Laurie Anderson unveiled her latest multimedia piece, Delusion, at the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre this week as part of the 2010 Cultural Olympiad. "Delusion ranks with Anderson’s best," says the Georgia Straight. It is, above all, "smart, funny, emotionally engaging, and flat-out beautiful—in short, everything you’d expect from an artist of Anderson’s stature and reputation."

The Low Anthem will release a special limited-edition vinyl 7-inch of its single "Charlie Darwin" on March 2 [now March 23], featuring "Charlie Darwin," off the band's Nonesuch debut, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, and two staples from the band's live show, the previously unreleased "Sally Where'd You Get Your Liquor From" and "Don't Let Nobody Turn You Around." The band is preparing for its first headlining tour and will hit this year's SXSW and Sasquatch festivals. Before that, the band will support The Avett Brothers for ten dates.

Vinicio Capossela, one of Italy’s most celebrated and best-selling artists, releases his latest album, The Story-Faced Man, now available digitally from the Nonesuch Store. This compendium offers American audiences an introduction to the music of the man described by the Sunday Times as "Italy’s greatest rock star" and by Mojo as "Italy’s most intriguing musical traveler." Renowned for concerts that fuse rock, theatre, and performance art, Capossela brings the show to North America for one week in March.

Ricky Ian Gordon unveils the two-act concert version of his opera The Grapes of Wrath at Carnegie Hall on March 22, starring Jane Fonda, Nathan Gunn, Victoria Clark, and Christine Ebersole. "With a slyness worthy of Weill," said The New Yorker of the original 2007 opera, "Gordon wields his hummable tunes to critical effect." This spring, Gordon premieres his Sycamore Trees at the Signature Theatre. In a preview, the Washington Post says "Gordon has shown over the course of his career that he's anything but cut from a mold."

k.d. lang followed up her recent performance of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" at the Vancouver Winter Olympics with a rousing rendition of "Constant Craving" on ABC's Good Morning America this morning. She spoke with host Robin Roberts about Recollection, her new career retrospective. Says Roberts: "One thing that has not changed—her voice. Your voice is timeless." k.d. spoke with BBC Radio 5 about the album yesterday afternoon.

Laurie Anderson's Delusion received its world premiere in Vancouver last night as part of the Cultural Olympiad. In an interview with the CBC, she jokingly refers to the piece as "a poor man's Avatar." She tells the Globe and Mail it's "a collection of stories about identity ... and ancestors and relatives and where you come from, where you’re going. Those small questions." The Vancouver Sun calls her "one of those rare artists who have moved from the avant-garde into the world of pop culture and celebrity while still retaining her creative and experimental edge."

The Los Angeles Philharmonic has announced its 2010-2011 concert season. John Adams, the orchestra's creative chair, will oversee its famed Green Umbrella new-music series, with music by Michael Gordon, George Crumb, and others, concluding with a concert led by Adams. His Slonimsky's Earbox will be featured on the LA Phil's European tour. Brad Mehldau will perform Highway Rider at Disney Hall with musicians from the album, including Joshua Redman.

The Carolina Chocolate Drops' Nonesuch debut, Genuine Negro Jig, is in stores around the world today, not least the Nonesuch Store, where CD orders include an instant download of the album with seven exclusive bonus tracks recorded live. The band was featured on NPR's All Things Considered yesterday, discussing and performing three tunes off the new album. The US tour begins next week.

Following The Magnetic Fields' sold-out show at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, NPR's Carrie Brownstein reported that she "left the concert feeling lucky that The Magnetic Fields exist." That same night, the band's latest Nonesuch release, Realism, was the subject of a feature on NPR's All Things Considered including an interview with the band's Stephin Merritt and Claudia Gonson and a solo performance from Merritt.

As all of Brazil celebrates Carnival today, Nonesuch marks the occasion by introducing Caetano Veloso's 41st album, zii e zie, now available for pre-order in the Nonesuch Store. Released last year in South America and Europe, the album earned a 2009 Latin Grammy for Best Singer-Songwriter Album and four stars from The Guardian and The Times (UK), which declared, “The Brazilian master remains in a league of his own.” Veloso tours the US this April.

Kronos Quartet has added four dates to its tour schedule next week at San Francisco's Z Space @ Artaud, with a different program each night, each featuring Jon Rose's Music from 4 Fences, along with a work by Terry Riley, pieces by composers from the Kronos: Under 30 Project, and works by Damon Albarn, John Zorn, Bryce Dessner, and Clint Mansell.

Punch Brothers bring their US tour to Charlottesville, Virginia, tonight for the start of a ten-day stretch through the South. And to kick things off right, opening tonight's show is Christina Courtin, who begins her own tour with Mike Doughty. The Columbus Dispatch says Punch Brothers' set last Saturday "offered plenty of moments of pure aural pleasure."