The Best of Car Talk

On this week's All Songs Considered, Robin Hilton kicks off the show by meditating on the perils of old age, and insisting that he still wants to be Daniel Lanois when he grows up. Cue "Opera," a powerful cut from Lanois' upcoming solo album, Flesh and Machine, and an unparalleled headphone listening experience. Bob Boilen introduces Italian electronic band Niagara with a driving track from the band's sophomore album, Don't Take It Personally, released last week. Next, Robin offers a killer song from Cleveland based mr. Gnome, whose new album, The Heart of a Dark Star, he has been eagerly awaiting since hearing their set at SXSW in 2011. Following a raw, unsettling song from Neuroplasticity, a left-turn of a sophomore album by the artist Cold Specks, editor Jacob Ganz makes a guest appearance to discuss an old favorite: '90s slowcore band Bedhead. The band is reissuing its complete recordings in a box set titled Bedhead 1992-1998, which features a previously unreleased cover of The Stranglers' classic, "Golden Brown" that's about as energetic as the subdued Texas band ever got. We close the episode with a track from Philip Selway's excellent solo album Weatherhouse, which, unlike side projects from Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, sounds distinctly un-Radiohead-like.