wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

Garth Knox, “D’Amore”

As the violist of the Arditti String Quartet, Garth Knox has played some of the music world’s most outrageous pieces, including going up in a helicopter to play in Karlheinz Stockhausen’s notorious Helicopter Quartet. Maybe all that noise got to him, because on his new solo record, “D’Amore,” Knox turns to one of the quietest string instruments in the world: the viola d’amore, an instrument that even Bach considered old-fashioned. But it has a beautiful, intimate tone, and Knox uses it to great effect on a set of Renaissance and contemporary works. - John Schaefer

Dr. Dog, “Fate” (Park the Van)

Our next pick of the week comes from the Philadelphia-based band Dr. Dog. On their new album “Fate,” the quintet continues to update psychedelic nuggets and Southern rock gems from the ‘60s and ‘70s. [feigning seriousness] Now, the jury is still out on whether Dr. Dog is a terrible band name … or actually a brilliantly “sticky” marketing tactic. Either way, Dr. Dog is hard to forget – especially on tracks like this one, “The Old Days.” —Joel Meyer

Sigur Rós “Med Suð I Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust” (XL Recordings Ltd.)

Our final pick is from the Icelandic quartet Sigur Ros. They have a new album with a tongue-twister of a title that roughly translates as “With A Buzz In Our Ears We Play.” Thankfully, you don’t have to be fluent in Icelandic to understand Sigur Rós's music, which is known for its atmospheric sound and long, sophisticated song structures. On this, the group’s fifth album, there’s a leaner, more direct sound – particularly in “Gobbledigook,” the album’s lead-off track – and overall it feels like a summertime album. – Brian Wise