The Postal Service - A Tattered Line Of String, from the "Give Up" deluxe edition.

Random Access Memories is born out of the hope, it seems, that the romance brewing between human and machine for the last 30 years breeds something beautiful and sustainable, not brutal and cold.

On its second album, the beachy pop-rock band balances its fussy, studio-bound side with rich full-band chemistry and songs whose hooks pop into your thoughts days later. Pythons is more streamlined and straight-ahead than 2010's Astro Coast, but it's still catchy as anything.

This year, we’ll be spotlighting a prominent Minnesota musician or band each month with our new Artist of the Month feature. You’ll be able to hear a variety of songs from throughout the artists’ career on both the Local Current stream and the Local Show, and you can read more about the artists’ history and their role in…

On her second solo release, the Fiery Furnaces singer mines the music of her birth decade. "I'm not embarrassed to say I love the sound of an Elton John record or I love the sound of a Carole King record," she says. "That's my taste."

Taj Raj are changing their tune. Formed out of a hardcore punk background, their debut "Your Thief" was a rocking affair. But now they're going the alt-country route for new EP "Fine Hearts Alive." Their first release since 2011 sees added instrumentation, lush arrangements and an affinity for soundscapes.

To honor our youth, we're going to play songs for today's Coffee Break that feature an antiquated form of communication.

MPR Arts Reporter and Cube Critic Euan Kerr joins Steve Seel and Jill Riley to talk about the new Will Smith sci-fi film and about a new documentary by Canadian filmmaker Sarah Polley.

  I typically save the Friday Five space for all the best new Minnesota music videos that have debuted each week. But before we get to the audio-visual portion of today’s roundup, I have a few other items to share: 1. Marijuana Deathsquads just released a free, two-EP collection called Music Rocks 1 and 2.…

The Morning Show's Jill Riley hung out with Michael Ian Black and discussed his childhood trouble-making, his favorite television shows, and his recent projects.