Search results for

After a short reunion of The Police in 2007, Sting began working on a unusual holiday album. If on a Winter's Night is generations-spanning seasonal music for those who don't necessarily like holiday music. In an interview with Michaela Majoun, Sting talks about the process behind the album.

Musicians Johan Karlberg and Etienne Tron first met Malawi-born Esau Mwamwaya running a junk shop outside their studio. The two were eager to befriend Mwamwaya, in part because they thought he was an African drummer. Turns out, he was much more. The three have formed a group called The Very Best and released Warm Heart of Africa in October.

Combining the best elements from bands like Blitzen Trapper, Annuals, and Modest Mouse, Faces on Film showcase both the epic and the intimate. On The Troubles, its first official LP, guitars drone and pianos alternate between plucking out fun and eerie melodies, all while frontman Mike Fiore makes veiled references to unspoken crimes, abandoned plans, and dysfunctional families, with his rich and enigmatic lyrics.

At 18, British singer Laura Marling takes an organic approach to songwriting, crooning about religion, family and romance. The folksinger has collaborated with Noah and the Whale, and is now out showcasing songs from her reflective debut album in a session with World Cafe host David Dye.

Iceland continues to produce some of the most inventive and memorable artists of any out there. The latest discovery is 26 year-old Sindri Mar Sigfusson, a singer who gained modest acclaim with the Reykjavik-based pop-folk group Seabear. Sigfusson has begun a new, more eclectic solo project called Sin Fang Bous, which reportedly derives its name from a shortened version of the singer's name, his teeth, and his conception of how his music sounds.

Put together by producer and musician Ivan Duran from Belize, Umalali seeks to revive the Garifuna culture of Central America. In a session from KEXP, the group performs a song by Andy Palacio, a talented Garifuna musician who died early last year.

On Jan. 25, the American Symphony Orchestra will give the U.S. premieres of composers from the former East Germany. It's music most Americans have never heard. Conductor Leon Botstein says that the music of Eisler, Fessay and Matthus often experiments within the tradition of Bach and Mozart.

Singer, guitarist and composer John Martyn was a folkie with a jazz soul. The accomplished and innovative guitarist got his start as a teenager in Britain's thriving folk scene and continued to evolve his sound throughout his career. Martyn died Thursday at a hospital in Ireland.

Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim, presents a "long lost album that never quite got finished"...until now. I Think We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat, released under the moniker The Brighton Port Authority, features collaborations with the likes of David Byrne, Martha Wainwright and Iggy Pop. The result is a collection of energetic and animated songs that recall a 1970s dance party.

James Bobin is the co-creator and director of HBO's series Flight Of The Conchords. He has been nominated for eight Emmys since 2003 for his work on Conchords and Da Ali G Show.