With fall rapidly approaching, we'll soon begin making a list of the year's best albums. Two bands from last year's top-20 are back in the running again for this year: Okkervil River and Of Montreal. We've got a sneak preview of new music from both bands. Also on the show: Steve Earle and Gillian Welch offer songs from their performances at this year's Newport Folk Festival; Jeff Hanson sings with an improbable, but stunning voice on his new album, Madam Owl; New York-based The Walkmen have a beautiful, airy new CD that's both timeless and modern; and The Broken West is about to release one of the year's standout albums — their sophomore release — called Now or Heaven.

Twenty-seven years ago, Brian Eno and David Byrne made a record like no other: My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. Now, nearly 30 years later, they're about to release a follow-up. We've got a sneak preview. Also on this edition of All Songs Considered: a surprising collaboration between reggae legend Lee "Scratch" Perry and Andrew W.K. Also, Van Dyke Parks and Inara George (singer for The Bird and The Bee) team up for an unusual record of baroque-styled pop songs. And we've got new music from Earlimart, The Avett Brothers, live music from She and Him and Jim James of My Morning Jacket.

The singer-songwriter's new CD, Harps and Angels, is as good as anything he's ever done. Newman stopped by to DJ an episode of All Songs Considered and talk about his favorite songs, as well as the musicians who've shaped his music — especially Ray Charles, the Beatles and his uncle, Alfred Newman.

Tom Waits doesn't tour a lot, and when he does, tickets are hard to come by. But in this week's All Songs, you can hear an excerpt of the final performance of his recent tour, along with Celtic music from Cape Breton, and African-inspired sounds with a distorted twist in the music of NOMO. And lovers of great pop music won't want to miss new music by The Silent Years and Brendan Canning of Broken Social Scene.