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Artist : Pia Fraus Album : Empty Parks Quick Description : New album from a new favorite. Why You Should Listen : This is a fine and fuzzy listen. Overall Thoughts : I love early-in-the-year surprise gems like this. A little fuzzy, a little shoegazey, and this is just directly in my wheelhouse of stuff I love. Pia Fraud is not reinventing the wheel here, but they’re doing something really solid and, if you like this sort of fuzz-drenched alt-rock, you can’t let yourself miss this. A favorite this week from a band I hate that I've missed all this time. Recommendation : Do not sleep on this. Artist : Sean Watkins and the Bee Eaters Album : This is Who We Are Quick Description : Great new music from Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek. Why You Should Listen : The Watkins family are always great, and this is no exception. Overall Thoughts : We missed this one a few weeks back, and I’m glad I tripped up on it before it was too late. In a way, if you think Chris Thile/Punch Br...

Photo via Facebook We loved The Haden Triplets's 2014 debut album. Their three part harmonies and traditional folk songs hit us right in a sweet spot (plus, being huge fans of that dog. doesn't hurt). Their take on the traditional "Wayfaring Stranger" has surprised me. I'd expect a very traditional take on the song, but The Haden Triplets go in an ultra-modern experimental folk direction with it. Does as a tribute to their late father, Charlie Haden, they kept their voices right up front and instrumentation to a bare minimum. All instruments are played in a very slow, haunting way to an intense effect. It's an interesting direction for The Haden Triplets, and for the song itself. You can watch the lyric video for "Wayfaring Stranger" below. The Family Songbook , the upcoming album from The Haden Triplets, will be out January 24 on Trimeter Records. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on The Haden Triplets, check them out on Facebook and T...

A fairly interesting new release week this week. Les Claypool's Duo De Twang - Four Foot Shack : All this album taught me is that I really don't care much for Primus, even when they're strange acoustic twangy renditions. The highlight for me was a fairly amusing take on the Bee Gees's "Stayin' Alive," but beyond that, this is really just for fans of Claypool and Primus and not much else. The Haden Triplets - The Haden Triplets : The Haden Triplets are exactly who you think they are: Petra Haden (of That Dog and various a capella renditions), Rachel Haden (also of That Dog), and less famous sister Tanya Haden who has done cello work for various indie and alt-rock bands. The three got together and did a collective album of folk standards for Jack White's Third Man Records, and it's pretty solid. I'm a big fan of Petra Haden in particular, and this was fairly anticipated for me and largely delivers. If you enjoy a lot of good folk music, ...