Normally, I think of NPR as a go-to source for well-reported news. NPR became our only news resource after the 9/11 attacks, because we refused to turn on the TV whenever our kids were home. We didn’t want them to see any of the upsetting scenes from that horrific day. (We also tuned into news from the CBC during those days, because that network tended to show less graphic images.)

These days, NPR still provides great news, but it’s also expanded into sharing great music. There have been a number of times in the past year that I’ve clicked over to the NPR site to listen/watch the “Tiny Desk Concerts” from the All Songs Considered section. My favorites have been performances from Adele and Beirut.

Now NPR is sharing some of its favorites from 2011 with a free download of 11 songs. It’s not clear if each of these artists has had its own “Tiny Desk Concert” but I love the notion of not only new music but free new music.

Note: When you download the zip file, identify iTunes or whichever music-playing app you have in your computer as the designated “destination” for the file. When I didn’t do this, the files didn’t download, open, or play properly.