NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

The musician unpacks an array of traditional Vietnamese instruments — and 1,000 years of culture.

The teenagers play a restrained, homespun mix of folk and pop with undeniably sweet harmonies.

The Howard University vocal jazz ensemble performs beautiful African-American spirituals.

Members of the Grammy-winning, organic R&B Experiment band jam with singer Marsha Ambrosius.

The expressive, powerful singer previews songs from her new album, Burn Your Fire for No Witness.

Hear the legendary band perform 1989's "Monkey Gone to Heaven" and two new songs — one unreleased.

The joyous Balkan brass band plays at a pace that would make the Ramones burst into a sweat.

The inventive folk-music veteran book-ends a four-song set with her hits "Luka" and "Tom's Diner."

The Welsh singer's set conveys loneliness and doubt with just two guitars and an inviting whisper.

For about 20 minutes one sunny afternoon, Rei turned a desk into a small Latin American folk club.

See the band re-create some of its stellar studio effects with a pedal steel and some novelty mics.

Avidan has an album and no U.S. record label to put it out. But he's on a solo tour that's stunning.

It's hard to convey the sound of two people in love, but Lowland Hum does that effortlessly.

Watch the 20-year-old English singer-songwriter, who has worked with superproducer Rick Rubin.

On record, Cluck's elastic voice and fingerpicking are impressive. Live, they jam the senses.

All the world's top opera houses want the young tenor with the old-school approach.

When the sisters cover classic country music together, the result is a treat and a trip in time.

Singer-songwriters Aimee Mann and Ted Leo unite from opposite ends of the volume knob.

The North Dakota singer-songwriter possesses one of the most arresting voices in folk music today.

Barnett tells stories like your best friend, provided your best friend is a funny Australian poet.

A young Pakistani musician treats the guitar as percussion — with surprisingly shimmering results.

The Argentine singer uses his dark, husky voice to produce a specific effect in these three songs.

Interweaving harmonies and guitar lines set the tone for these soft, benevolent, dreamy songs.

Impossibly telegenic and charming, the band mixes booming intensity with polish and sparkle.

The Dublin guitarist runs through a ragtime jaunt, a basement-bar choogle and a sad-sack closer.

The duo's sample-laden instrumental music is entertainment as education for the head and feet alike.

See the swamp-folk band play a characteristically eerie and mysterious set in the NPR Music offices.

The Scottish synth-pop band turns up with a small arsenal of synthesizers to perform three songs.

See the countertenor and lutenist Thomas Dunford perform John Dowland's melancholy songs.

The band makes the kind of music that can at least briefly restore your faith in humanity.

The Lebanese singer-songwriter is one of the most groundbreaking musicians in the Middle East.

Andrew Hozier-Byrne wraps his rich, vital, soulful voice around songs rooted in the blues.

Molina sounds as if she'd been raised by wolves and discovered the world of music on her own.

Watch the celebrated pianist make Bach's Two-part Inventions sing and zing.

A quirky and wistful performer with a string section, McLaughlin makes music like few others.

A classical virtuoso and an equally captivating flamenco player combine for a set of duets.

The country singer-songwriter performs with the ease and swagger of a man comfortable in his ways.

The singer-songwriter and musician performs with unabashed positivity and an uplifting spirit.

The Bright Eyes singer performs songs from Upside Down Mountain with help from members of Dawes.

See the innovative player create waves of sound with a six-string violin.

The 23-year-old singer-guitarist performs gritty, countrified blues-rock in the NPR Music offices.

Watch the Tiny Desk turn into a church, comedy club and neo-soul spot.

They call what they make "cave music" — but it's just as powerful at the Tiny Desk.

Grant's songs don't mess around, with lyrics that function as darts of retort and thought.

The singer has a magnificent way with phrasing, not to mention a remarkable country-music lineage.

The guitarist kicks up some dirt with a Rev. Gary Davis deconstruction and a Stratocaster hoedown.

In this three-song set, the Walkmen singer demonstrates that he's lost none of his vocal power.

Watch an atmospheric Norwegian band with a yearning sound. Also: See a flugabone!

In the NPR offices, the Ohio band plays three alternately brooding and stomping songs from Dark Arc.

The veteran East L.A. band's music penetrates the intellect even as it makes your hips sway.

The band's seven players are trained in classical and jazz, led by Liam McCormick's powerful voice.

With Carolyn Cardoza, Diaz conjures a place where emotions run deep and beauty is unmistakable.

The former Hüsker Dü and Sugar frontman plugs in for a characteristically loud four-song set.

Watch a talented, charming guitar legend make magic as his band Avila holds down the beat.

Watch the group play selections from Shostakovich's cycle of introspective string quartets.

A veteran of Little Joy and Los Hermanos, Amarante makes warm, tender music as a solo artist.

The band was made to sing and play around one microphone, so a Tiny Desk Concert seemed inevitable.

The Kentucky native writes country songs about loneliness, failed dreams, drinking and drugs.

Known for the speed of their playing, the Minnesotans are about more than just blistering bluegrass.

Mayfield's music has gotten more beguiling as she explores the many contrasts in her hypnotic sound.

In advance of his new album Single Mothers, the singer performs two new songs and an old favorite.

Graceful singing and storytelling meet guitars and textures that help create an unforgettable aura.

With his drummer son Spencer, Wilco's Jeff Tweedy performs songs from their new album, Sukierae.

The 10-piece salsa band built its career on dance floors, where it never fails to make people move.

The trombonist's working band established some nifty swing, assisted in absentia by Sufjan Stevens.

Browne still writes songs with conviction, craftsmanship and careful attention to detail.

Sofia has spent most of her career 20 feet from stardom as a backup singer for Juanes and Shakira.

The band plays with a great rock-duo punch that recalls The White Stripes or JEFF The Brotherhood.

The Icelandic singer's voice is angelic and yearning, his songs simple and universal.

D'Amato's music can feel Motown-y, garage-y and Springsteen-y, but he sounds sparer here.

Watch the young, versatile ensemble play folk music from around Denmark and beyond.

We asked the King of Auto-Tune to grace the Tiny Desk without any embellishment or effects.

Known for lavish electronic productions, Banks serves notice as a powerful singer in her own right.

With costumes inspired by Egyptian symbolism and sci-fi, Ra's band plays a special Halloween set.

A rousing band from Kansas City, Making Movies mixes languages and eras with infectious energy.

Watch the group sing new music with yelps, yodels and a few fine harmonies.

The Austin singer-songwriter joins his stunning voice with that of touring partner Gaby Moreno.

The Dinosaur Jr. frontman, one of the world's loudest musicians, performs unplugged and acoustic.

Benatar and Giraldo play three classics: "We Live For Love," "We Belong" and "Promises In The Dark."

Amidon weaves his compositions into traditional music, while Frisell adds atmospheric guitar.

Hear the Irish ensemble's fresh take on Philip Glass' propulsive yet intimate string quartets.

The band's got heart and soul and flair, with a well-worn sound buoyed by strong, fresh songwriting.

The singer performs two new songs, as well as "The First Cut Is the Deepest" and "Father and Son."

She came to the desk a little unsure, and left singing "West Memphis" with intensity and passion.

Watch our favorite hamsters play their twee-as-all-get-out holiday pop-punk song, "Snow Day."