Our Most Anticipated Albums of 2013 (Quarter 1)

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New year, new music. And it's coming, fast. Can you feel your pulse racing? All those albums that are about to impact your life. Because you know they will; they always do.

2013 will be no different. Here's what our eyes and ears are on.

January 8th
Wooden Wand, Blood Oaths of the New Blues
[Listen to "Southern Colorado Song" here.]

January 22nd
The Lone Bellow, The Lone Bellow
[Listen to "You Never Need Nobody" here.]

Ra Ra Riot, Beta Love
[Listen to "When I Dream" here.]

Carrie Rodriguez, Give Me All You Got
[Listen to "I Cry For Love" here.]

FIDLAR, FIDLAR
[Listen to "Gimme Something" here.]

Toro Y Moi, Anything In Return
[Listen to "Say That" here.]

January 29th
Leagues, You Belong Here
[Listen to "Spotlight" here.]

February 5th
Frightened Rabbit, Pedestrian Verse
[Listen to "The Woodpile" here.]

Jim James, Regions of Light and Sound of God
[Listen to "Know Til Now" here.]

Eels, Wonderful, Glorious
[Listen to "New Alphabet" here.]

Night Beds, Country Sleep
[Listen to "Even If We Try" here.]

Jenny O., Automechanic
[Listen to "Automechanic" here.]

February 19th
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Push The Sky Away
[Listen to "We No Who U R" here.] 

February 26th
Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell, Old Yellow Moon
[Listen to "Hanging Up My Heart" here.] 

March 5th
Josh Ritter, The Beast In Its Tracks
[Listen to "New Lover" here.]

Son Volt, Honky Tonk 

Youth Lagoon, Wondrous Bughouse

March 19th
Simone Dinnerstein & Tift Merritt, Night
[Listen to "Night and Dreams" here.]

Phosphorescent, Muchacho
[Listen to "Song For Zula" here.]

Josh Rouse, The Happiness Waltz 

On Our Radar
Kid Cudi, Indicud (March)

Wavves, Untitled
[Listen to "Sail To The Sun" here.]

Beach Fossils, Clash The Truth

Ducktails, The Flower Lane
[Listen to "Letter Of Intent" here.]

Pajammy Jam of the Day | Carrie Rodriguez and Ben Kyle - If I Needed You

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You will miss sunrise 
if you close your eyes 
and that would break 
my heart in two

Choosing to cover Townes Van Zandt is pretty popular these days. But when you do it beautifully, as Carrie Rodriguez and Ben Kyle do on their new album, We Still Love Our Country, it sounds as fresh as ever. To me, "If I Needed You" should be the gold standard for any songwriter trying to achieve honesty in his or her lyrics. Its simplicity has always spoken to me, no matter who is singing its words; it's undeniably timeless.

Smartly, Rodriguez and Kyle don't try to invent the wheel here. Their version is gentle, and Rodriguez's harmonies are in that Emmylou Harris category -- you know, the kind that softly linger in the back of your mind for days. Frankly, Rodriguez is a star in my book, and she's only getting better.

We Still Love Our Country is available now. I'd recommend giving it a shot.

Carrie Rodriguez and Ben Kyle - If I Needed You

Carrie Rodriguez (The Interview)

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Austin-based singer-songwriter-fiddler Carrie Rodriguez has dazzled us over the years with her varying talents, all of which, in the way that she delivers them, can be described as uncommon. You probably know her best for her fiddle, or her work with Chip Taylor or Alejandro Escovedo. But whatever the landscape, it's usually not all about Rodriguez herself; she's not one to chase the spotlight.

And her new album, Love & Circumstance, a collection of 12 cover songs by artists like Lucinda Williams, Townes Van Zandt, Hank Williams, and Richard Thompson, continues Rodriguez's pattern of letting us in on what has inspired her over the years. Once again, it's her voice I can't stop listening to.

If you're not familiar with Rodriguez's work, Love & Circumstance, which was released on April 13th, is a wonderful place to start. It's warm and striking. And it's as real of a collection of tunes that you'll find. Please don't let this one slip past your ears.

We recently had a chance to catch up with Carrie over e-mail before her tour that begins again in May.

1. Take us through the recording process of Love & Circumstance. What was the most difficult thing about settling on these 12 songs?

Lee Townsend (the kick ass producer that worked with me on this project) and I did plenty of agonizing over which tunes to include, but in the end I think the songs decided for themselves. The ones that made it to the record were the ones that came the most naturally for me to sing and play. In fact, I feel so connected to this group of tunes, that sometimes I forget that I didn't write them. :)

2. Lucinda Williams' "Steal Your Love" has always been a favorite of mine, and your version is striking. Can you talk a little bit about what that song means to you?

"Did they lay down a law, and lock up your heart? I'm gonna have to steal your love"...the first line of that tune is so gorgeous. It immediately draws you in to a place where most of us have probably been. Frustrated by your partner's (or who you wish was your partner's) wall they've put up...and hellbent on getting past it.

How many love songs do you know that include knives, drugs, and guns? Lucinda is the coolest.

3. What's it like to hear someone like Richard Thompson call your cover of "Waltzing's For Dreamers" "heartfelt and impassioned?"

An honor and a relief! My worst fear is that I don't do one of these precious tunes justice...

4. Tell us a little bit about your upcoming tour. What can fans expect of these shows?

Our May tour starts in Minnesota and winds around the Midwest. I've got the full band out with me: elec and acoustic guitar, pedal steel guitar, upright bass, and drums. Our stage set up looks like a music store. Lots of instruments and fancy pedal boards....The sound is big and rockin', but we usually break things down in the middle of the set and do a few intimate numbers.

5. Finally, your advice for any artist out there who is thinking about recording a covers album?

My advice is to choose the songs closest to your heart, then spend a lot of alone time with them. I didn't listen to the original recordings of these tunes for about a year leading up to recording the album...That way the songs have a chance to evolve into something that is more your own.

Carrie Rodriguez tour dates can be found here.