David Byrne's American Utopia and other Broadway shows have partnered with HeadCount to promote voter registration in the US. Although Broadway performances remain suspended through 2020 due to COVID-19, fans can join their favorite shows in making their voices heard at the polls this fall. Now through October 1, visit headcount.org to register, check, or update your voter registration status online and find localized information about polling dates, sites, and candidates, and, by doing so, enter to win tickets to see American Utopia when performances resume.

Lianne La Havas has released a new video for the song “Can’t Fight” from her forthcoming self-titled album. Created in collaboration between La Havas and director Kevin Morosky, the video documents her cultural roots, influences, memories of love and loss, and daily passions, taking the viewer on a visual journey through her beloved South London. La Havas says, “I’ve finally made a video for ‘Can’t Fight’ navigating the social distancing guidelines, and had a lot of fun doing so. Enjoy.”

On his Nonesuch Records debut, Over That Road I’m Bound, due October 2, 2020, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Joachim Cooder uses the plain-spoken songs of country-music progenitor and banjo player Uncle Dave Macon as a jumping off point, playing with the lyrics and reworking melodies for his chosen instrument: an electric mbira. Cooder culled songs from Macon’s vast catalog and recorded them with his band and special guests: Ry Cooder, Rayna Gellert, Juliette Commagere, Sam Gendel, Glenn Patscha, Amir Yaghmai, Dan Gellert, and Vieux Farka Touré. The album track “Come Along Buddy” is available today; a video may be seen here.

It was thirty years ago today: Kronos Quartet's album Black Angels, featuring composer George Crumb’s title piece, was released on Nonesuch. Kronos's connection to the piece dates back to the ensemble's origins when, in 1973, violinist David Harrington was inspired to form the group after hearing the work. Crumb's piece sets a powerful tone for the collection, which addresses the political, physical, and spiritual consequences of war, and includes works by Tallis, Ives, Shostakovich, and Istvan Marta. "As a piece of music, George Crumb's Black Angels remains at the heart of Kronos," Harrington says in a new short film about the album you can watch here. "It seems as relevant today as it did in 1973. As an album, Black Angels set our course for the next thirty years and beyond."

Two Natalie Merchant albums are now available digitally for the first time: Butterfly, a studio album featuring four new songs and six reinterpretations from her catalogue arranged for string quartet, and Rarities, a collection of fifteen rare and previously unreleased tracks recorded between 1998 and 2017. For Rarities, Merchant curated a selection of unique home studio demos, album outtakes, live tracks, and collaborations with diverse artists like Billy Bragg, David Byrne, The Chieftains, Cowboy Junkies, and Amy Helm. Both albums were created for and were previously only available as part of the deluxe ten-CD box set The Natalie Merchant Collection in 2017.