NPR Music

Lo-Fang's Matthew Hemerlein writes poignant lyrics embedded in layers of acoustic and electronic elements. He's also surrounded himself with a trio of talented musicians including Paul Taylor, who crafts percussive sounds using everything from skateboard wheels to plastic frogs. It's a unique sound and an equally impressive sight. Check it out here with the song "Permutations" from his album Blue Film.

Watch KCRW's entire session with Lo-Fang at KCRW.com.

Puerto Rican rap duo Calle 13 is both famous and infamous throughout the Spanish-speaking world. Its members went from making hilariously raunchy club hits early in the previous decade to becoming two of the most visible and socially conscious Latin musicians today. Their unabashed support of the independence movement in Puerto Rico and their sympathy for leftist causes has earned them both rabid fans and furious detractors.

"A Rational Conversation" is a column by writer Eric Ducker in which he gets on iChat or Gchat or the phone or whatever with a special guest to examine a music-related subject that's entered the pop culture consciousness.

In July of last year, a man named Sidney Sealine went to see the Mona Lisa in Paris.

The idea was to spend some time with the picture, see for himself the special spark that made the painting so famous.

But Sealine couldn't even get close.