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."

The Pat Metheny Unity Group—Chris Potter, Antonio Sanchez, Ben Williams, and Giulio Carmassi—concluded the North American leg of its world tour, performing music from the debut album, Kin (←→), and much more at New York's Town Hall on Friday. "Metheny is one of the most industrious creative engines in jazz, and his relentless breadth has become a calling card, if not a selling point, among his fans," says the New York Times. "New York was his final stop on a grueling North American tour, which meant that the structure and pace of the production had been nailed down tight." The Group begins a months-long European tour at the end of April. 

Darren Aronofsky’s new film, Noah, opens in theaters and IMAX across North America and elsewhere today. 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. Aronofsky "creates a challenging, enthralling, very modern parable," says TIME. "Movies aren’t supposed to be this good this early in the year." "Clint Mansell’s music for Noah," writes the Wall Street Journal, "is appropriately stirring, threatening, terrifying and majestic."

Nickel Creek and their new album, A Dotted Line, due Tuesday, are the subject of a feature in the New York Times. "The most striking feature about A Dotted Line is the sheer strength of the singing, and the frequency with which it takes flight in three-part harmony," writes the Times' Nate Chinen. "The signature Nickel Creek blend ... comes across loud and clear." He goes on to say: "There’s also a high level of songcraft on the album, though it’s scrupulously subtle, in the realm of elegant melodic contour and deft harmonic movement."

Kronos Quartet, now celebrating its 40th anniversary, was the subject of a feature profile on NPR's Morning Edition today titled "Kronos Quartet: Still Daring After All These Years." Kronos will perform in Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium this Friday, March 28, featuring collaborations with many close colleagues and longtime artistic partners. On the program is the world premiere of Terry Riley’s The Serquent Risadome, as well as works by Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson, Clint Mansell, and more. Special guests include Bryce Dessner, Wu Man, Jherek Bischoff, four young string quartets from Face The Music, and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. Q2 rebroadcasts its recent 24-hour marathon stream of Kronos music on Saturday.

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.

Nickel Creek's new album, A Dotted Line, is due out next Tuesday, April 1. But you don’t need to wait till then to hear it: the new album is streaming in full all this week as an NPR First Listen. "There's no doubt that the virtuosity and vision of each Nickel Creek member has intensified," writes NPR's Ann Powers. The new album is "more adventurous than Nickel Creek's earlier work, and more expressive of each player's strengths ... It's tight, it's masterful; it's totally grown-up. But it's also a blast."

Kronos Quartet is the subject of a feature in the Sunday New York Times looking back in the group's 40th anniversary season and ahead as it continues to innovate and inspire. Kronos performs a program in Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium this Friday featuring collaborations with many of its close colleagues and longtime artistic partners. Q2 Music launches KRONOS AT 40, a 24-hour, Kronos marathon stream on Monday. Nonesuch releases Kronos Quartet's A Thousand Thoughts and the five-disc Kronos Explorer Series box set April 8, and the soundtrack to the new film Noah, on which Kronos performs, Tuesday.