NPR Music

The newly reunited power-pop pioneers in The dB's make their first appearance on Mountain Stage, recorded live in Charleston, W.V. Often described as the band that filled the gap between Big Star and R.E.M. in the early '80s, The dB's helped change the course of guitar-driven power-pop for years to come.

In terms of international prestige, it's hard to think of bigger prizes in the classical community than those given annually by the British classical music magazine Gramophone (where I served as the North America editor for several years). Sure, the Grammys have more general name recognition, but these Eurocentric awards, completely dedicated to classical music, offer far more depth and breadth than their nearest American counterparts, both in terms of artists and repertoire.

Rapper, activist and entrepreneur Lupe Fiasco has just released his fourth studio album, Food and Liquor Part II: The Great American Rap Album Part I. The Chicago-born rapper skated onto the music scene in 2006 with his hit single "Kick, Push." Since then, he's stayed true to the unique, hard-hitting lyrics that propelled him to stardom.

Food and Liquor is a return to the content, depth and art of rap, according to Lupe Fiasco, and on the album he tackles some controversial topics, including his decision to not pledge allegiance to the American flag.