This week on New Hot, read about a group whose frontwoman runs the influential Pop Noire record label plus the newest funk and soul sensation sweeping Europe. These are our three recommended releases for Tuesday, May 7.

Julia Sweeney is a comedian and writer best-known for her stint on Saturday Night Live in the early '90s and for her hilarious, thoughtful and moving monologues. While she was in town for Wits last fall, she stopped by The Current to chat with Barb Abney and take over our airwaves.

Everyone has at least one favorite band, if not several (in fact, many of us have trouble even narrowing down our choices). But how did they make it to that status? Here at The Current, we want to hear your answer to the following question: what was it like the first time you heard what would become your favorite band?

The soundtrack to The Great Gatsby, Baz Luhrmann's latest high-end refurbishing of a lived-in classic, doesn't try to re-imagine Jazz Age tunes in a modern context. Instead, it attempts to transplant the sensibility of the 1920s to the hip-hop era, with genre-busting collaborations overseen by Jay-Z.

Stream the band's new EP, and hear the drummer and founding member's thoughts on longevity, epitaphs and iTunes.

To celebrate Public Radio Music Month, we're having a daily vote for the best in-studio tracks from The Current's performance archive. We've gone through and picked some of the most beloved performances by the staff and by our audience. We'll play the winner during the Live Current track of the day the following day.

The Uncluded -- one part Kimya Dawson, one part Aesop Rock -- have put together an incredible sonic array in their new collaboration "Hokey Fright." Stream the album, the latest on the Rhymesayers Entertainment roster, in its entirety before it's released on May 7th.

To celebrate Public Radio Music Month, we're having a daily vote for the best in-studio tracks from The Current's performance archive. We've gone through and picked some of the most beloved performances by the staff and by our audience. We'll play the winner during the Live Current track of the day the following day.

Playful, soft, sunnily melancholy and springlike, Zooey Deschanel's songs with M. Ward once again subsist on the strength of their own agreeability. Timelessness has long been key to the duo's charm, and indeed, Volume 3 seems to be floating through AM speakers at all times.

This week on New Hot, read about a frontman who counts David Bowie among his collaborators, a California local band gone big-time and the newest electronic buzz act from New York. These are our three recommended releases for Tuesday, April 30.