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Conor Oberst's recent self-titled album is infused with the simplicity and mysticism of the Mexican mountainside setting where it was recorded. In a session on WXPN, Oberst and his band play songs from the new album and explain why it's not a Bright Eyes CD.

The Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter's new album, Little Wild One, tackles the subjects of post-Sept. 11 New York City and motherhood. Osborne discusses the record and how her new appreciation of New York helped provide the inspiration.

The bossa nova style comes naturally to Luciana Souza. In "O Pato," the Brazilian-born chanteuse sings (and quacks) in Portuguese in a light-hearted concert moment at the Kennedy Center.

Cold War Kids' second album, Loyalty to Loyalty, is based on the work of a little-known philosopher named Josiah Royce, who challenged Nietzsche's positions in the early 1900s. The art-pop band straddles the line between both philosophies in atypical rock fashion.

In the latest round of what are often called "Genius" grants, the MacArthur Foundation has just named 25 new fellows (each receiving a $500,000 award), including violinist Leila Josefowicz, writer Alex Ross, saxophonist Miguel Zenon, and sound artist and instrument inventor Walter Kitundu.

Liz Durrett is finally stepping out of her shell on her third and latest album, Outside Our Gates. Known for her sparse and somber Southern folk music, the Athens, Ga.-based musician has put together a release that still has plenty of gloom but is now balanced by over a dozen guest musicians, including her uncle, Vic Chesnutt.

With musical influences stemming from Africa, France, Spain and other countries, Brazzaville is the brainchild of David Brown, best known as the saxophonist for Beck. His band plays music from its new CD, 21st Century Girl, in a session from WXPN.

Nothing is more conspicuous, yet more invisible, than a big truck. Luke Doucet spends so much time on the road as a touring musician that he began to imagine what it would be like to live the life of a trucker. "Long Haul Driver" gets it just right on his seventh album, Blood's Too Rich.

Four Last Songs, by German composer Richard Strauss, is a song cycle marked by the awareness and acceptance of death. A new recording captures world-famous soprano Renee Fleming as she sings his last pieces for a second time — this time with a new direction.

Sometimes the best moment of an in-studio performance is the soundcheck. To warm up, Calexico riffed on a Pavement cover for 15 spooky minutes before offering up two very different versions of songs from the Tucson band's new album, Carried to Dust.