The Low Anthem and their forthcoming album, Smart Flesh, are the subject of a feature article in the New York Times, which looks at the abandoned pasta sauce factory in which it was recorded as "one of the instruments" on the album. "There is nothing idiosyncratic about what underlies their appeal," says the Times. "The songs are sticky and gorgeous, often because of Mr. Miller’s fungible, memorable voice." The Washington Post looks at the band's shared interest in "thinking outside the musical box." The Guardian says the factory's "effect is as bewitching as it is chilling." The Independent gives the album four stars and says the band's "textural palette is broader than ever on Smart Flesh."

Hard Bargain, the new album from Emmylou Harris, will be released April 26 on Nonesuch Records. The album comprises 11 new songs by Harris as well as two covers and was produced by Jay Joyce (Cage the Elephant, Patty Griffin). A deluxe edition, which includes a DVD featuring performances and interviews, will also be available. In celebration of the release, Harris will embark on a series of special performances including a showcase at SXSW.

Ben Folds kicks off the European leg of his 2011 world tour with a performance at Vicar Street in Dublin tonight, featuring music from his latest album, Lonely Avenue, a collaboration with English novelist Nick Hornby. After Saturday's stop in Birmingham, England, the tour heads to Hornby's hometown of London for a performance at the Hammersmith Apollo on Sunday. Time Out London recommends the show, calling Folds an artist "whose style suggests a Randy Newman for the iPod generation."

Norwegian Wood, director Anh Hung Tran's adaptation of the Haruki Murakami novel, will hit UK theatres on March 11. The soundtrack, out on Nonesuch March 7 in the UK and March 8 in the US, features an instrumental score by Jonny Greenwood performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra and the Emperor Quartet, as well as three tracks written and performed by CAN, and is now available for pre-order in the Nonesuch Store. Watch the film trailer here.

The Low Anthem is the subject of the cover story in the Providence Phoenix, which looks at their new album, Smart Flesh, and, the heady year that preceded it. "The subject matter on the new disc revolves around life’s inevitable end," says the Phoenix, "delivered with such poise and poignancy that it’s easily the band’s most impressive album." KCRW calls it "their best album yet ... With ghostly echoes of such luminous predecessors as Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and the country side of the Rolling Stones, The Low Anthem has raised the bar for practitioners of the high-lonesome side of indie folk sounds in the new decade."

Randy Newman continues his US tour with two stops in the Midwest this weekend. Last weekend, Newman received a Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for the film Toy Story 3. He's been nominated for an Academy Award for the song "We Belong Together" from the film and will perform it at the Oscars next weekend. Newman recently spoke about his scoring and songwriting on PBS's Tavis Smiley, which you can watch here.

Jessica Lea Mayfield has been a Next Big Thing by SPIN magazine. "Black Keys-approved, smart-ass country-rock ingénue." That's what SPIN says to expect from Mayfield's "stunning" new album, Tell Me. USA Today's Pop Candy podcast features her song "Blue Skies Again," saying: "Her voice really is like a patch of blue sky." The Huffington Post names Tell Me its Must-Play Pick of the Week, describing her vocal delivery as "full of detached rapture. No vocal gymnastics. Nothing too emotional. Just those words that perfectly capture the awkwardness and awesomeness of infatuation mixed with unsure bravado."

Brad Mehldau’s 2CD/DVD solo album Live in Marciac is out in just one week, on February 22. The Times of London says: "If you haven’t bought a jazz album since The Köln Concert, this would make a good follow-up." Jazzwise gives it four stars and features Mehldau in this month’s issue. He also spoke with The Huffington Post. "His breathtaking command of his instrument is undeniable," says the site. "But what he is able to say musically as a soloist within the context of each song combined with his improvisations is simply masterful."

k.d. lang's new album with the Siss Boom Bang, Sing it Loud, is due out April 12 on Nonesuch, but there's no need to wait any longer to take home music from the album: You can download the opening track, "I Confess," at iTunes now. A lyric sheet of "I Confess," printed from k.d.'s own written original, is included with pre-orders of Sing it Loud from the Nonesuch Store, a limited number of which will be signed by k.d. herself.

The 2011 Bonnaroo festival lineup has been announced, and among the performers at this year's gathering will be The Black Keys, The Low Anthem, Wanda Jackson, and Jessica Lea Mayfield. The festival will take place June 9 through 12 in Manchester, Tennessee; tickets go on sale this Saturday, February 19, at 12 EST.

Laurie Anderson will perform on NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on Thursday, February 24. The show is giving Anderson's fans a shot at sitting up-close as the performance unfolds; find out how here. Following her Grammy appearance this past Sunday, Anderson and her husband, Lou Reed, perform a belated Valentine's Day duo show at The Stone in NYC tonight as part of a month of events they are curating at the downtown space.

The Black Keys walked away from last night's Grammy Awards ceremonies with several awards for their album Brothers, including Best Alternative Music Album. The Plain Dealer exclaims: "It's official: The Black Keys are good as gold." The love continues as they spend their Valentine's Day on Conan, tonight. Also on tonight's show: Justin Bieber. The Black Keys were on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Friday, performing "Howlin' for You"; watch it here.