NPR Music - You Must Hear This

FIRST LISTEN First Listen: Warpaint, 'Warpaint' The L.A. band's swirling sound is full of mysterious buzzes and coos, and there's a sense of everything-in-its-right-place grace and impeccability to it, yet the songs themselves never feel icy or distant. Warpaint's self-titled second album feels fashionable, sure, but not at the expense of approachability. Stream the album

MUSIC NEWS Sax Great Jimmy Heath 'Walked With Giants,' And He's Still Here The composer and bandleader made his first recordings in the late 1940s. In the decades since, Heath has played with and written for everyone from Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie to Miles Davis and Milt Jackson. Read this story

TINY DESK CONCERTS Afro Blue: Tiny Desk Concert Playful and unassuming, the nine members of Afro Blue seem like average college students. But don't let that fool you: In front of the Tiny Desk microphone, they sing as one refined and powerful voice, perfectly blended and far more mature than their ages would suggest. Watch the video

FAVORITE SESSIONS KEXP Presents: Jon Hopkins The British producer recently visited Seattle to play the Decibel electronic music festival. That meant making a stop by KEXP's studios to perform "Open Eye Signal" from last year'sImmunity. Watch the video

FIRST LISTEN First Listen: Against Me!, 'Transgender Dysphoria Blues' The bracingly political Florida punk band's new album can't help but feel like a debut: It's the group's first album since singer Laura Jane Grace (formerly Tom Gabel) came out as a woman. She still barks her lyrics with fiercely assertive intelligence, with the added benefit of comfort and courage in her own skin. Stream the album