Darkside makes dance music. That's their motto, even if their string of usually sub-100bpm tracks might make for a more intimate affair, rather than club bangers. But the duo of Nicolas Jaar and Dave Harrington have a high-profile history of reimagining the way dance music sounds, and we imagine that the genre in 2014 will follow suit with the band's ideas.

Painted Palms - Spinning Signs, from the new album "Forever."

Brothers Page Burkum and Jack Torrey of The Cactus Blossoms stopped in to The Current's studios to play a few songs and to talk with Bill DeVille as part of the fourth-anniversary show of United States of Americana.

Caroline Smith has had a monumental year. She's been a Twin Cities mainstay for the past few years ever since beginning a routine solo gig at the 400 Bar. Many Minnesota musicians got their start at that venue before it shut the doors, and Caroline met her band through connections she made at those performances.

The third in a series of musical reminiscences, Brian Stewart of Red Wing, Minn., shares a vivid recollection of the dramatic tension that builds between two classic songs by The Cars.

At the end of each month, The Current's Morning Show loads up the 89.3 The Current van and takes a bunch of pastries and a big dispenser of coffee to area workplaces that love The Current. And every once in a while, we're lucky enough to bring an artist along with us. This time, it was Caroline Smith.

The staff and hosts on The Current share their opinions on this year's best music.

We're not sure exactly how you are supposed to celebrate Faux Fur Friday, but we do know who would be celebrating in the music world. What animal friendly artists should we play for the Coffee Break?

MPR Movie Maven and Cube Critic Stephanie Curtis talks to Jill Riley and Jade about a new documentary by Alex Gibney that looks at Lance Armstrong's cycling career, his doping scandal and his confession. Plus the Cube Critics review 'The World's End', a comedy from the team of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.

Happy Friday! For this week’s Five, I have a handful of fresh videos from some of the more exciting emerging artists here in the Twin Cities—including two brand-new collaborations, Weird Visions and VAYNS, that are getting ready to release more new music in 2014. Weird Visions Holly Hansen and Grant Cutler’s new collaboration Weird Visions…