First Listen : NPR

Wye Oak. Natasha Tylea/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Natasha Tylea/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: Wye Oak, 'Civilian'

February 27, 2011 • Wye Oak's records work on many levels: as rock music that billows majestically, as pop music that gets its hooks into you in more ways than one, and as fascinating and mysterious examinations of doomed romance. Hear Civilian in its entirety until March 8.

First Listen: Kurt Vile, 'Smoke Ring For My Halo'

Kurt Vile's fourth studio album, Smoke Ring for My Halo, comes out March 8. Shawn Brackbill/Courtesy of Matador Records hide caption

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Shawn Brackbill/Courtesy of Matador Records

First Listen: Kurt Vile, 'Smoke Ring For My Halo'

WXPN

February 27, 2011 • The Philadelphia singer-songwriter leaves primitive arrangements behind on his dreamy new album. Hear Smoke Ring for My Halo in its entirety here until its release on March 8.

First Listen: Alexi Murdoch, 'Towards The Sun'

Alexi Murdoch's new album, Towards the Sun, will be released on March 8. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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First Listen: Alexi Murdoch, 'Towards The Sun'

February 27, 2011 • Murdoch covers familiar singer-songwriter territory on his alluring new Towards the Sun: There's lots of love and heartache, troubled families and reflective meditations on the mysteries concealed in life's simplest moments. Hear the album in its entirety here until its release on March 8.

First Listen: The Mountain Goats, 'All Eternals Deck'

The Mountain Goats newest album, All Eternals Deck, will be released on March 29. Steven Dewall/Courtesy of Shore Fire Media hide caption

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Steven Dewall/Courtesy of Shore Fire Media

First Listen: The Mountain Goats, 'All Eternals Deck'

February 27, 2011 • The Mountain Goats' John Darnielle has aged into a singing poet whose words still hit like punches. His band's new album, All Eternals Deck, will stream here in its entirety for the four weeks leading up to its release on March 29.

First Listen: Lucinda Williams, 'Blessed'

Lucinda Williams' 10th album, Blessed, comes out March 1. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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First Listen: Lucinda Williams, 'Blessed'

Folk Alley

February 20, 2011 • Williams' lengthy catalog is filled with songs of love and heartbreak. For her latest record, Blessed, she breaks away from those themes and approaches life from a different perspective. Hear the singer-songwriter's 10th studio album in its entirety until its release on March 1.

Her debut album isn't even out yet, and Anna Calvi already promises to become one of 2011's breakout stars. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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First Listen: Anna Calvi, 'Anna Calvi'

February 20, 2011 • The London singer-songwriter, a favorite of heavyweights such as Nick Cave and Brian Eno, brings shimmering guitars and bold, sensuous vocals to her debut album. Hear Anna Calvi in its entirety here until its release on March 1.

First Listen: Papercuts, 'Fading Parade'

Papercuts' Jason Robert Quever. Chloe Aftel/Sub Pop hide caption

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Chloe Aftel/Sub Pop

First Listen: Papercuts, 'Fading Parade'

February 20, 2011 • Jason Robert Quever may not be a household name. But the warmly psychedelic pop music he creates as Papercuts sounds comfortably familiar.

First Listen: The Low Anthem, 'Smart Flesh'

Smart Flesh, The Low Anthem's follow-up to Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, will be released in the U.S. on Feb. 22. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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First Listen: The Low Anthem, 'Smart Flesh'

February 14, 2011 • The follow-up to Oh My God, Charlie Darwin showcases a band that's never been on surer footing. Whereas The Low Anthem's debut let its graceful choral-folk ballads brush up against barroom rock stompers, Smart Flesh veers toward a more consistently melancholy blend of blues, folk and country.

First Listen: The Psychic Paramount, 'II'

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Marylene Mey/Courtesy of No Quartet

First Listen: The Psychic Paramount, 'II'

February 14, 2011 • Coming of age in the mid-'00s with the like-minded bands Comets on Fire and Battles, The Psychic Paramount last released an album six years ago. Hear the entirety of II, a cannonball of a psych-rock record, until its release on Feb. 22.

DeVotchKa's fifth studio album, 100 Lovers, will be released in the U.S. on March 1. Courtesy of ANTI- Records hide caption

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Courtesy of ANTI- Records

First Listen: DeVotchKa, '100 Lovers'

KCRW

February 13, 2011 • Moody and triumphant, DeVotchKa's sound remains wholly original on 100 Lovers. Combining flavors of Eastern Europe, dusty desert roads, Mexico and flamenco, 100 Lovers stands out as emotional and mesmerizing. Hear the album in its entirety two weeks before its March 1 release date.

First Listen: Julianna Barwick, 'The Magic Place'

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Jody Rogac/Courtesy of Asthmatic Kitty

First Listen: Julianna Barwick, 'The Magic Place'

February 13, 2011 • Using angelic vocal loops and minimal instrumentation, Barwick creates cosmic hymns on The Magic Place. There's euphoric joy in these slow-building choral pieces, which celebrate the human voice with humility.

Hear 'The Magic Place' In Its Entirety

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