At the junction of art and pop songs lies tonight's New Sounds program. Listen to a song by Clogs, featuring guest vocalists Sufjan Stevens and Shara Worden.  Also, listen to music from Sarah Kirkland Snider from her gorgeous work, "Penelope," with vocals again by Shara Worden.  There's music from How To Destroy Angels, which is Reznor's latest collaboration with Atticus Ross and Rob Sheridan, along with his singer wife Mariqueen Maandig.  Hear innovative songstress Katie Mullins, as she crafts melodies around the African thumb piano, the mbira.  Plus, songs from David Sylvian, Evelyn Glennie featuring Bjork, and Susanna and the Magical Orchestra.

Listen to a recent recording featuring vocalist Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond together with the new-music supergroup Signal (led by Brad Lubman) performing Snider’s remarkable song cycle, “Penelope” on this New Sounds.  It’s a haunting 60-minute song cycle for female voice, chamber orchestra, and electronics that limns the boundaries between art song, chamber folk and post-rock. 

This New Sounds program serves up orchestral pop in various guises, including brand new music from the reclusive Scott Walker, from his forthcoming release "Bish Bosch," where he uses the sounds of samurai swords and falling marbles, among other unsettling things.  There's also music from American singer/songwriter and composer Daniel James, under the name Canon Blue, from his "Rumspringa," with orchestral arrangements contributed by string quartet Amiina (most famously for being Sigur Rós’ string section.)  

Piano music can have a very personal touch. The piano allows a composer or performer to all alone manifest a full vision of what their music can be. David Garland presents another hour of lyrical, soulful, playful piano music, featuring recordings by Chilly Gonzales, Duke Ellington, and others.

Hear some long and winding music from Joanna Newsom's arresting and spectacularly arranged record, "Ys," for harp and voice. Also, there's Catalan, Spanish and Arabic poems set to music by Arianna Savall (yes, daughter of Jordi, THAT Savall) from her release "Bella Terra," along with works by Paris-based new-music harpist Hélène Breschand, from her solo effort "Le goût du sel." Plus, music that sneaks between the cracks of chamber music and noise from harpist Shelley Burgon and bassist Trevor Dunn, a tune from Bjork with harpist Zeena Parkins and more.

For this New Sounds, hear new works based on existing ones.  There’s a work by the 2012 Pultzer Prize winner, Kevin Puts - his Symphony No. 3, “Vespertine,” inspired by Icelandic singer Bjork’s album of the same name. Then hear a piece by John Halle based on two Thelonius Monk tunes, “Straight, No Chaser” and “Brilliant Corners.” 

For this New Sounds, listen to music inspired by natural phenomena. We’ll hear songs and pieces written around themes of nature and science, - from atomic to cosmic-  and humanity’s relationships with said same.  From Bjork’s innovative and collaborative project, “Biophilia,” where instruments and apps were designed for the multimedia experience, there's a meeting of astrophysics, string theory, neurology, biology - and music.  We'll sample from this latest concept project, and more.

This New Sounds highlights evocative but enigmatic songs for that apparently simplest of combinations – piano and voice. From the most recent record by Susanne Abbuehl, hear “In the Dark Pine-Wood” with poetry by James Joyce, and something new from songwriter Lee Feldman. Also, there’s a beautiful tune - “Strange Lures” by the reclusive Ed Pastorini. Hear more music for piano and voice by Robin Holcomb with a breathtaking track, “Deliver Me.” Plus, Peter Gabriel’s “Here Comes The Flood.”

A human and a family of whales view each other over a distance; that's the inspiration for "Mount Wittenberg Orca," a song cycle Dave Longstreth of Dirty Projectors wrote for his group and singer Björk. Distance and connectedness are themes in new songs by Antony and the Johnsons, Owen Pallett, ...

Once the province of classical or “adult contemporary” singers, the orchestra is increasingly being heard backing up adventurous rockers.  On this New Sounds program, we’ll hear Thomas Feiner, Bjork, David Sylvian, Kate Bush, Joanna Newsom, and Anne Ternheim, among others.