Pitchfork

Ten indie singers who approach the microphone armed with more than just songs-- they each are also thinking about their voices, figuring out what might make them most effective given their limitations.

Murs gushes over a certain crew of Ivy League pop stars, shares a little about the new video games he saw at Comic-Con, and explains his life-long wish to sing a song popularized by Kermit the Frog. [Interview: Tyler Grisham]

Here's five singles and four albums that should help illuminate the lengthening nights, including releases from Stefan Goldmann [above], Damián Schwartz, and Dinky.

To kick off a five-part celebration of Sub Pop's 20th anniversary-- and the concert/party the Seattle label is throwing itself this weekend-- we spoke to the men who founded the classic indie imprint, Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman.

The guitar virtuoso fills us in on her long, convoluted path to becoming a guitar goddess, describes her songwriting process, ponders the pros and cons of not having a debut album until after she turned 30, and explains the significance of the title of her sophomore release, This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and It Is It and That Is That.  

We sat down with Sigur Rós bassist Georg Holm, who answers our questions about encores, "CSI", what "Gobbledigook" really means, and whether or not Sigur Rós are funny.

We talk to Kurt Wagner about Lambchop's 10th full-length, OH (Ohio), how his background in visual art has informed his music writing, and the unintentional competition he launched between the new album's two Nashville-based producers.