The Low Anthem stopped by the NPR studios in Washington, DC, this weekend for an appearance on the Sunday edition of All Things Considered for an exploration of their music, which NPR describes as "shimmering Americana." The band discussed their recent Nonesuch debut, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin; listened to a few tracks off the album; and performed "Ticket Taker" live in the studio.

Tune in to NPR's All Things Considered this Sunday, August 30, to hear an interview with and live performance by The Low Anthem.

The Low Anthem's Plymouth Waterfront concert was canceled due to weather, but Sunday's WXPN Artist to Watch concert is on in PA ... Laurie Anderson, Lou Reed play Helsinki Fest ... Carolina Chocolate Drops celebrate North Carolina's musical heritage ... Bill Frisell continues at the Vanguard with Paul Motian, Joe Lovano ... Youssou N'Dour is in Brazil for Back2Black ... Allen Toussaint plays NYC ... Dawn Upshaw premieres Golijov in London ... Wilco closes out Europe summer in Dublin ... and more ...

Youssou N'Dour is in Brazil this weekend for the Back2Black Festival, a three-day international event celebrating Africa through political discussions and cultural events, with events taking place in the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia. In Rio, he'll perform in a concert with Marisa Monte tonight and participate in a conference on culture and development tomorrow; on Sunday, he'll be in Brazilia for the festival's closing concert.

Christina Courtin's "Foreign Country," off her recent eponymous Nonesuch release, has been chosen as NPR's Song of the Day. "Courtin's self-titled debut is mercilessly charming," says NPR, "a conflation of sweet and sad that manages the neat (and difficult) trick of being endlessly effervescent without inducing tooth decay." The selected song is described as "twinkly, jaunty and blithe," one that "suggests an intriguing future for Courtin."

Dawn Upshaw joins the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, led by David Zinman, at Edinburgh's Usher Hall tonight as part of the Edinburgh International Festival. In 1991, Upshaw and Zinman came together for the the now-famous Nonesuch recording of Górecki's Third Symphony. Scotland's Herald takes a look at this "global smash" as part of a closer look at the career of the singer who helped make it such a success.

Wilco's set at the Troxy in London last night was the first of three sold-out shows with Blitzen Trapper in Britain and Ireland this week (and marked Jeff Tweedy's 42nd birthday). The Evening Standard gives the show four stars, praising "the quality of the tunes" from throughout the group's seven-album repertoire, Tweedy's "bittersweet vocal and the band’s brilliant musicianship."

Wilco has been in Europe all month stopping at the major summer festivals. After Sunday's Green Man Festival in Wales, The Independent praised the band's "masterful performing" in a set that "proved why they are one of the best live acts around." Wilco closes out its European tour this week with three sold-out shows, tonight's at The Troxy in London and two later this week at Vicar Street in Dublin.

"If you asked a room full of music critics to list the greatest American rock bands performing today, chances are a large majority of them would mention Wilco," says CBS Sunday Morning in its profile of the band. Rolling Stone's Austin Scaggs tells CBS that Wilco's "got it all ... great lyrics, great melody, great emotion," placing Jeff Tweedy among the "true songwriters," like Bob Dylan.

Allen Toussaint brought his inimitable style to both coasts of North America over the past few days, including sets in Boston, New York, and Vancouver. At Thursday's shows at Scullers in Boston, "the 71-year-old New Orleans icon used," says the Boston Herald, "the power of music to smother us Yankees in Big Easy love," including a "jaw-dropping" medley of tunes. "The audience ate it up."

Bill Frisell's Disfarmer features music inspired by the work of the late photographer Michael Disfarmer. Chuck Helm, the Director of the Performing Arts at the Wexner Center in Columbus, Ohio, first introduced the guitarist to Disfarmer’s work hoping for such a result. Frisell tells the Columbus Dispatch, in an article about the local connection, "Your imagination can really go far with any of them ... There are so many stories."

Wilco is on the road in Europe, but US fans are getting some close-up time as well: a feature profile of the group is slated to air on CBS Sunday Morning this weekend. With the Europe tour closing next week in Dublin, Jeff Tweedy spoke with the Irish Times about the joys of making music, concluding: "Music is part of your life, and it enriches your perspective and appreciation for being alive."