Each of the 10 songs on Fellow Travelers pays tribute to an artist with whom Shearwater has toured. It's fascinating to hear the band function as a skeleton key that opens up the works of Xiu Xiu and Coldplay and St. Vincent alike.

Saintseneca is the newest signing to Anti- Records, the home of venerable bands like Wilco, Neko Case and Calexico. In the indie music world, the label is considered one of the most advantageous for a young band's career. The Columbus quartet is banking off of this newfound press with a rigorous tour and recording schedule.

As the end of the year nears, it's time for the annual list-making to begin. In addition to our Top 89 programming this year, the local crew wants your help in determining the best Minnesota releases of 2013. That's why we're returning for round two with our Top Local Releases Poll. You may remember last year that the inaugural installment received over 27,000 votes from 8,000 unique listeners.

Each week, I get at least one great email from a Teenage Kicks listener about a memory that's associated with a particular song. I want to start sharing those memories on air, so this week on Teenage Kicks, I'm launching what I hope will be a regular feature: Music Memory. We'll make the most of freedom by looking at Jake Mohan's memory of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World."

The 19-year-old Bugg is a both a rebel and a natural-born hitmaker, expressing anger, hope and the desire for change within melodies that sound totally right for the radio.

Seattle four-piece La Luz sound like they're straight out of the '60s. They've managed to capture the jangly cross-section of that era's garage rock scene, the surf rock sounds of the west coast, as well as the punk movement which followed it. The influences are obvious, yet the band manages to defy easy categorization by combining them all at once -- that's why new record "It's Alive" feels fresh and uninhibited.

Neko Case came by The Current studios with a hand-picked playlist for a Theft of the Dial and chatted with Steve Seel of The Current's Morning Show.

Joel and Ethan Coen's new film looks at the early-'60s Greenwich Village folk scene, as populated by a brooding moocher played by singer-actor Oscar Isaac. Its soundtrack, like the movie itself, reflects the way many different strains of folk music collided in the early '60s.

Add Dresses to the long list of recent bands who are impossible to search for on the internet. But their name has some significance -- Dresses' music is seriously a no-frills affair. It's light, cheery pop with surfy hooks that don't require a complicated band name.

The new record by James Mercer and Danger Mouse will make you think of the Gibb Brothers. Find out why in this interview with the duo, and hear their new song, "Holding On For Life."