k.d. lang was the guest on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, featuring the UK broadcast debut of the song "I Dream of Spring," off her forthcoming album, Watershed. She spoke with Jane Garvey about writing and producing the new album, due out in February, preparing for her US tour, and visiting her hometown of Consort in Alberta, Canada—pop. 736, up from 650 when k.d. was growing up there.

The Magnetic Fields' Stephin Merritt is "an incredibly prolific, creative, and nimble songwriter with the perfect dose of temperamentality needed to attain the moniker of artistic genius," says NPR's Talk of the Nation assistant producer Sarah Handel in an appreciation. "I've seen him live a handful of times, sometimes petulant due to rowdy drunks playing pool, but more often poetic and generous, taking requests from the audience and playing like he's got all night.

Seattle radio station KEXP has added to this week's list of featured new releases David Byrne's "In the Future" from the reissue of Knee Plays. The album—on CD for the first time—hit stores yesterday, complete with the original 13 tracks plus seven previously unavailable instrumental tracks. You can hear a clip of "In the Future" on KEXP.org or visit kneeplays.com to hear more from the album and check out site-exclusive bonus materials.

Today, NPR has launched a new multimedia music site at npr.org/music, incorporating content from its national programs and several partner stations' programming. Among the site's features are artist interviews, concerts, and live broadcast streams from the member stations. One special feature is Project Song, which challenges songwriters to write and record a new song in two days. Participants are asked to choose from a stack of images and words and write a song based on one of each. Kicking off the series is The Magnetic Fields' Stephin Merritt, who used the project to create "A Man of a Million Faces."

Richard Goode will be Petroc Trelawny's guest on BBC Radio 3's Music Matters, the station's flagship classical music program, on Saturday, November 3. The two discuss Goode's 45-year career and the joy he finds in collaborating with Dawn Upshaw, with whom he'll perform next week at London's Southbank Centre. Music Matters begins at 12:15 GMT on Radio 3. 

In the October 18 episode of NPR's All Songs Considered, host Bob Boilen opens the show by recalling the first time he heard David Byrne's Knee Plays on cassette, back in 1985. He remembers driving around in his car listening to it—"I played it constantly"—until giving it away as a thank-you gift. He's been waiting 20-plus years for the CD release to replace the missing cassette, and, he says, "It's such a thrill to hear it again." Hear the episode here.

In the October 12 episode of NPR's All Songs Considered, Robert Christgau, a contributing editor for Rolling Stone magazine, calls Youssou N'Dour and Super Étoile "the best band in the world." Before closing the episode with the song "4-4-44" from Youssou's new record, Rokku Mi Rokka (Give and Take), Christgau urges listeners to catch one of the live shows on Youssou's upcoming US tour: "It's very simple," he says, "If you're within 150 miles, don't miss them."

The latest edition of BBC Radio 3's flagship arts program, Night Waves, features an interview with Youssou N'Dour about his upcoming Nonesuch release, Rokku Mi Rokka (Give and Take), and the social and political issues behind his music. 

Tune in to New York public radio station WNYC’s Soundcheck on 93.9 FM today at 2:15 PM to hear Jeff Tweedy discuss Wilco's new album, Sky Blue Sky. You can also listen to the show live online at wnyc.org.

Mi Sueño, the final album from the Buena Vista Social Club's Ibrahim Ferrer, was reviewed on NPR's Fresh Air.

Tune in to hear The Black Keys interview and performance on NPR's World Cafe from WXPN.

David Byrne stops by New York public radio station WNYC to talk with Soundcheck host John Schaefer about creativity, copyright, and why he’s written a song cycle about Imelda Marcos. Byrne's Perspectives series at Carnegie Hall starts this Thursday, February 1.