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Odesza's latest album, In Return, is out now.

Odesza's latest album, In Return, is out now. Tonje Thilesen/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

itoggle caption Tonje Thilesen/Courtesy of the artist

Odesza: Love Songs For A Digital Age

"Electronic music can get really weird," says Clayton Knight, one-half of the ascendant Seattle duo. "And I think we've made it, in some way, more accessible."

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Guitarist, actor and writer Carrie Brownstein performing with her band Sleater-Kinney at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C.

Guitarist, actor and writer Carrie Brownstein performing with her band Sleater-Kinney at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. Alex Schelldorf/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Alex Schelldorf/NPR

All Songs Considered

All Songs +1: Carrie Brownstein Isn't Who You Think She Is

In her remarkable new memoir, Carrie Brownstein paints a startlingly candid portrait of herself that dispels any myths fans might have about her rock-star status with the band Sleater-Kinney.

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Cécile McLorin Salvant's repertoire includes jazz standards, forgotten old songs, show tunes and originals.

Cécile McLorin Salvant's repertoire includes jazz standards, forgotten old songs, show tunes and originals. Mark Fitton/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

itoggle caption Mark Fitton/Courtesy of the artist

Jazz Singer Cécile McLorin Salvant Doesn't Want To Sound 'Clean And Pretty'

Fresh Air

McLorin Salvant first studied classical voice, but turned to jazz because it offered her more range. "In jazz, I felt I could sing these deep, husky lows," she tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross.

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Mariachi Manchester.

Mariachi Manchester. Piero F Giunti/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

itoggle caption Piero F Giunti/Courtesy of the artist

Mariachi Band Brings Morrissey To Dia De Los Muertos

At one of the largest Day of the Dead celebrations in L.A., Mariachi Manchester reinterprets the work of The Smiths' lead singer.

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Neon Indian's new album VEGA INTL. Night School, is out now.

Neon Indian's new album VEGA INTL. Night School, is out now. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of the artist

Neon Indian: A Musician With The Mind Of A Filmmaker

Alan Palomo says he deliberately took his time making his band's latest LP: "At some point I was just kind of like, 'I don't want to spend my 20s in a van."

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As Hot Sugar, Nick Koenig makes what he calls "associative music" out of sounds plucked from everyday life.

As Hot Sugar, Nick Koenig makes what he calls "associative music" out of sounds plucked from everyday life. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of the artist

Hot Sugar Makes Music Out Of Anything And Everything

"I try to capture sounds the same way a photographer would capture an image," says musician Nick Koenig, whose songs are meticulously constructed from the noise of everyday life.

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Joyce DiDonato stars in the new opera Great Scott as a world-famous diva who returns to her hometown and finds its opera company struggling to stay afloat.

Joyce DiDonato stars in the new opera Great Scott as a world-famous diva who returns to her hometown and finds its opera company struggling to stay afloat. Karen Almond/Dallas Opera hide caption

itoggle caption Karen Almond/Dallas Opera

In 'Great Scott,' Joyce DiDonato Leads An Opera Within An Opera

The new Dallas Opera production is a meta-story about the value — and cost — of great art.

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Rod Stewart's new album, Another Country, is out now.

Rod Stewart's new album, Another Country, is out now. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of the artist

Rod Stewart Picks Up The Pen

At age 70, after a long affair with soul standards and the American Songbook, Stewart has warmed up to writing his own material again. He joins Scott Simon to discuss the new album Another Country.

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"This is a guy who's up for the challenge," says film composer Harry Gregson-Williams, describing Matt Damon's stranded astronaut character in The Martian.

"This is a guy who's up for the challenge," says film composer Harry Gregson-Williams, describing Matt Damon's stranded astronaut character in The Martian. 20th Century Fox hide caption

itoggle caption 20th Century Fox

The Music Of 'The Martian,' Deconstructed

In an conversation from the Song Exploder podcast, score composer Harry Gregson-Williams explains how he matched moments to melodies in the new film, which stars Matt Damon as a stranded astronaut.

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An Alpine Symphony, by Richard Strauss, depicts a dawn to dusk climb up a mountain.

An Alpine Symphony, by Richard Strauss, depicts a dawn to dusk climb up a mountain. iStockphoto.com hide caption

itoggle caption iStockphoto.com

Deceptive Cadence

Richard Strauss' Musical Mountain Climb

Marking the 100th anniversary of An Alpine Symphony, take a guided tour through Strauss' evocative music with conductor Semyon Bychkov and author David Hurwitz as trail guides.

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