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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."

Former Belle and Sebastian member Isobel Campbell has a new collaborator for her latest album. She teamed with occasional Queens of the Stone Age frontman Mark Lanegan for Ballad of the Broken Seas.

A few years ago, Pete Seeger offered this advice to Josh Ritter, a young singer-songwriter: "Choose a place and dig in." With songs like "Idaho," Ritter puts the listener in a place that's very much like the singer's own.

The songs for Burnett's new album came from a period of solitude in which he wrote the bulk of his new lyrics. Titled The True False Identity, the disc was recorded with a long list of musicians who shared Burnett's musical influences — which include Bo Diddley, Howlin' Wolf and even Haitian music.