World Cafe on The Gateway KWMU2

If Aaron Embry's name doesn't sound familiar, his previous collaborators will. Embry was recently the touring pianist with Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and has worked with the likes of Elliott Smith, Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris.

The Seattle septet Hey Marseilles integrates symphonic cello, drumbourine, accordion and viola into a standard lineup of guitar, bass and drums for a warm, distinctive sound.

Nick Ward and Matt Bishop formed Hey Marseilles while students at the University of Washington, and independently released their first album, To Travels & Trunks, at the end of 2008. The band has since given the album a nationwide reissue and performed at festivals like SXSW and Bumbershoot.

Inspired by The Beatles, Bob Dylan and The Clash, among others, Foxygen's Sam France and Jonathan Rado channel their love of classic rock and psychedelia into a layered sound with sweetly airy vocals.

After a long hiatus, the rock trio Dinosaur Jr. reunited in 2005. In September, the band released a new album, I Bet on Sky, which was widely praised for its explosive energy and characteristically bold integration of feedback and distortion. I Bet On Sky is the third record the group has released since its reunion, and it finds Dinosaur Jr. sounding just as vital and intense as it did when it first formed 28 years ago.

Tanlines has been turning heads since its formation in 2008. Eric Emm and Jesse Cohen make up the Brooklyn-based duo, who met while working on a song for Cohen's other band, the dance-punk group Professor Murder.