This week’s Radiolab episode is devoted music.

Why do some songs mercilessly stick in our heads and repeat themselves over and over? What makes these hooks so hooky? And how does a songwriter will a song forth from the ether? In this episode, nightmarish stories of musical hallucinations, songs that transcend language, and the triumphant return of the Elvis of Afghanistan.

I love that Professor Fox makes a case for the universal appeal of Dolly Parton’s music. I believe it. Check it.

Photo by Joel Didriksen for kingpinphoto.com

We saw Le Loup (think “lay loo”) at the Bowery Ballroom during CMJ. We were blown away. Tonight they are playing at the Mercury Lounge and we are ecstatic that we have tickets to see them. (They recently played in DC.)

If you have any interest in this band or great music, you should listen to the live performance they recorded for KEXP in October. They’ll knock your socks off. Their sound is rowdy and jubilant. Oh, and they have three guitarists and a banjoist! Unfortunately, the show doesn’t seem to be listed in KEXP’s archive as of today. But you can find the podcast if you subscribe to the KEXP Live Performances podcast on iTunes.

“I Had A Dream I Died” by Le Loup from KEXP’s Song of the Day

“Sea Took Me” by Le Loup from KEXP’s Live Performances

Honestly, we can’t say enough. Go see this band. One caveat: their album, The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations’ Millenium General Assembly, was recorded before the band evolved from one member to seven which is why it sounds very different — a lot of people are missing.

Photo by Lacy

The Bowery Boys is a great weekly podcast by Greg and Tom. Each week they dig up and explain some history of New York City. For example, “bowery” means “farm” in Dutch. The street in Manhattan named Bowery got its name when it was a farm road. That’s not the most interesting example, but we don’t want to spoil any of the podcast for you. If you love New York City or history, you should check out these energetic history buffs.

Photo by cruel shoes

Starlee Kine is a contributor for This American Life, which recently produced an episode about breaking up and the heartache that follows.

Starlee and her boyfriend were fans of Phil Colins. After breaking up with her boyfriend, Starlee decided to write a song about her heartache and consulted Phil Colins for advice on writing a song. She came up with a song, “The Three of Us,” with the help of musicians Joe McGinty and Julia Greenberg. TAL held a remix / cover contest where listeners could submit a version of “The Three of Us.” The winners were posted on Friday. These are our favorites.

We Were Pirates

The Summer Darlings

Update: Check out our coverage of We Were Pirates’ EP.

Photo by jcwes2004

In honor of Halloween, we tried to dig up some spooky stuff.

This video by Bat For Lashes is pretty creepy. It has that Donny Darko thing going on.

This American Life has a great podcast about how everyday things can quickly become scary given the right circumstances. Check it out.