A few years removed from his last studio recording and just a couple years since walking away from a major label Citizen Cope finds himself in what seems to be an awfully comfortable place making music. Cope will release The Rainwater LP a new recording of looser, expressive songs and the debut album to be released on his own label Rainwater Recordings.

For folks that may have first claimed their breakout potential at last year's South By Southwest Music Festival, Local Natives resisted rushing out their debut album. But their patience and ability to road-test their material makes this one pass the big test.

The unavoidable truth about the new album from Corinne Bailey Rae is that it comes from one of the most painful places one can imagine. The Sea, the highly anticipated follow-up to her Grammy nominated debut album, features songs that were written on both sides of the unexpected passing of her husband. The result is an album that is as you would imagine, personal and poignant.

The track list from the 29th volume in the Live at the World Cafe series includes 18 live tracks from your favorite WXPN artists individually chosen By David Dye, for you, the XPN Listener.

A few years removed from arguably their most successful studio album to date, the veteran indie-rockers, Spoon, return with their seventh studio album Transference. And while its predecessor dipped into a pop arena at times, Transference consciously avoids that avenue opting for a raw, unapologetic approach.

Simply stated, Contra, the sophomore effort from Vampire Weekend does not miss. As a follow-up to their much admired debut, the new album is open to new, adventurous musical avenues all while still harnessing their worldly appetite. Unquestionably, Contra is smart, artistic, and — as you'd expect from Vampire Weekend — catchy.

As the New Year gets underway, we anticipate lots of new releases from some of our favorite artists. However, a new name jumps to the head of the line in this year; a duo from Baltimore named Beach House. Their first album for the Sub Pop label comes out this January, entitled Teen Dream, and may just be one of the albums we're talking about again when we come full circle in 2010.