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Beach House's sleepy "Saltwater" never feels weary or tiresome. Instead, it floats along in a wispy haze of skittering drumbeats that rise and fall like heartbeats. As Victoria Legrand sings, "Love you all the time / even though you're not mine," her voice sounds powerful and stripped bare.

Doug Keith's debut LP, Here's To Outliving Me, is familiar but fresh. The New York native's songs are rooted comfortably in traditional folk and Americana, without being mawkish or treading into tired territory. This is largely because Keith's voice is so richly textured, backed by sweet harmonies and beautifully layered instrumentation.

The Justice Department investigates a deal between the country's two largest alternative newspaper chains, Village Voice Media and New Times Media. Some experts say the chains may have violated federal antitrust laws by dividing up the Los Angeles and Cleveland markets. NPR's Laura Sydell reports.

- Commentator Andrew Lam says that when he came to the United States from Vietnam, he began to learn English at the same time that his voice began to change. Still, he says, he liked speaking English -- it made him feel he could be a new person in a new language.

The jazz scene is abuzz about singer/pianist/composer John Proulx. His piano playing is hot and swinging, and his voice recalls the smooth mellow sounds of Chet Baker. He shows off his compositional skills, performing his own tune, "Stuck in a Dream with Me." Hear the performance.

The Philadelphia indie-pop band Dr. Dog filters classic rock and pop through a lo-fi slacker aesthetic that recalls Pavement or Guided by Voices and sounds both timeless and immediate. Dr. Dog's seventh album, Shame, Shame, was released in April. Hear the group perform music from the album.

Imagine being a singer and never being sure when you open your mouth whether you will have your voice. For years, Linda Thompson's vocal disorder, hysteric dysphonia, made her stop singing completely. It took three years to complete her new CD, Versatile Heart.

President Trump called U.S. Olympic skier Hunter Hess a "loser" after Hess voiced concern about political turmoil in the U.S. Gold medal U.S. figure skater Amber Glenn says she's faced online hate and threats after advocating for LGBTQ rights.

After nearly two decades with the Grammy-winning bluegrass group Nickel Creek, it was only a matter of time before singer-songwriter and fiddle player Sara Watkins released material of her own. In a session from WXPN, she demonstrates her instrumental breadth with the sweet voice her fans love.

In a session from KPLU, blues guitarist Tab Benoit plays through a couple songs all by his lonesome, yet manages to conjure an entire band all his own. Benoit also talks about creating "Voice of the Wetlands," a group that raises awareness about the importance of Louisiana's natural resources.

Pink Nasty is a young and talented singer-songwriter whose quirky alt-country songs nicely complement her pretty but powerful voice. She gets her moment in the sun with Will Oldham on "Don't Ever Change," which smartly sums up all of the contradictions, tensions and aggravations inherent in relationships.

To cover a song by the great Jackie Wilson takes a lot of gumption, not to mention a lot of voice. But since Ryan Shaw says people are always comparing him to Wilson, he figured he might as well try one of the late soul singer's classics ("I'll Be Satisfied") on his debut album.

Iran's president is maintaining his hard line on the country's nuclear ambitions, insisting that Iran will never give up its uranium enrichment program. He has rejected a package of incentives from the European Union aimed at curbing Iran's program. But other voices in Tehran suggest a compromise is still possible.

Virtually unknown outside his native Romania, with a perfectly pencil-thin mustache and a voice that flutters in mid-air, Doma Dumitru Siminica packed cafes and clubs in Bucharest in the 1960s. His style is rooted in the Gypsy Lautari tradition of slowly paced melancholy love songs, laments and drinking songs.

The music of Chester "Lyfe" Jennings has the familiar feel of old-school classics, and his soulful, gravelly voice is being compared to the likes of R&B greats Al Green and Sam Cook. After a decade behind bars, he's ready to break out with his own brand of "folk soul."

One of the year's best rock albums features four women who play impassioned punk. Phoebe Harris' guitar riffs on Hell Bent are some of the catchiest of 2013, and while Abby Weems' monotone voice isn't polished, but it's a perfect fit for Potty Mouth's rough-hewn melodies.

For 25, Patty Larkin recorded voice and guitar for 25 songs, then let friends such as Rosanne Cash, Erin McKeown and Martin Sexton do the rest. Twenty-five not only represents the number of songs and collaborators, but also how many years it's been since Larkin made her first recordings.

Since Anita O'Day made her solo debut in the 1940s, she has been charming listeners with her dynamic incorporation of bop modernism into vocals. Her raspy voice, which inspired a string of followers, is showcased on 1957's Pick Yourself Up with Anita O'Day.

The darkness of Tom Waits' lyrics is accentuated by the rumble and rasp of his voice, which sounded old even when he was young. On Bad As Me, Waits reflects on loneliness, life, death and heartbreak. Here, he talks to Terry Gross about performing, being a father and writing his haunting melodies.

The darkness of Tom Waits' lyrics is accentuated by the rumble and rasp of his voice, which sounded old even when he was young. On Bad As Me, Waits reflects on loneliness, life, death and heartbreak. Here, he talks to Terry Gross about performing, being a father and writing his haunting melodies.