Ani DiFranco's new album, her 20th, is called Binary. And, as is always the case with this artist, the music and the message are intertwined. The music on Binary is textured and ambitious - you can hear DiFranco's adopted home of New Orleans seeping through the floorboards. There are surprising guests, including Justin Vernon of Bon Iver. And while DiFranco usually mixes her own albums, this time she handed over the reins to veteran producer Tchad Blake, who has recently mixed albums for Sheryl Crow, The Pretenders and Andrew Bird.

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