Storied musician and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Dr. John—Mac Rebennack—will release Locked Down, a startling album that marks a significant departure from his recent efforts, on April 3, 2012. The new album, produced by The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, will be Dr. John's first for Nonesuch Records.

Björk has been nominated for a 2012 BRIT Award for Best International Female Solo Artist. Also nominated in that field are Beyoncé, Feist, Lady Gaga, and Rihanna. Björk has previously won four BRIT Awards. The 2012 BRIT Awards will take place at The O2 in London on February 21. Tickets go on sale to the general public today for Björk's ten-show Biophilia NYC residency.

Music of Vladimir Martynov, the just-released album from Kronos Quartet, is now streaming in full on group's website, through January 19. The album includes three works written or rescored for Kronos by the contemporary Russian composer Vladimir Martynov and a special guest performance from former Kronos cellist Joan Jeanrenaud. Kronos artistic director David Harrington spoke with BBC World Service’s The Strand about the new record and the Quartet's upcoming residency at the Barbican in London. Kronos Quartet is currently on tour in Europe performing Steve Reich's WTC 9/11.

Laurie Anderson, Amadou & Mariam, and David Byrne will be among the artists performing in a riverboat lodged atop London's Queen Elizabeth Hall as part of the Sounds from a Room series taking place in A Room for London, a one-bedroom installation on the roof of the Hall. Sounds from a Room includes live music webcasts from Anderson and Amadou & Mariam and a new soundwork for podcast from Byrne. The program is part of the London 2012 Festival, which also includes performances by Kronos Quartet and Rokia Traoré.

The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, starring Audra McDonald as Bess, Norm Lewis as Porgy, and David Alan Grier as Sporting Life, officially begins its Broadway run at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York City. Time magazine calls it a "don't-miss theater event." This marks Audra McDonald's tenth turn in a Broadway production. She is the winner of four Tony Awards and has recorded four solo albums for Nonesuch.

As 2011 drew to a close, the Nonesuch Journal took a look back at the year that was in music, including many of the year-end accolades given to the year's Nonesuch releases from critics around the world. The best-of mentions continued to come in, and now that 2012 is in full gear, we've collected them all in one place and paired them with some of the music that inspired the accolades. Here's to another year of great music!

The line-up for the 2012 Coachella festival has been announced, and The Black Keys will be headlining. Coachella, held at the Empire Polo Grounds in Indio, California, will take place over two weekends, April 13–15 and April 20–22. The Black Keys lead the Friday slots. Headlining the other nights are Radiohead, Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg. The news comes just after The Black Keys announced the second leg of their North American tour with special guests Arctic Monkeys; fan presale for these dates begins today.

Presale for Björk's ten-show Biophilia residency in New York begins today. The residency will include six performances at the New York Hall of Science, four performances at Roseland, and a four-week Biophilia children's educational program. You can watch a video about the educational component here. Björk is offering a limited number of VIP packages designed to deliver the most intimate Biophilia experience.

Kronos Quartet’s latest Nonesuch album, Music of Vladimir Martynov, is out today. The album includes three works written or rescored for Kronos by the contemporary Russian composer Vladimir Martynov—The Beatitudes, Schubert–Quintet (Unfinished), and Der Abschied—and features a special guest performance from former Kronos cellist Joan Jeanrenaud. Kronos’ artistic director and founder David Harrington says Martynov’s music “straddles various points of musical history and time; the music seems to me to reflect and absorb humanity in such a beautiful way." Hear preview clips of each piece here.

The Black Keys will be hitting the road for the second leg of their North American tour in April, with special guests Arctic Monkeys. The newly announced shows include stops in Austin, St. Louis, Tulsa, Denver, Salt Lake City, Oakland, Sacramento, Portland, Seattle, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Minneapolis, and Milwaukee. Fan pre-sale for these dates will begin at 10 AM local time January 10.

The Low Anthem is set to launch its six-week tour supporting City and Colour on his tour of Canada and the northern US starting this Monday, January 16, at Wonder Ballroom in Portland, Oregon. The Low Anthem will also be performing a few select headlining shows. The band recently performed a couple of songs for Sleepover Shows, including "Ghost Woman Blues" off their latest album, Smart Flesh. Watch them here. "If you have not been to a Low Anthem show," says the site, "you owe it to yourself to go."

Amadou & Mariam are set to release Folila, their first studio album since Welcome to Mali, on March 27. The new album, helmed by longtime producer Marc-Antoine Moreau, epitomizes the duo's embrace of collaboration, with contributions by Santigold, TV on the Radio, Nick Zinner, Theophilus London, Bassekou Kouyate, and others. In advance of the full album, Nonesuch will release the track “Dougou Badia,” featuring Santigold, on a four-song digital EP of the same name on January 24; the EP is now available for pre-order in the Nonesuch Store.