Drop everything. This is the most kickass album you've heard all year. "Is That You In The Blue?" is the second record for the brother-sister duo, and it's clear here why Dex was a -- or the -- major influence on Jack White. Just drop everything, listen to the podcast and get yourselves at least 10 percent cooler.

The eponymous second full-length release from Wisconsin-based Justin Vernon, performing as Bon Iver, is a departure for the critically acclaimed rocker. Do we dig it? Yes, Meh, and Meh-Plus.

New Brigade is the first album from Iceage, a bunch of Danish kids from, surprisingly, Denmark. Is it punk? Some of us think so. Some of us, not so much. But regardless of label, is it worth a listen? Tune in and find out.

Burst Apart is the second full-length record from Brooklyn-based The Antlers, and it's on our short list of albums of the year. 

Amanda Shires, a Texas singer-songwriter with a flair for fiddle and ukulele, has us generally all a-swoon over Carrying Lightning, her most recent release. 

Helplessness Blues, the second full-length record from Fleet Foxes, is a smart and challenging blend of folk and pop, old and new. Whether you love it or not, you won't regret giving it a go.

Nine Types Of Light, the latest from Brooklyn's TV On The Radio, is a mix of beats, hooks and surprising emotional depth and complexity -- or so we would have you believe.

Civilian, the third effort from Baltimore duo Wye Oak, has us divided, and animated. It's a unique sound, to be sure -- not quite folk or rock but ... well, listen in as we try to describe it and devolve into name-calling.

Canadian indie rocker Dan Bejar has us all a-dazzle with Kaputt, the latest from his Destroyer project. While he's a member of the New Pornographers, we find similarities in this effort with those of bands such as Roxy Music and Prefab Sprout. Take a listen; you won't be disappointed.

It's a collaboration borne of Austin, Texas-based musicians -- Roky Erickson, a pioneer of psychedelic rock, and Okkervil River, critical darlings of the indie-rock set who have performed with The Decemberists, the New Pornographers, The National and others. The result? Listen up.