There's just one day left before the release of The Magnetic Fields' latest Nonesuch release, Realism, and that means two things: the fourth installment of the five-part video series about the new record (today revealing which room in the house offers the best acoustics for recording) and the CD release party, which the band hosts at New York's Beauty Bar tonight. All are welcome; admission is free. The Independent names Realism its CD of the Week.

Today we bring you the third of a five-episode video series about The Magnetic Fields' forthcoming Nonesuch release, Realism. In this latest segment, Sincerity Is an Odd Duck, band members Stephin Merritt and Claudia Gonson continue their conversation about the new record, examining the oft-pondered notion of fact vs. fiction in Stephin's lyrics. The Guardian gives Realism four stars, citing its mix of "withering put-downs and gorgeous tunes."

Earlier this week, the Nonesuch Store introduced an exclusive offer for orders of Recollection, k.d. lang's forthcoming career retrospective: a limited-edition signed photo of k.d., available for the first 500 orders of the album. The deluxe edition of Recollection includes three CDs plus a DVD of music videos and live performance footage. Now at nonesuch.com/media, you can preview some of the unforgettable sights and sounds featured on the DVD.

Yesterday came the first in a five-part series of videos unveiling Realism, The Magnetic Fields' forthcoming album. Today, in the second episode, L.A.: A Folk Heaven, Stephin Merritt and Claudia Gonson explain why recording the new, folk-inspired album in Los Angeles made perfect sense. Drowned in Sound rates the album an 8 of 10, lauding the band's "Eternally Great Pop Songs"; The Quietus interviews Merritt about those songs.

Introducing a two-disc song cycle about Imelda Marcos, performed by a who's who of singers, is no simple task, but David Byrne has done it in a new video presentation, available at nonesuch.com/media, about Here Lies Love, his collaboration with Fatboy Slim and such vocalists as Tori Amos, Steve Earle, Cyndi Lauper, Natalie Merchant, Kate Pierson, Santigold, and St. Vincent. The album, due out April 6, is now available for pre-order in the Nonesuch Store.

Realism, the new album from The Magnetic Fields, is just days from its January 26 Nonesuch CD release. Each weekday till launch, Nonesuch.com will post a new video, in which Stephin Merritt and Claudia Gonson discuss aspects of the album, beginning with today's Introductions. Watch it now at nonesuch.com/media and check back in the days to follow for new videos to come.

As The Low Anthem digs in at work on its next album, NPR has posted the band's Tiny Desk Concert performance, including "To the Ghosts Who Write History Books" off its Nonesuch debut, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin. Another song from the album is part of Paste's "Songs for Haiti" project, offering free downloads for those who donate to support relief efforts in Haiti.

"I didn't know quite what to expect when I started this whole thing, especially making a record with it," says Pat Metheny of his latest project, Orchestrion, and the forthcoming Nonesuch release of the same name. "The result is absolutely nothing like I ever would have imagined." That's from a new video launching today at nonesuch.com/media, in which Pat takes viewers behind the scenes of Orchestrion. Says The Guardian: "The Orchestrion reconciles his love of old-fashioned, unamplified live performance with his restless urge to innovate."

Pat Metheny's adventurous new "solo” recording, Orchestrion, is set for its Nonesuch CD release on January 26. The project pairs the composer-guitarist with a phalanx of remarkable, custom-made instruments played via solenoid switches and pneumatics. Now, for the first time, you can catch a glimpse of it all in action in a video at nonesuch.com/media. You can hear Pat discuss the project on the BBC's The Strand.

The Carolina Chocolate Drops' Nonesuch debut, Genuine Negro Jig, is due out this coming February, and the trio is set to hit the road just after the New Year. Now, the band offers up a video preview of the new album, with live performances, interviews with the band, and a few words from the album's producer, Joe Henry. You'll find the video at nonesuch.com/media.

World Circuit and Nonesuch Records are set to release Ali and Toumani, the second and last album pairing the late guitar virtuoso Ali Farka Touré and kora master Toumani Diabaté, in February 2010. Recorded in London in 2005, Ali and Toumani is the successor to the duo's Grammy-winning In the Heart of the Moon and is the last album recorded by Touré. You can catch a sneak peek of the album at nonesuch.com/media.

The Low Anthem is back on the road with several dates in Europe in the coming coming week. Closer to home, the band has been nominated for three Boston Music Awards: Act of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year, making it one of only two bands with all three. Spinner has named "Charlie Darwin" its Video of the Day; Magnet says: "The song’s lush harmonies and sparse instrumental sound combined with the video’s strange desultory main character convey a certain sorrow that will haunt you for days on end."