The Low Anthem kicks their tour at the Sixth and I Synagogue in Washington, DC, tonight. NPR's All Songs Considered will be broadcasting the concert live online at npr.org. The Associated Press calls their new album, Smart Flesh, "stunningly memorable ... Decidedly eclectic, the Low Anthem use simple chords, haunting sounds and unusual instrumentation to create something sincere and beautiful." On this week's New York Times Popcast, Times writer David Carr says: "You don't hear singing like that every other day. It's very, very impressive."

The Low Anthem's new album, Smart Flesh, is due out next week, on February 22. Until then, you can listen to the album streaming in its entirety as an NPR First Listen on npr.org. The band makes records "worth discovering slowly and embracing with loving care," says NPR's Stephen Thompson. Smart Flesh "showcases a band that's never been on surer footing," he says. "Alternately rustic and relevant, these songs sound haunted in every possible way ... beautiful through and through." Clash Music says: "this is the human condition set to music."

IMDB has premiered a new film trailer for Howlin' for You, directed by Chris Marrs Piliero, starring a whole host of familiar faces, and featuring music by The Black Keys. "Alexa Wolff, a sexy assassin with a troubled past, unknowingly falls in love with the man who killed her father," writes the site in its description of Howlin' for You. "He is not her first love, though. Two other men came before. But they would not have her. Now, all grown up with an appetite for revenge, Alexa’s leaving a trail of bloody corpses and broken hearts in her wake." Check it out at imdb.com.

The Low Anthem's new album, Smart Flesh, is due out in just two weeks, on February 22. The album, the majority of which was recorded in a cavernous, vacant pasta sauce factory, touches on such themes as love and longing and, in one particular song, changing political winds. On that note, and to mark the centennial of Ronald Reagan's birth, the song—the evocatively titled "Hey, All You Hippies!"—is now streaming on the band's website. To hear how the two are linked, listen to the song at lowanthem.com. The Low Anthem begins its US tour in Washington, DC, on February 24.

Jessica Lea Mayfield's new album, Tell Me, produced by The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, is due out this Tuesday. You can listen to the album in its entirety now at RollingStone.com. "At 21, Mayfield looks like an ingénue but sings like a worldly-wise veteran," says the magazine. Pre-order in the Nonesuch Store with an exclusive signed 7” of the album’s first single, “Our Hearts Are Wrong.” Mayfield launches a ten-day tour with Justin Townes Earle tonight.

The Black Keys' Brothers has been named Album of the Year at iTunes, which says the band "hit upon a postmodern groove that honors the past while ambling toward the future." Also included among iTunes' Best of 2010 are Steve Reich's Double Sextet / 2x5, named Best Contemporary Classical Album, and Bill Frisell's Disfarmer, for Best Instrumental Jazz Album. Brothers also tops American Songwriter magazine's year-end list and NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday's Director's Cut Gift Guide.

In September, Philip Selway, Nonesuch Records, and Indaba Music launched a search for collaborators to remix his song "Beyond Reason" off his solo debut album, Familial. Selway has now chosen a Grand Prize Winner and two Runners-Up, and fans have chosen 15 Honorable Mentions, all of which can be heard here. Entertainment Weekly says: "Selway’s hushed, eerie folk tunes were a revelation after years of hearing him keep the beat in his main gig."

There's just one more day to submit your remix of the third movement of Steve Reich's 2x5. Final submissions are due at Indaba Music by 5 PM ET on Tuesday. Once all the submissions are in, it's time to start voting. From November 9 to 23, fans and a panel of judges, including Reich, will review the submissions. Indaba will announce the jury’s choices of Grand Prize Winner and two Runners-Up on December 7, as well as the public’s choice of 10 Honorable Mentions.

There's just one more day to submit your remix of Philip Selway's "Beyond Reason," off his solo debut album, Familial. Final submissions are due at Indaba Music by 5 PM EDT on Thursday. Once all the submissions are in, it's time to start voting. From October 14 to 28, fans and a panel of judges, including Selway, will review the submissions. Indaba will announce the jury’s choices of Grand Prize Winner and two Runners-Up on November 11, as well as the public’s choice of 15 Honorable Mentions.

Steve Reich, Nonesuch Records, and Indaba Music have launched a search for collaborators to remix the third movement of Reich's new piece 2x5, which Gramophone recently described as his "smartest, most sonically nourishing record for years." For four weeks beginning today, remixers can visit Indaba to create their own version of the movement. From November 9 to 23, fans and a panel of judges, including Reich, will review the submissions. Indaba will announce the jury’s choices on December 7, as well as the public’s top ten.

There are just days to go before the release of Ben Folds and Nick Hornby's album collaboration, Lonely Avenue, this Tuesday, September 28. But wait no further to hear the album the BBC described as "affecting and intelligent" and Monacle has called "this year's singer-songwriter classic": Lonely Avenue is now streaming in its entirety in a MySpace exclusive premiere. Head to myspace.com/benfolds to listen now.

Lonely Avenue, the Ben Folds / Nick Hornby album due out next week, has been described as "an affecting and intelligent record" by the BBC. Folds, whom the BBC calls "a consistently enthralling songwriter," joins Jack Conte and Nataly Dawn of Pomplamoose—recent collaborators on the VideoSong "Things You Think"—for a live online chat Wednesday evening at benfolds.com/chat, as part of the Lonely Interview series.