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Brooklyn's TV on the Radio has always been a forward-thinking rock band. Its new album, Dear Science, is its funkiest, but in a typically complicated way. Sick of living with pessimism, the band has brightened its tunes and beats.

Romanian singer Sanda Weigl learned traditional songs from the gypsies living around her home when she was a child. Today, she sings these songs across the U.S. as part of a Romanian cultural outreach campaign, but the singer's life remains larger than the Gypsy lore reflected in her songs.

Azam Ali and Loga Ramin Torkian, of the Persian-Indian music trio Niyaz, sit down to talk about their new album Nine Heavens. The disc blends modern electronica with old Persian folk songs and mystical Sufi poems. Ali talks about how her transcontinental journey from Iran to India, and then to the U.S., has shaped her music.

A new Hank Williams collection has just been released, featuring songs that few fans have heard. The Unreleased Recordings of Hank Williams includes rare performances from a Nashville radio program Williams hosted in 1951. The legend's daughter, Jett Williams, discusses the origins of the newly found treasure trove of music.

Local Colombian music permeates the soundscapes crafted by the band Aterciopelados. But what gives the group's music its universal appeal is something less tangible: a quality of dry-eyed optimism that proves both persuasive and reassuring in these troubled times.

For many, the autoharp is remembered as the slightly geeky, easy-to-play instrument from grade-school music class, or as simple accompaniment for folk and country singers. But Basia Bulat, who sings and plays the autoharp on Oh, My Darling, hopes the time has come for people to discover the beauty and potential in the instrument.

Reggae music has gone a lot of places over the years, from minimalist dub to culture-warring dancehall. Almost 40 years on, Spear still hews to the reggae basics: a deep, easy groove; brassy R&B flavorings; and a mystical take on history. His new CD is Jah is Real.

The all-male vocal quartet, which draws its name from the supreme rulers of yore, has been selling out Irish stadiums with harmony-drenched folk songs. Now on tour in North America, the group visits NPR for a studio performance and interview.

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.

There probably isn't a major symphony orchestra in the U.S. — or abroad — that hasn't played the music of John Adams. His distinctive sound has made Richard Nixon sing and won a Pulitzer Prize. His new autobiography, Hallelujah Junction, reveals an American composer's history.