Air date: 2012-01-05

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-01-09

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-01-17

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-01-19

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-01-23

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-01-26

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-01-30

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-02-03

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-02-06

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-02-09

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-02-14

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-02-16

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-02-20

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-02-23

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-02-27

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-03-01

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-03-05

Runtime: min

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.

Air date: 2012-03-08

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-03-12

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-03-24

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-03-28

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-04-02

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-04-05

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-04-10

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-04-12

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-04-16

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-04-23

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-04-26

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-04-30

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-05-03

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-05-07

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-05-10

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-05-14

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-05-16

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-05-17

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-05-21

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-05-26

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-05-31

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-06-04

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-06-07

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-06-11

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-06-17

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-06-21

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-06-25

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-07-02

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-07-09

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-07-12

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-07-15

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-07-16

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-07-22

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-07-29

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-08-06

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-08-12

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-08-20

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-08-27

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-09-10

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-09-17

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-09-24

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-10-01

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-10-04

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-10-08

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-10-15

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-10-22

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-10-25

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-10-29

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-11-05

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-11-12

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-11-19

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-11-26

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-11-29

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-12-03

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-12-06

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-12-09

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-12-10

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-12-17

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-12-21

Runtime: min

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

Air date: 2012-12-31

Runtime: min

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