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Each layer of Nurses' "Man at Arms" — the toy piano, the acoustic guitar, the vocals and multilayered percussion — sounds like a natural companion to the rough sound around it. That ambient space becomes a primary instrument, in a sense, along with voices that seem more focused on pitch-bending tones than on filling the recording with rich, vivid words.

If you bring cheap libations, secured in steel and bathed in a tub of ice, the masses will come. For the metalhead, a kegger means it's time to get brew-tal.

For those who can't wait to hear songs from Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova's follow-up to Once, the pair played six new songs before performing the first-ever Tiny Desk Concert encore.

Fight the Big Bull sounds like the brainchild of a young composer who grew up with rock on the radio, jazz canons in the conservatory and everything else at his disposal on the Internet. The orchestration of "Dying Will Be Easy" has the fullness and audacity of a Mingus or Ellington.

Containing elements of pop-punk, garage-rock and early-'60s radio rock, Gentleman Jesse and His Men's music doesn't blow people's minds so much as permanently lodge itself therein. "All I Need Tonight" is a highlight of the group's eponymous debut, and as with so many great pop songs, it feels immediately familiar.

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Vanderslice has earned a reputation for writing smart, adventurous, appealing pop music that fiddles with form and structure. Now, nearly a decade into his career, Vanderslice is about to release his best record yet: Romanian Names. Hear the entire album on NPR Music as part of our Exclusive First Listen series.

The friendly syncopations and playful, romantic lyrics of calypso create an inviting Caribbean aura, which has endured remarkably well. These five songs survey the way Trinidad's signature music has been adapted, reshaped, packaged and marketed around the world.

Pianist Ben Folds has crafted a series of alt-rock hits over the past 15 years. For his pseudo-"greatest-hits" package, he's commissioned new arrangements of those songs from university a cappella groups across the country. Folds and host Jacki Lyden compare and contrast the various versions of his songs.

With a gentle acoustic style and evocative lyrics, up-and-coming folksinger Alela Diane has developed a devoted following. The Nevada City native's latest album, To Be Still, blends Americana and psychedelic folk with finger-picked guitar and clear, evocative vocals.