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To celebrate the 10th anniversary of their debut album, The Universe Smiles On You, Khruangbin has re-recorded the tunes and given us this surprise release. The band (Laura Lee, Mark Speer, and DJ Johnson) re-recorded all 10 tracks from The Universe Smiles On You in the same Texas barn where they made it the first time. There were a few changes this time, though: they had to rip up the flooring first to catch some varmints who’d made homes underneath, and then a cold snap descended upon the drafty barn-turned-studio. Do you know the original album? What do you notice that’s different about these versions, other than an updated track order?

There’s a lot of Tweedy around here these days, between our Southern Songs & Stories podcast on Jeff (here), his certain influence on the new Autumn Defense release from two of his Wilco bandmates, his son Spencer providing drums on the latest recording from Case Oats, and now this big new release from Jeff himself. Twilight Override is an intentional, sprawling three-disc album, a testament to creativity in the face of overwhelming darkness. Recorded and self-produced at his Chicago studio, The Loft, Twilight Override features Chicago-based friends and family.

From John Darnielle himself: “In the night of May 29, 2023, I had a dream. Waking from it, I transcribed what I could remember of it into the note-taking app I keep on my phone. The note reads: 'through this fire across from Peter Balkan #dream'. It was the title of a work, not sure which form.” The next time I sat at the piano to see if I had ideas, I got the notion of writing a work that proceeded from its title, and that tried to make real the dreamlike grammar of that title. This album is that work.

It's the latest project from Katie Crutchfield (Waxahatchee) and her twin sister, Allison Crutchfield (Swearin'), and features MJ Lenderman and Brad Cook. Each of the four artists plays a number of instruments, but the spotlight remains squarely with the two sisters, with each writing and taking lead vocals for half the songs. When they sing in harmony, you’ll notice the kind of magic that close sibling singers can create. One of the major topics they cover in their songwriting here is that of addiction, which their family has wrestled with over the years.

On her new, 14th record, Mavis stands side by side with us in the face of dangers she knows all too well, at a time when more and more people have reason to wonder who and what could be lost. Produced by Brad Cook, it spans seven decades of the American songbook — a range nearly as vast as Mavis’ career — and includes reinventions of timeless songs as well as original music.

This is the third album for Cunningham, on Verve Forecast Records, following her wonderful collaboration with Andrew Bird when they reworked the classic ‘70s Buckingham Nicks Fleetwood Mac precursor (which has recently been reissued, by the way.) Ace is another example of Cunningham’s wonderful blend of pop, rock, folk, and jazz, with rich layering and texture thanks to production work from her and Robbie Lackritz.

The CCJO is a 17-piece not-for-profit ensemble dedicated to performing, preserving, and teaching jazz as a living art form. Over the years, they have presented big band arrangements of works by Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, Stevie Wonder, Prince, and others, as well as Tchaikovsky’s Nutracker. Now they’ve remixed some of their holiday arrangements for the 21st Century, with various jazz styles from around the world, including samba and hip hop.

We’ve got holiday tunes from the reverent to the irreverent to spin for you this season. This 5-song EP from the Los Angeles duo of Haley Spence Brown and Jack Hackett and their band is festive, funny, and a little bit naughty…

Introducing a new Holiday compilation out of Asheville! Abby Bryant, the New Dawn Starkestra, Las Sonora Carolina, and others are on this new release out of Citizen Studios. Producer and musician Jeff Sipe teamed up with Gar Ragland, Eddie Dewey, and Josh Blake to create this nine-song holiday collection. Proceeds from the album sales will benefit MusiCares and ArtsAVL in ongoing post-Helene recovery efforts.

As soon as you hear Melissa Carper sing, you might notice two things: her Nebraska upbringing, which included plenty of good classic country music, and her seamless blend of old-time, bluegrass, western swing, jazz, and blues, which form the foundation of country music itself. She’s made great solo records and collaborations with Kelly Willis and Brennen Leigh in the Wonder Women of Country, and now she’s released a Christmas album!