The African beats of Brooklyn's Antibalas; The Sahara's rebel group Tinariwen; Dark harmonies from The Besnard Lakes; The controlled chaos of Frog Eyes; The whimsical pop of Let's Go Sailing; A day at the river with Leah Siegel; Spare, melancholy melodies from Low.
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Antibalas, The Besnard Lakes, Let's Go Sailing
Beaten Metal
Nigerian musician Fela Kuti created the Afrobeat sound in the 1960s. Today it's kept alive with the Brooklyn-based, multiethnic band Antibalas.
Matadjem Yinkmixan
The members of Tinariwen met in a rebel training camp in Libya. Some decided to trade their weapons for instruments and perform songs of political protest.
Disaster
Formed by the husband wife duo of Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas in Canada, The Besnard Lakes is a six-piece band making stylish songs that start small and end big, with Beach Boys harmonies.
Idle Songs
Frog Eyes is an indie rock quartet from Canada mixing urgent rhythms and melodies with more experimental, post-punk jams.
Sideways
Let's Go Sailing formed in Los Angeles in 2002 and just released their debut, The Chaos is in Order. Their music is whimsical with a bittersweet innocence and charm.
A Day at the River (With You and Your Lover)
Leah Siegel is a gifted singer with a voice that can morph from a sweet warble to a harder edged growl. Little Mule is a collection of intimate and elegantly crafted songs that play like an artfully imagined diary.
Breaker
The music of Low is dark and mysteriously haunting with a sonic depth that radiates well beyond its brooding, spare arrangements. On their latest CD, Drums and Guns, the trio offers a stark examination of war, grief and regret with songs like "Murderer," "Your Poison," and "Violent Past."