NPR Music

TV On The Radio waited a few years between album releases, and with their last record, Seeds, it's clear that the group has returned energized and inspired. At an intimate show in Santa Monica, Calif. for KCRW's Apogee Sessions, the Brooklyn-based band rolled through new songs with influences from punk to dance, all with precise harmonies and intricately layered production. Check out the album's first single, "Happy Idiot," live from KCRW.

SET LIST

Enter the spirit of a traditional Scottish, Irish and Welsh Yuletide this week with Fiona Ritchie and special guest Cerys Matthews. The Welsh singer-songwriter and broadcaster has recorded "A Child's Christmas in Wales" by Dylan Thomas to mark the poet's centenary year. Matthews tells Fiona about the project, set to music she co-wrote with Mason Neely, and narrates excerpts from this timeless holiday classic. You'll also hear a set of reels played by fiddler Eileen Ivers, including "Christmas Eve."

Born with the genetic disease osteogenesis imperfecta, he only stood at three feet. But with hands unaffected by his disease and an extraordinary talent, Michel Petrucciani is one of the greatest French jazz pianists of all time.

We have a wonderful collection of artists — friends old and new — visiting to perform music from the new compilation An Americana Christmas. We will hear a high-energy original by Nikki Lane, called "FaLaLaLaLove Ya." Robert Ellis covers a Willie Nelson classic. Ronnie Fauss adds to a growing history of "Christmas in prison" songs.