Nonesuch Records is set to release Natalie Merchant’s new self-titled album on May 6. In support of the new album, the multi-platinum singer will embark on a 16-date US summer tour, making stops along the East Coast and into the Midwest. A fan pre-sale begins on Wednesday, followed by general on sale. Nonesuch Store pre-orders of the new album, Merchant's first recording of entirely original songs in 13 years, include an instant download of the track "Ladybird."

Nonesuch Records releases City Noir—comprising the title piece by composer John Adams and the debut recording of his Saxophone Concerto—on May 6, 2014. Both pieces are performed by the St. Louis Symphony led by Music Director David Robertson. Saxophonist Timothy McAllister is featured on both pieces. The City Noir album is available to pre-order in the Nonesuch Store.

Today marks the reissue of Emmylou Harris’s groundbreaking album Wrecking Ball, produced by Daniel Lanois. It features the remastered original album, a bonus CD of previously unreleased material, and a DVD of the behind-the-scenes documentary Building the Wrecking Ball. The San Francisco Chronicle calls the album "one of the crowning achievements of both of their careers, one of the finest albums by anyone in the past two decades." The reissue earns five stars from Mojo and Uncut, which calls it "ambitious and audacious ... a masterpiece." Harris and Lanois are on tour now, performing music from the album.

Nonesuch celebrates Kronos Quartet, long known as interpreters of music from around the world, in its 40th anniversary year with two releases: Kronos Explorer Series, a box set of five classic albums from five different parts of the world, and A Thousand Thoughts, a new album that looks at Kronos’s geographically wide-ranging sources, featuring music from 14 different countries. Both are out today in North America (international release April 21). Kronos continues its anniversary celebration at the Switchboard Music Festival in its hometown of San Francisco this Saturday.

Toumani Diabaté, widely recognized as the greatest living kora player, and his eldest son Sidiki, release the recording Toumani & Sidiki on World Circuit on May 19. The Guardian has called it "the finest Toumani collaboration since his classic work with Ali Farka Touré." The album, produced by World Circuit’s Nick Gold with engineer Jerry Boys, is a set of unaccompanied kora duets, featuring both obscure, almost forgotten kora pieces and a new look at some Mandé classics from Mali. With this album, Toumani aims "to show the positive side of Mali," to reassert the legacy of a country with access to untold musical riches. 

Nonesuch Records will release the cast recording of David Byrne’s Here Lies Love on May 6. The recording features music by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim as performed by the original 2013 Public Theater cast of the Here Lies Love musical starring Ruthie Ann Miles and Jose Llana as Imelda and Ferdinand Marcos. Pre-order in the Nonesuch Store for an instant download of the track “Child of the Philippines” (heard here). Here Lies Love returns to New York’s Public Theater this spring with performances beginning April 14; opening night set for May 1. 

Today marks the release of A Dotted Line, the new album from Nickel Creek—Chris Thile, Sara Watkins, and Sean Watkins—reuniting for the first time since its 2007 "indefinite hiatus" for the album and a US tour, which begins April 16. The band performs on The Tonight Show this Wednesday and on A Prairie Home Companion on Saturday. The Boston Globe exclaims: "Nickel Creek picks up the thread in glorious fashion on A Dotted Line ... a vibrant reminder of Nickel Creek’s youthful promise and proof that it has plenty left to say." The Evening Standard calls it "fearless and excellent." Pop Matters calls it "a work of supreme songcraft." BBC Radio 2's Bob Harris says: "Nickel Creek are back together; all is well with the world."

Singer-songwriter Conor Oberst has revealed the cover art for his new solo album Upside Down Mountain, which is out on May 19 via Nonesuch Records, and unveiled a new track from the album, "Governor’s Ball," which you can hear here. The album is now available to pre-order in the Nonesuch Store with an exclusive print featuring the album art, or via iTunes, both with an instant download of the tracks "Hundreds of Ways" and "Governor’s Ball." Oberst kicks off the first leg of a world tour in support of the new album on May 8 with special guests Dawes.

Kronos Quartet's new album, A Thousand Thoughts, is due out next Tuesday, April 8. But you don't need to wait till then to hear it: the new album is streaming in full all this week as Q2 Music Album of the Week. "The album would be worth checking out just for the spectacular roster of guest stars the quartet has brought into the studio over the years," says Q2. "But just as impressive as these stellar cameos is the chameleonic playing of the quartet themselves, who manage to blend themselves into musics from Afghanistan, Vietnam and Austin, Texas, even while the core of their sound remains as warm and steady as ever."

Clint Mansell’s score to visionary filmmaker Darren Aronofsky’s film Noah is out now on Nonesuch Records; the film will be released on March 28. Russell Crowe stars as Noah in the film inspired by the epic story of courage, sacrifice, and hope. The cast stars Jennifer Connelly, Ray Winstone, Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, and Anthony Hopkins. The score is performed by Kronos Quartet, joined by Patti Smith for her song "Mercy Is." An orchestra and choir are led by Matt Dunkley, who was also the principal orchestrator and arranger. The album was produced by Clint Mansell and Geoff Foster.

Caetano Veloso’s new album, Abraçaço, is out today in North America on Nonesuch Records. The album, which was released in 2012 in South America and Europe, won a Latin Grammy for Best Singer-Songwriter Album. Abraçaço is the final installment of a trilogy with the youthful trio of 2007’s Cê and 2009’s zii e zie known as the Banda Cê. A fusion of the traditional Tropicália style and the indie pop of contemporary Rio, Abraçaço includes 11 original songs written by Veloso. KCRW says the album finds Veloso "at his best."

The Black Keys' new album, Turn Blue, will be released May 13 on Nonesuch Records. Produced by Danger Mouse, Dan Auerbach, and Patrick Carney, Turn Blue features 11 new tracks. The first single, "Fever," can be heard here and is included as a free instant download with album preorders, along with early access to concert tickets. Of the new album, the band says Turn Blue could refer to A: Suffocation; B: Sadness; C: Numbness from extreme cold; D: A Cleveland late night TV host from the 1960s named Ghoulardi; E: All of the above.