World Cafe

Since 1993, Low has captivated audiences worldwide with their austere, melancholy, and totally singular sound. Pioneers of the slowcore movement in indie rock, Low countered the sound and fury of grunge with quiet, minimal arrangements centered on the vocal harmonies of husband-and-wife duo Alan Sparhawk (guitar) and Mimi Parker (drums).

Eilen Jewell's latest album, Queen of the Minor Key, is a contemporary update on the classic sounds of roots rock, R&B and girl-group pop.

In little more than a year, 22-year-old London electronic producer James Blake has gone from a virtual unknown to one of the most talked-about new artists around.

After spending six years as singer and guitarist for alt-country staples Drive-By Truckers, Jason Isbell left the group in 2007 to pursue a solo career. Backed by a new band called The 400 Unit, Isbell's latest project channels the punk-inflected Southern rock swagger he honed in his time with the Truckers while tapping into the melancholy side of country music.

Delicate Steve got a lot of attention early this year when the band's debut album, Wondervisions, was released with a prank press release written by rock critic Chuck Klosterman. The parody, which many took at face value, described Delicate Steve as "the wordless New Jersey U2" and claimed that bandleader Steve Marion played more than 40 instruments.