E1 - Tinariwen

Aired: January 05, 2012

Even in a stripped-down acoustic set, Tinariwen's trance-inducing desert music doesn't disappoint.

E2 - Le Butcherettes

Aired: January 09, 2012

Watch singer Teri Gender Bender transform from a soft-spoken musician into a rock 'n' roll beast.

E3 - Screaming Females

Aired: January 17, 2012

The band's keen sense of song prevails, especially in a new song called "It All Means Nothing."

E4 - Jake Schepps' Expedition Quartet

Aired: January 19, 2012

Banjo master Schepps and friends create an intriguing goulash of Bartók, bluegrass and bebop.

E5 - Glenn Jones

Aired: January 23, 2012

Watch the masterful folk guitarist perform a lovely instrumental set at the NPR Music offices.

E6 - Anna Calvi

Aired: January 26, 2012

Calvi plays songs from her self-titled debut in this powerful performance at the NPR Music offices.

E7 - Girl In A Coma

Aired: January 30, 2012

The San Antonio trio gets back to basics to explore its songs' forms and the soul of its lyrics.

E8 - Bill Frisell

Aired: February 03, 2012

The brilliant and nimble guitarist reinvents the songs of John Lennon at the NPR Music offices.

E9 - The Creole Choir Of Cuba

Aired: February 06, 2012

The group has revitalized a long-lost culture through music performed entirely in Haitian Creole.

E10 - Craig Finn

Aired: February 09, 2012

The Hold Steady singer's stark side is nicely conducive to barren arrangements at the NPR offices.

E11 - Red Baraat

Aired: February 14, 2012

The dance-friendly, India-inspired funk group performs a high-energy set at the NPR Music offices.

E12 - Joan Soriano

Aired: February 16, 2012

"The Duke of Bachata" gives a raw but beautiful interpretation of bachata at the NPR Music offices.

E13 - Joyce El Khoury And Brian Jagde

Aired: February 20, 2012

Hear the fresh-faced opera singers perform Puccini at the NPR Music offices.

E14 - The Cranberries

Aired: February 23, 2012

In this performance at the NPR Music offices, the Irish pop band mixes new songs with early hits.

E15 - Milagres

Aired: February 27, 2012

A band of selective minimalism, Milagres gets the most of simple sounds at the NPR Music offices.

E16 - Pistolera

Aired: March 01, 2012

Through her insightful lyrics, Sandra Velasquez conjures the sounds of the Mexican desert.

E17 - Laura Gibson

Aired: March 05, 2012

Her gorgeous, whispery voice inspired the Tiny Desk Concerts series in 2008. Now, Laura Gibson returns with her band to perform four songs from her new album, La Grande.

E18 - Rudresh Mahanthappa

Aired: March 08, 2012

The saxophonist's new repertoire salutes electric funk, South Indian modes and swarming solos.

E19 - Real Estate

Aired: March 12, 2012

Real Estate wears placidity well: It's a band born and bred to convey and celebrate laconic comfort.

E20 - Kayhan Kalhor

Aired: March 24, 2012

A soulful master musician from Iran, Kalhor performs a beautiful improvisation at the NPR offices.

E21 - First Aid Kit

Aired: March 28, 2012

Sisters Klara and Johanna Söderberg make charming, folk-infused pop music that lulls and enchants.

E22 - So Percussion

Aired: April 02, 2012

The ensemble employs all kinds of toys, from an amplified cactus to a mug filled with spare change.

E23 - Kathleen Edwards

Aired: April 05, 2012

The Canadian singer performs four sweet, warm, relatable songs that soothe as they nourish.

E24 - Caveman

Aired: April 10, 2012

Caveman writes guitar-based pop songs full of space and melodies you can carry around in your head.

E25 - Novalima

Aired: April 12, 2012

At the NPR offices, the band plays in a lean, funky configuration that gets the room grooving along.

E26 - Soweto Gospel Choir

Aired: April 16, 2012

The group fuses the music of many Christian cultures, with nods to African songs of celebration.

E27 - Jolie Holland

Aired: April 23, 2012

Holland plays songs with an unadorned tone that makes the voice and lyrics all the more touching.

E28 - Cowboy Junkies

Aired: April 26, 2012

The venerable band sounds as poignant and tender as ever in this performance at the NPR offices.

E29 - Hospitality

Aired: April 30, 2012

The group doesn't overwhelm so much as it wears listeners down with a subtle charm offensive.

E30 - Nathan Salsburg

Aired: May 03, 2012

The guitarist displays intricate fingerpicking in two songs inspired by Kentucky Derby racehorses.

E31 - Endangered Blood

Aired: May 07, 2012

The jazz quartet draws from post-bop, 20th-century chromaticism and New Orleans funeral marches.

E32 - Kishi Bashi

Aired: May 10, 2012

K Ishibashi is a master at building songs from live violin loops, layered singing and beatboxing.

E33 - Pedro Soler And Gaspar Claus

Aired: May 14, 2012

The improvisational music of the father-son, guitar-cello duo functions as a beautiful conversation.

E34 - Chuck Brown

Aired: May 16, 2012

The Godfather of Go-Go died Wednesday. In 2010, he brought his full band to the NPR Music office.

E35 - Arborea

Aired: May 17, 2012

Rooted in acoustic traditions, the music of Arborea stands out for its calm beauty and rough edges.

E36 - Yann Tiersen

Aired: May 21, 2012

Tiersen's rich, liltingly eccentric pop music is constructed from lots of sweet, intricate pieces.

E37 - Canadian Brass

Aired: May 26, 2012

The venerable brass quintet sports virtuosic, fresh-faced players in tried-and-true repertoire.

E38 - Patrick Watson

Aired: May 31, 2012

Watson has a lovely voice and a gift for wringing evocative sounds out of everything he touches.

E39 - Kelly Hogan

Aired: June 04, 2012

The unflappable singer performs three songs with seeming effortlessness and easygoing charm.

E40 - Allison Miller's Boom Tic Boom

Aired: June 07, 2012

The drummer dedicates tunes to her friends, including her first teacher — a "sometimes great guy."

E41 - Daniel Johnston

Aired: June 11, 2012

Watch three songs by a troubled soul with a talent for writing honest, disarmingly direct music.

E42 - Glen Hansard

Aired: June 17, 2012

Hansard flexes his neck muscles a bit as he performs new songs and deep cuts at the NPR offices.

E43 - Mariachi El Bronx

Aired: June 21, 2012

The band plays with just the right mixture of passion and pathos in a fun set at the NPR offices.

E44 - Reggie Watts

Aired: June 25, 2012

The comedian and musician performs spontaneous improvisations full of killer grooves and humor.

E45 - Exitmusic

Aired: July 02, 2012

The band plays a beautifully buzzing, nuanced set, marked by gorgeous grace and stirring melodies.

E46 - Brandi Carlile

Aired: July 09, 2012

At the NPR offices, Carlile and her band sing from-the-gut songs about messy lives, loudly lived.

E47 - Laura Marling

Aired: July 12, 2012

Two songs from A Creature I Don't Know bookend a gorgeous new, unreleased song called "Once."

E48 - Souad Massi

Aired: July 15, 2012

A soulful yet steely singer-songwriter from Algeria charts her own course in these four songs.

E49 - The Milk Carton Kids

Aired: July 16, 2012

Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale sing sweet but intricate folk-pop songs in the NPR offices.

E50 - Janet Feder

Aired: July 22, 2012

Feder marries classical and folk techniques with otherworldly guitar textures and sounds.

E51 - The Walkmen

Aired: July 29, 2012

The band makes the Tiny Desk accommodate its booming sound rather than the other way around.

E52 - Beth Orton

Aired: August 06, 2012

Known for mixing folk and electronics, Orton unveils three new songs with just an acoustic guitar.

E53 - The Zombies

Aired: August 12, 2012

Two surviving members of the band still have the same chemistry here in a stripped-down performance.

E54 - Rufus Wainwright

Aired: August 20, 2012

By the middle of Wainwright's final song, "Montauk," few dry eyes remained in the NPR offices.

E55 - Renaud Garcia-Fons

Aired: August 27, 2012

Watch the renowned double bassist thump, strum and loop his way through three mesmerizing songs.

E56 - Avi Avital

Aired: September 10, 2012

Avital's mandolin sings with the sounds of Ernest Bloch and a raucous Bulgarian folk tune.

E57 - Amanda Palmer And The Grand Theft Orchestra

Aired: September 17, 2012

These songs' fervor is the product of a singer armed with intensity and musicians who can match it.

E58 - Yva Las Vegass

Aired: September 24, 2012

Watch Las Vegass bring a punk aesthetic to Venezuelan folk music with a cuatro at the NPR offices.

E59 - Kat Edmonson

Aired: October 01, 2012

Hearing the 29-year-old singer makes it virtually impossible to do anything but stop and listen.

E60 - Antibalas

Aired: October 04, 2012

It's one thing for 11 musicians to make a big sound, but what stands out is Antibalas' subtlety.

E61 - Spirit Family Reunion

Aired: October 08, 2012

The group plays fiddle, banjo, guitar and washboard, all gathered around a single microphone.

E62 - Dirty Three

Aired: October 15, 2012

The band unleashes a gorgeous flurry of shambolic rumbling, prolific hairiness and dramatic yelling.

E63 - Robert Cray Band

Aired: October 22, 2012

Like any great blues singer, Cray makes heartache and dysfunction sound engaging and relatable.

E64 - Lord Huron

Aired: October 25, 2012

The band's rich harmonies are welcoming, its lyrics relatable and its live performances thrilling.

E65 - Passion Pit

Aired: October 29, 2012

Michael Angelakos makes electro-pop with monster hooks. But his songs are sturdy, versatile things.

E66 - Jason Lytle

Aired: November 05, 2012

The longtime frontman for Grandaddy goes it alone with acoustic solo songs from his latest record.

E67 - Flaco Jimenez

Aired: November 12, 2012

The conjunto icon spins magic, and stays true to tradition, with his trademark button accordion.

E68 - Ben Gibbard

Aired: November 19, 2012

For Tiny Desk Concert No. 250, the Death Cab for Cutie and Postal Service singer performs solo.

E69 - Martha Wainwright

Aired: November 26, 2012

Wainwright roughs up life's smooth spots, then digs her fingertips into the cracks that form.

E70 - Taken By Trees

Aired: November 29, 2012

Victoria Bergsman's songs seem to come from a place somewhere between a dream state and waking life.

E71 - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Aired: December 03, 2012

The Seattle duo literally shakes the dust off the ceiling tiles at the NPR Music offices.

E72 - Anaïs Mitchell

Aired: December 06, 2012

The singer-songwriter performs three of Young Man in America's most bracingly beautiful songs.

E73 - Daniel Bachman

Aired: December 09, 2012

Once the acoustic guitarist zeroes in on the center of a song, it's easy to get lost in it yourself.

E74 - Lyle Lovett

Aired: December 10, 2012

Lovett gives a loose, engaging performance that feels like both an introduction and a victory lap.

E75 - Alt-J

Aired: December 17, 2012

The Mercury Prize-winning band plays angular, poetic, inventive music that takes unexpected turns.

E76 - The Polyphonic Spree

Aired: December 21, 2012

The sprawling group, 17 strong, squeezes behind Bob Boilen's desk for a special holiday performance.

E77 - Miguel

Aired: December 31, 2012

Performing at the NPR Music offices, Miguel strips his highly produced hits down to their bones.