NPR Music

I'm usually a fan of "between" albums — the ones that break away from an artist's established sound, either tentatively or extravagantly, exploring the extremes of inspiration. These records are often misunderstood upon immediate release, but offer clues to an artist's discography over time.

With the sesquicentennial of Claude Debussy's birth coming up fast on Aug. 22, you'd think there would be a small blizzard of new Debussy releases. This year, not so much; maybe it's a sign of the economic times and industry reality that there's no great rush to add the zillionth recording of such incredibly loved repertoire to the catalog. But every so often, a project comes along that demands a revisiting of music you think you know inside and out. This two-disc set of Debussy headed by Russian pianist Alexei Lubimov is just such a release.

Pink Martini had already been together for 11 years when it appeared on this Mountain Stage show in June 2005. Formed in Portland, Ore., by pianist Thomas Lauderdale, Pink Martini functions as a "little orchestra" with many international influences. Any given set features a wide range of musical styles from all over the world and songs in many languages.

The Scottish group Django Django has been tearing it up in Europe since dropping its self-titled, debut collection of fabulously catchy synth-pop back in January. The album won't be available in the States until mid August, but a few cuts have been circulating the Web, including the cosmic romp "Hail Bop," now available in a tasty new, lo-fat video.

Passion Pit emerged from Boston's music scene just four years ago when musician Michael Angelakos recorded a collection of songs for his girlfriend as a Valentine's Day gift.

His brand of upbeat electronic pop soon found a much larger audience. These days, Passion Pit is known nationwide for its elaborate production and Angelakos' distinctive falsetto. The band will release its second album, Gossamer, July 24.