Lars Gotrich

This Tiny Desk is the atmospheric folk band’s first live performance in seven years.

There’s a righteous fury to Mdou Moctar’s music, but also a reminder the good fight is always worth fighting.

NPR Music's Lars Gotrich and Sheldon Pearce round up the most exciting albums out this Friday, and reflect on the history of instrumental music as protest.Featured albums:• The Smile, 'Cutouts'• Blood Incantation, 'Absolute Elsewhere'• Half Waif, 'Meet Me at the Maypole'• Darius Jones, 'Legend of e'Boi (The Hypervigilant Eye)'• Yasmin Williams, 'Acadia'• Godspeed You! Black Emperor, 'NO​ ​TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024 28​,​340 DEAD'For a longer list of new albums out Oct. 4 and to stream our New Music Friday playlist, visit https://npr.org/music.

The band performs its revved-up take on roots music at the Tiny Desk.

It takes a village to make the music we love. We remember the singers, songwriters, composers, instrumentalists, producers and journalists that we lost in 2024.

Viking's Choice: The year in catharsis and calm : All Songs Considered

Starflyer 59's Déjame Dormir strips away layers of distortion and feedback for something soft and sleepy.

Starflyer 59's Déjame Dormir strips away layers of distortion and feedback for something soft and sleepy.

The fingerstyle guitarist builds worlds with her music; at the Tiny Desk, Yasmin Williams invites us into hers.

At the Tiny Desk, Bartees Strange has got the range, with crunching rock riffs, spitting bars and bringing us to the brink of tears.