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Charles Baxter is a genius of the quotidian. From his earliest stories on, he has shown a gift for illuminating the surreal just below the surface of daily life.

New York Times labor and workplace reporter Steve Greenhouse explains why other states with large budget deficits are now also considering taking on public unions — and how the standoff between organized labor and Republican governors is likely to play out.

On this week's show, Radiohead's surprise album gets a little time to sink in. Plus: new music from Panda Bear and The Dodos, and the final chapter of Son Lux's album-in-a-month challenge.

He may have made it to the stage of La Scala at 23, but the so-called "next Pavarotti" says patience and moderation have been guiding principles in his career.

Before he was famous for popularizing bossa nova with "The Girl from Ipanema" in the early 1960s, saxophonist Stan Getz recorded with small jazz groups all through the '50s. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead says a new reissue shows Getz was one of the best at playing pretty.

Singer-songwriter Brian Carpenter has cited places like Coney Island and the Florida Panhandle as inspiration for his work. On his latest album, Hothouse Stomp, Carpenter musically travels back to the jazz scene in 1920s Harlem and Chicago.

In Lori Roy's debut the Scott family will go to any lengths to protect their bond — even murder. As Sarah Weinman writes, "Where Bent Road excels the most is in juxtaposing a seemingly encapsulated world of rural routine and slow pace against the rushing onslaught of violence."

The Yankee star and ex-boyfriend of Marilyn Monroe "really couldn't function away from baseball. That was his language ... that was his grace," says the author of a new biography of the athlete. The book looks at his life after baseball and his fans' awestruck paeans to his lyrical movement on the field.

The great British guitarist returns after a 12-year hiatus with the entrancing "Palermo Snow." The song's Arabic/Mediterranean sound evokes the tune's inspiration: a rare snowfall in Palermo, Sicily, when Renbourn was there for a concert.

He has been one of the most recognized and beloved Nigerian musicians of the past 20 years. The son of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, Femi Kuti has broken from his father's legacy and created his own unique identity.