Music

Members of a Syrian indie rock band escaped their country's bloodshed and have become a mainstay of Beirut's music scene. "In spite of all the deaths," the band sings, "you are still alive."

Ever wanted to see Jason Isbell, Shovels & Rope or Billy Joe Shaver 333 feet underground? You'll have to take a hike.

Composer Maria Schneider draws on her rural Minnesota roots in her new album. Critic Kevin Whitehead says that while Schneider can do grandeur, "once in awhile, the majesty gets a little too purple."

The original members of N.W.A produced the film, which opens nationwide Friday. Like the group's story, the making of Straight Outta Compton — which took 11 years — is filled with drama.

"When you play it, you can really feel it because you're sitting close to the pipes. It's almost as if you're becoming a part of the instrument."

The Boston Symphony's summer program for young musicians has long been commissioning works and fostering new talent.

The best-selling novel and star-studded movie gets the operatic treatment from Pulitzer-winning composer Jennifer Higdon with a world premiere in Santa Fe.

With the notion of authorship dispatched as silly and inconsequential, the way has been paved for even greater corporate influence over hip-hop.

Most studies of music's ability to ease pain have been small. But an analysis pooling the best research builds a strong case, doctors say, that a dose of music reduces the need for painkilling pills.