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The music of Natacha Atlas is exotic to Western ears: Egyptian orchestras soaring over dancehall beats and Spanish guitar riffs set to the rhythms of the Mahgreb. Her new CD, Mish Maoul, has all those elements and adds some of her Moroccan heritage to the mix.

Bonnie Raitt stops by NPR's Washington studios for a live performance. She plays songs from Souls Alike, her 18th album, and chats with callers about music, her career, and the interplay between work as an artist and her social activism.

On an itchy masterstroke, I.G. Culture leads a group called Quango, channeling George Clinton's Mothership Connection by exhuming "Frantic Moment," an obscure 1977 gem from Parliament-Funkadelic's late guitarist, Eddie Hazel.

Matt Pike overcame long odds to find success in metal bands Sleep and High on Fire. But his deepening obsession with conspiracy theories has created a dissonant riff.

Nate Mott is a twenty-something Rhode Island-based acoustic guitarist and songwriter. He self-produces on his own label, Constant Change Productions. He speaks with NPR's Liane Hansen about his new album, Words Distilled.

Radio 4 returns with an excellent mix of politically charged post-punk dance-rock, inspired by Gang of Four, The Clash and '80s new wave. The group comes by its sound without ripping off its forebears or contemporaries, so the result sounds at once classic and modern.

Driven by Doug Martsch's distinctive vocals, sprawling guitar heroics and intricate, catchy songwriting, Built To Spill melds epic jams with oddly jaunty pop-rock melodies in a way that scarcely disappoints. "Liar" sounds liberating and breezy, but still bracingly unpredictable and subtly intense.

Umphrey's McGee has enjoyed a rabid following among jam-band aficionados for years. With an approach based on classic song-based rock, the group has the chops to move into funk, jazz, prog-rock and metal — all of which makes its live shows unique.

The 20-member orchestra from London performs Mozart's Symphony No. 29 in Studio 4A. And first violinist Pauline Nobes speaks with Fred Child about the orchestra's instruments, which pre-date Mozart's symphony.

On his transfixing debut, Nik Bartsch creates a five-part song cycle that highlights his immaculate piano playing and keen accord with his band Ronin. The Swiss-born pianist and composer calls Ronin's music "Zen-funk," an apt description for the magnetic "Modul 35."