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Burns, along with drummer John Convertino, make up the band Calexico. The Tucson, Ariz. band is known for music that is inspired by southwest border region they live in, blending multiple musical genres including folk, rock, pop, country and mariachi. Their latest album is Feast of Wire.

Questions about campaign financing continue to pop up in the news. NPR's Michael Goldfarb and Liane discuss the parallels between the financing of campaigns in this country, and in Great Britian, which currently is in the midst of an election cycle to seat a new Parliment. Unlike the U.S., there are few limits on the amount of money one can donate to any given campaign.

Music historian Mitch Myers takes a listen to the great gospel hit from the late 1960s, "Oh Happy Day." The song was performed by the Edwin Hawkins Singers and was an unusual pop hit. Myers tells the story of a song that, over the years, has been an inspiration to him.

NPR's John Ydstie talks to Eric Lutz, a legislative assistant in Washington, D.C., for the latest edition of the feature "What Are You Listening To?" Lutz's selections include Brazilian pop and two styles of jazz.

Music critic Tom Moon has a review of the major-label debut from The Polyphonic Spree, Together We're Heavy. The band is a 26-member symphonic pop group from Dallas, Texas.

Public radio is for people -- but not DogCatRadio.com. The Internet radio station's founder, Adrian Martinez of Los Angeles, says the station is aimed at the pet community -- both pets and their owners. DogCatRadio.com broadcasts a mix of upbeat pop music Martinez thinks pets and people can listen to together.

The Dixie Chicks are one of the top selling country artists of all time. Will Hermes, a senior contributing writer for Spin magazine, says their first CD in three years,Home, has a less commercial sound than their other offerings, but still may be one of the best pop CDs of the year.

Jeff Lunden reports on a collaboration between rock legend Elvis Costello and mezzo soprano Anne Sofie von Otter. Their new CD is called For the Stars and it features interpretations of songs by Costello, Tom Waits, Brian Wilson and other music that turned pop and rock into art. (For the Stars is released by Uni/Deutsche Grammophon.)

Lured by cheap land and few rules, people with limited income set up makeshift homes in remote areas, but often end up worse off, while putting their neighbors' health and safety at risk.

Did you know that the average American drinks 22.7 gallons of coffee a year? Or that watermelons are vegetables? Kee Malesky does. For 20 years, Malesky, NPR's longest-serving librarian, has done the research to keep us all accurate. She compiles her favorite bits of "inessential knowledge" in a new book.