Bob Boilen

The Comet is Coming is a force of nature. The British trio makes the kind of instrumental jazz that takes music lovers out of their comfort zone and into a musical realm they may never have explored.

Felix Contreras traces the decade-long rise of sociological and musical forces that eventually birthed and cemented a style now called urbano.

KOKOKO! are sonic warriors. They seized control of the Tiny Desk, shouting their arrival through a megaphone, while electronic sirens begin to blare.

Sunny War has been homeless, busked on city streets and Venice Beach, left home feeling she was a burden to her mother, battled addiction and still found a way to bring joy to others thru her music.

The group from Japan is on a mission to expand the conventional meaning of "cute." Their performance included synchronized dancing, pom-poms and matching pink uniforms, with a heavy, angular sound.

The Alabama Shakes singer and guitarist brought an eight-piece backing band to the Tiny Desk for a set of deeply personal and affecting songs.

The vibrancy of the band can feel childlike and candy-coated. But the group's songs are more about the pain of entering adulthood and leaving some of that sweetness behind.

After performing at the Tiny Desk as one third of the group Mountain Man, Molly Sarlé returns for a soul-stirring solo performance.

"Maybe it's the start of something, and maybe it's not." That's how Bob Boilen described the very first Tiny Desk concert in 2008.

In his second visit to the Tiny Desk, Josh Ritter had America on his mind. "We all have to fight against this notion that we're not all human beings."

This week's All Songs Considered includes an all-new song from the late Leonard Cohen, lyrically devastating work from (Sandy) Alex G, a battle of inner demons from Chastity Belt and more.

There's a hush to the music of Nilüfer Yanya that made the Tiny Desk the perfect stage for her sound.

In this Guest DJ session, the off-the-wall singer talks about living out of his car and working at a warehouse before his Tiny Desk Contest entry went viral. He's since signed with Warner Records.

Giddens shares songs from her latest album, There is No Other, in an emotional and transfixing performance at the Tiny Desk.

The tracks Bob Boilen shares on this week's All Songs Considered all have a cinematic quality, from a new Thom Yorke cut for the film Motherless Brooklyn, to Ride's best new album in 20 years.

The Tallest Man On Earth's second appearance at the Tiny Desk comes almost 10 years to the day after his first. He returns with a touch of grey and a beard, but no less intense or moving.

This edition of All Songs Considered has songs of gratitude from Pinegrove, a take on intimacy from Norway's Jenny Hval, a song of quietude from Anna Meredith and the magic of the Mellotron.

The three Israeli sisters in A-WA mix Yemenite and Arabic traditions with splashes of reggae and hip-hop.

We fill you in on how to shade your summer pink with unapologetically good pop music that is ready for any mood.

47SOUL's message of equality is meant for the world. It's music without borders, mixing old and new, acoustic and electronic from a band formed in Amman Jordan, singing in Arabic and English.