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News from Somalia usually involves violent warlords or pirates hijacking ships off the coast. Other than that, average Somalis don't have much of a voice. The rapper K'Naan is trying to change that, and in the world of hip-hop, he's become an artist to watch.

Before Barack Obama's election, a group of musicians recorded and released a collection of 43 original songs, one for each U.S. president. Titled Of Great and Mortal Men, the three-CD set ended with the presidency of George W. Bush. Now, just in time for the inauguration, the creators are making their 44th song available for download here.

With so many classic Christmas carols to choose from, creating brand new ones can be daunting, but English conductor-composer John Rutter has been at it for nearly 50 years. He shares his tips on what makes a good carol.

The Oslo-based trio of vocalists introduces a Norwegian Christmas tune, as well as a few traditions from their homeland, in NPR's Studio 4A. The group's latest recording has just been nominated for a Grammy Award.

Animal Collective is an experimental pop band that's cultivated an air of mystery over the past few years, as well as a passionate following. Will Hermes reviews the band's new album, Merriweather Post Pavilion.

Thievery Corporation describes its music as "outernational," with an "appreciation and empathy for all people around the globe." It's a fitting credo for a band that imagines the music of Jamaica, Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East as the root of its electronic music. Here, the duo talks about its politically charged new album, Radio Retaliation.

The plot is more than a little silly — not to mention politically incorrect in the extreme — but wackiness was never done better, or more beautifully, than Rossini did it in The Italian Girl in Algiers, heard in a Washington National Opera production filled with world-class, Rossini singers.

Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement return for a second season of their music-driven comedy series, which follows two hapless New Zealanders trying to make it as a folk-pop band in New York City.

At 69, gospel singer Mavis Staples continues to spread a positive message through her music. Her latest album, Live: Hope at the Hideout, is as musically and politically charged as her past works. She gives a stripped-down and powerful performance from WXPN.

In between recording and touring with his band The New Pornographers, Newman has started writing solo albums. His second, due out this week, is called Get Guilty, a reference to a sentence in a Donald Barthelme story. Newman discusses his new album in an interview with Alex Cohen.