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Even Irish music sensation Damien Rice doesn't know exactly how to describe his own songs — part folk, part rock, a little chamber music, tied together with his unique, passionate singing voice. NPR's Melissa Block talks with the European music sensation on the eve of his first American tour — hear samples of his debut solo CD, O.

A re-mastered, newly released back catalog of six albums by the Brit-punk band The Subhumans will remind you why people were knocked out by punk in the 1980s.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the debut release by the L.A. band Fol Chen. The album is called Part 1: John Shade, Your Fortune's Made.

New Orleans has had a rebirth as the Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts reopened more than three years after Hurricane Katrina. The 2,100-seat theater is home to the city's symphony, ballet and opera. City officials hope it's the first of many more public venues to reopen this year.

Hem is a Brooklyn, N.Y., band whose ranks occasionally swell from four core members to an 8- or 9-piece ensemble, including pedal steel, glockenspiel and violin. The title of their third studio album, Funnel Cloud, implies dark skies — but it's more of a goodbye kiss to the summer season.

A CD series called Congotronics showcases urban traditional bands in Kinshasa, Congo. The first Congotronics CD was a hit in Europe and the United States, especially popular with DJs who work the music into their club mixes. Now, Congotronics 2 is being released.

For nearly 30 years, David Weiss and Don Fagenson have melded funk and absurdity as Was (Not Was). They talk with Scott Simon about their latest album, Boo!, the first in more than 15 years.

Critic Ken Tucker reviews What We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood, the debut album from a new band called The Mynabirds. The group is led by singer-songwriter Laura Burhenn, whose influences range from Dusty Springfield and Carole King to Carl Jung and Sufi poetry.

The New Jersey band's sophomore album, The Monitor, runs fast guitar music through its leader's obsession with military history. Reviewer Robert Christgau says he's impressed by the ambition of Patrick Stickles and company.

President Trump said he was closely involved with picking the honorees, and on Sunday he became the first president to host the Kennedy Center awards ceremony.