Randy Newman will be the guest on today's episode of Soundcheck from NPR member station WNYC. Newman will talk with host John Schaefer about his 40-plus year career and perform songs from his latest Nonesuch album, Songbook Vol. 2. Newman celebrates Memorial Day weekend ahead with two performances at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix, Arizona, which the Arizona Republic includes among the "shows of the week."

Laurie Anderson brings her latest piece, Delusion, to the Brighton Festival with a performance at the Brighton Concert Hall Thursday night, preceded by a conversation there tonight about her work, her influences, her collaborations, and her thoughts on art, language, and storytelling. She spoke with BBC 6 Music about Delusion, which the BBC calls "a highlight of this year's Brighton Festival." The tour continues in Germany this weekend, followed by shows in Spain, Portugal, Greece, and beyond.

John Adams's new album, featuring his Son of Chamber Symphony performed by the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), led by Adams, and his String Quartet, performed by the St. Lawrence String Quartet, is out next Tuesday, May 31. All this week, NPR's Lara Pellegrinelli is following ICE's executive director, flautist Claire Chase, as she goes about her exhausting daily schedule, reporting via Twitter and preparing a piece to air at a later date on NPR.

Ben Folds has three more shows in his Australian tour, before heading to Indonesia, Japan, and South Korea. He spoke with 774 ABC Melbourne radio about working with Nick Hornby on their album Lonely Avenue, which The Australian calls "a fine ensemble of adult pop songs ... He has a gift for seizing on the minutiae of everyday life and wrapping them in well-crafted melodies." The Brisbane Times says: "The musician's feel for the rhythm and emotional arc of a good story perfectly complements the novelist's lyrics."

k.d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang recently performed songs from their new album, Sing it Loud, before a live audience at Apogee's Berkeley St. Studios in Santa Monica, California. The intimate set will be broadcast on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic this morning, along with what KCRW calls "a revealing interview" with the event's host, Anne Litt, starting at 11:15 AM PT. lang and the band launch their spring and summer tour exactly two weeks from today in the UK.

Randy Newman performs three song off his newly release Songbook Vol. 2 on BBC Two's Later ... with Jools Holland tonight: "Birmingham," "Laugh and Be Happy," and "Same Girl." Newman posed on the set for the photo at left with fellow guest Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks. He appeared on the BBC World Service show The Strand last night and is on BBC Radio 2's Bob Harris Sunday this weekend. Newman performs on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on Monday; enter to win up-close seats to the NYC performance.

Anna McGarrigle will appear on NPR's Fresh Air today to discuss her relationship with her late sister Kate and the music they made together. Tell My Sister, a three-disc set comprising remastered versions of their first two albums and a collection of previously unreleased songs, is out now. The Financial Times gives the set a perfect five stars. Kate McGarrigle, who died of sarcoma last year, will be celebrated in a two-night tribute at New York’s Town Hall starting this week, with performances by Anna, Kate's children Martha and Rufus Wainwright, Emmylou Harris, and others.

The Low Anthem perform songs from their new album, Smart Flesh, on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic in LA this morning, in advance of their show at The Autry tonight. The LA Times calls the album "a gorgeous, inventively arranged set of reverb-rich roots ballads in which the music's frayed edges add emotional weight." LA Weekly says "These four aim for timelessness with a brand of Americana that nods as much to high-energy gospel and gritty blues as it does to rustic, autumnal hues." The split 12" vinyl of The Low Anthem's Daytrotter Sessions, with Iron and Wine on the flip side, is now available for pre-order.

Randy Newman's Songbook Vol. 2 is out next week. He sat at the piano to discuss the album and his career on BBC Radio 4's Front Row. The Daily Telegraph gives the album a perfect five stars. "Known for the clever orchestral arrangements on his album work, the stripped-down feel of the Songbook series allows the sharp craftsmanship of Newman’s playful writing to shine through," says the Telegraph. The new album "is an invigorating celebration of the joys of great songwriting and proof of the power of one man and his piano."

Carolina Chocolate Drops are performing on the Grand Ole Opry tonight, broadcast live from the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee. Tonight's special star-packed show, dubbed Play On, Nashville!, marks the first anniversary of the flood that devastated much of Nashville. Among tonight's other performers are Alabama, Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, and Charlie Daniels Band. The band has chosen the top five finalists in the search for a new logo. Now's your chance to vote on the winner.

The Low Anthem performs live on KUT in Austin, Texas, today at 2 PM CT, prior to tonight's concert in Austin. The band "frequently dazzles on both recordings and in live performance," says KUT. Their recent performances at Philadelphia's Kimmel Center for WXPN and on Mountain Stage are both available at npr.org. The Low Anthem's Hear Ya Live Session is also up now and includes the song "Boeing 737," which Hear Ya calls "triumphant, almost prophetic." Watch it here.

Donnacha Dennehy's Grá agus Bás is due out tomorrow. The album—which includes the title piece, inspired by sean-nós "old style" Irish vocal music, as well as the composer’s song cycle That the Night Come, comprising six settings of poems by W.B. Yeats—was featured on NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday. "The singer's plaintive cries sound very much like phrases from Irish folk music," says NPR of the title piece, "while the accompaniment features a kind of pulsating minimalist shimmer." Hear the inspirations behind the album pieces and writing for singers Iarla O’Lionáird and Dawn Upshaw.