World Cafe

Performing and recording under the name Toro Y Moi, Chaz Bundick draws on elements of soul, jazz, Latin disco, funk and modern pop. With Toro Y Moi's 2010 debut, Causers of This, Bundick became a pioneer of what's often called chillwave.

His new album, Anything in Return, is a set of electro-pop songs enhanced by his smooth vocals. In this installment of World Café, Toro Y Moi plays a few songs from the album and talks about the inspiration behind his lyrics.

The Lions' members share a strong love of classic, Jamaican-inspired reggae. Hailing from different musical generations, the L.A. band's members craft a unique style which blends hip-hop and reggae with electrifying dub rhythms. Although the lineup has changed since The Lions' beginnings, the music has remained explosive and alluring.

With a career spanning more than 30 years, English musician Billy Bragg blends folk, rock and punk with messages about politics and love. His new album Tooth & Nail is his first release in five years.

After a three-year hiatus, Duquette Johnston is back with his upcoming release Rabbit Runs a Destiny.

Local Natives, a Los Angeles-based indie-rock outfit, made a splash in 2009 with its self-funded debut album Gorilla Manor. The band went on tour with Arcade Fire and The National in support of the record, which hit No. 3 on the Billboard 200 New Artist Chart.

Zach Williams, Kanene Pipkin and Brian Elmquist are The Lone Bellow. Although Williams, the principal songwriter and lead singer, is a native Georgian, the group found its soulful folk-rock sound in Brooklyn. The group recorded its self-titled debut album on the Lower East Side, yet the lyrical, foot-stomping songs could have easily come from the heart of Nashville.

The hazy garage rockers in Allah-Las are distinctly Californian, a group of guys whose lo-fi sound is a direct result of their low-key surroundings. Cool piece of trivia: three of the four men met while working at L.A.'s legendary Amoeba Records.

On today's studio session from World Cafe, the band performs three songs from its self-titled album, which was produced by retro-soul fetishist Nick Waterhouse.

At 25 years old, Trixie Whitley is already a veteran of the music industry. Growing up, she toured the world with her late father, singer-songwriter Chris Whitley, and gained repute as a DJ in Europe, spinning records in Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris and New York City.

Birdie Busch, Philadelphia's whimsical, verse-weaving siren, has always had a way with storytelling. Her lyrics are quirky, candid and infused with a sense of sentimentality.

Grammy-winning blues-rock singer Ben Harper has made 10 studio albums over the course of his career. For his latest project, he teamed up with harmonica legend Charlie Musselwhite to release a collaborative album titled Get Up! Musselwhite, one of the few white musicians to gain exposure in the blues scene during the 1960s, has released 26 records and was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2010.