Live In Concert from NPR's All Songs Considered

Annie Clark, who writes and records under the name St. Vincent, has never been a fan of convention. Her 2007 debut, Marry Me, was filled with off-kilter rhythms, strangely melodic electronic arrangements, and cryptic narratives. St. Vincent's latest release, a candidate for one of 2009's best albums, is even more surprising and inventive. Hear selections from the album, Actor, as St. Vincent gives a full concert, recorded live from Washington, D.C. on Friday, May 23, 2009.

Watch a time lapse video of the entire Dan Deacon concert, condensed to four and a half minutes.

Dan Deacon has built his reputation on live shows: comically unpredictable messes of frenetic dancing, audience participation and theatrics, all powered by the Baltimore resident's wildly addictive electro-freak-pop. Since getting his start in 2003, Deacon has always performed alone. But for his latest tour, he's joined by a 15-piece backing band...

After an extensive negotiation involving three cups of hot green tea and a late change of venue, PJ Harvey and John Parish agreed to a performance and video shoot. The two showed up, sat down, produced a steel guitar and two amplifiers, and performed two beautiful songs from their new album, A Woman a Man Walked By.

When the enigmatic rock group Animal Collective released Merriweather Post Pavilion in January, it immediately became an early frontrunner for 2009's best record. Months later, it remains the year's most wildly imaginative release, with a strangely infectious stew of tribal rhythms, pulsing synths and shimmering vocals. Here, Animal Collective stops by Washington, D.C., for a full concert — a show webcast in its entirety at NPR Music...

Montreal-based singer-songwriter Patrick Watson has a stunning, romantic voice that soars above precise piano work and clattering percussion played on marimbas and household pots turned upside-down. Watson and his brilliant band recently performed songs from their new album Wooden Arms at the studios of WNYC in New York.

Sweet-voiced, bearded acoustic guitarists are not a rare commodity in the Pacific Northwest, which has spawned the likes of Fleet Foxes, Band of Horses, Blind Pilot and countless others, just in the last few years. Horse Feathers' Justin Ringle may be the gentlest beard-wearer of them all, which made him a perfect candidate to appear in NPR Music's Tiny Desk Concerts series: With a voice that high and soft, the man needs a quiet room.

It was an early morning in Austin when we caught up with Micachu and the Shapes singer Mica Levi. Maybe it's the hairdo, maybe it's the look of SXSW-induced exhaustion, but she looked like she'd just rolled out of bed. Micachu, as Levi is known, is classically trained and a student of composition, but you wouldn't know that from what you're about to see and hear.

Lots of artists mix digital and acoustic sounds, but Mirah does it with remarkable control and grace. Her songs are never overly produced or overly sentimental. They're just a little dark, with something bubbling quietly beneath humming electronics and gently strummed guitars. See Mirah perform three new songs from her latest album, (A)spera, at the historic Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas.

Through the '90s, until the group disbanded in 2006, Grandaddy built a loyal audience by making beautifully orchestrated, neo-psychedelic space-pop. Former frontman Jason Lytle returns this year with his debut solo album, 'Yours Truly, The Commuter.' He showcased some of his new songs for this NPR Music video session with Rusty Miller, recorded in Austin, TX as part of the South by Southwest festival and conference.