Music

We all know what's most often excavated: Nirvana's roar, Biggie's cool murmur, the futuristic sigh of Aaliyah. But there's more to the decade than those obvious landmarks.

The label run by engineer Cookie Marenco sells super high-definition downloads — a development even she thought impossible 15 years ago. The downloads may be expensive, but she says, the sound is superior to current popular audio formats like MP3.

Producer and singer-songwriter Abel Tesfaye became an Internet phenomenon in 2010, when he began self-releasing free mixtapes of woozy, haunted R&B songs. His proper major-label debut, Kiss Land, marks his official step into the limelight.

After years of refusing to play his Creedence Clearwater Revival material, the rock icon has reinterpreted his early hits with a new generation of artists — from Dave Grohl to Brad Paisley — on his new album, Wrote a Song for Everyone.

Cee-Lo Green says the group's reunion provides an opportunity to bring something new and deep to hip-hop. Goodie Mob's new album, Age Against the Machine, aims to challenge the genre's mainstream powerhouses.

A key to the ongoing allure of Dylan's music lies in its ability to stand apart from its time. A new collection of alternate takes and demos re-evaluates the critical flop that was 1970's Self Portrait.

Steinway Musical Instruments is on the auction block and a mystery bidder, rumored to be hedge fund manager John Paulson, appears to have the winning bid at $458 million. Ilya Marritz explains why the fairly healthy company is seeking a buyout in the first place.

Duke Ellington's piece for Queen Elizabeth II is included in a new collection of late-period suites.

The 27-year-old singer's music is often called futuristic — in part because her early releases revolved around a robot love story, but also because her work so firmly resists classification. She discusses her new album, The Electric Lady, here with NPR's Jacki Lyden.

Writer and illustrator Sandra Boynton recruited some of rock and country music's finest to create an eclectic collection of tunes for her new album and songbook, Frog Trouble.