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The War on Drugs is steeped in music of the past, mining the territory between Americana and the esoteric U.K. rock of the '80s. With songs that coax comparisons to Tom Petty and The Smiths, Bob Dylan and Brian Eno, the band's debut wears its many influences proudly and prominently.

Edwards is one of the last men who knew the iconic bluesman Robert Johnson.

If pop music ever had a strange bedfellow, it's been in Deerhoof. Hear the forward-thinking indie-rock band perform a concert from the Wordless Music Series recorded in Brooklyn, N.Y., on June 18.

The band from Champaign, IL brings Phil Spector and his doo wop groups to mind as well as classic mid-90s indie rock bands. A video shoot with the band even revealed them to be five of the nicest people we could have hoped to meet.

While it may have replaced its trademark organ with a piano, Mates of State's members still crank out some of the finest indie-pop music around. In a session from KUT, the duo explains the need to progress as a band and plays songs from its fifth CD, Re-Arrange Us.

Californian garage rock revivalists the Shys titled their second full length record You'll Never Understand This Band the Way That I Do, and from the way it sounds, you can't help but wonder if the band in question is the White Stripes. Between the album's heavy, blues-inspired guitars, minimalist drumming, and lead singer Kyle Krone's distinctive howl, the record could easily be packaged in red and white. But while Detroit's duo can at times err on the side of experimentalism, the Shys have taken the crunchy guitars and heavy, fuzz-filled solos, and added more traditionally poppy group choruses and catchy melodies to come out with gritty rock that is immediately accessible.

For the Perry siblings of Tupelo, Miss. — ages 9, 14 and 16 — making music involves making unique instruments from car parts. The young family band with astonishingly mature blues chops demonstrates its craft in NPR's Studio 4A.

Country music legend Willie Nelson and jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis discover common ground and a mutual love of jazz standards and the blues on their album Two Men With The Blues. Here, the artists discuss their first-ever collaboration.

Blender music critic Lizzy Goodman says she has an "absolute mad love" for the group Hold Steady.

In a rare acoustic performance, the hip-hop group Atmosphere performs with just an acoustic guitar and two voices. Frontman Slug is a Minneapolis native with an inspiring message, especially on Atmosphere's new album, When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That S--- Gold.