vied with The Beatles for popularity in the UK in the mid-sixties into an avant-garde music maker who has built an influential solo catalog owing to his always inventive and elaborate compositions.

David Dye just took the wraps off the 35th volume of Live at the World Cafe on Monday, January 14. It's the featured album of the week, and one of his greatest yet.

Cello Playing Singer-Songwriter Ben Sollee Tackles Growing Up in this session.

December 31, 2012 - London folk rockers Mumford and Sons made a splash on the indie music scene with their 2009 debut album Say No More. The album combines the raspy crooning vocals of lead singer Marcus Mumford with lush harmonies and thoughtful lyrics in songs that range from soft and soothing to rocking, toe-tapping tunes.

Commonly recognized as one of the most paramount innovators of ambient music, British musician, composer and producer Brian Eno is back with another successful and carefully crafted ambient installation album, Lux, released November 13. In this album, Eno continues his experiments with ambient music and integrates it with pacifying electro beats.

December 27, 2012 - 2012 was a greatyear for The Lumineers. In addition to releasing its eponymous debut, the band played a ton of sold-out shows across the U.S. The Lumineers' open-hearted melodies, rousing acoustic folk sound and simple but raw lyrics have earned the group comparisons to Mumford & Sons, The Civil Wars and The Avett Brothers; still, The Lumineers' members have a way of embedding fiery emotion into their music that's all their own. Rollicking, incandescent and reflective, it's music built on a foundation of classical training and roots-rock touring.

December 27, 2012 - Gotye (a.k.a. Wouter "Wally" De Backer) has become an international pop star on the strength of his new album, Making Mirrors. The poppy collection includes "Somebody That I Used To Know," which has topped the charts in six countries and hit the Top 20 in 14 others. There's something hauntingly relatable and undeniably catchy about the insightful, ubiquitous break-up song.

December 28, 2012 - Singer-songwriter Ben Schneider is the creative force behind the rhythmically inventive folk-pop band Lord Huron. The band started out as a multimedia solo project, but it now includes Mark Barry on percussion and vocals, Miguel Briseno on bass and percussion, Brett Farkas on guitar and vocals, and Tom Renaud on guitar and vocals.

December 28, 2012 - A band's sound is only as big as its members, and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros' music is huge. The 10 members are a whirl of roving horns, as well as whistles, claps, shouts, strummed string instruments and percussion involving drums, hands and anything else they can find. The group's communal folk sound blew up in 2009 with the heart-pounding, foot-stomping single "Home"; with its universal sentiment, the song includes a back-and-forth between frontman Alex Ebert and bandmate Jade Castrinos.

December 11, 2012 - A former member of the all-female rock trio The Bangles, Susanna Hoffs has been recently creating significant airwaves on the radio following the release of her third studio album Someday (Vanguard Records) this past July. An album that encapsulates the intersection of music with vivacious beauty, Someday is further grounding Hoff’s presence in the music industry. Inspired by her exposure to punk rock during her time at the University of California, Berkeley, Hoffs started her career in music with The Bangles.