Samantha Crain

Wild Pink leader John Ross talks to us about how their new LP was inspired by Iron & Wine, Mazzy Star, Nick Lowe, and more…

Plus: Murder by Death, Yellow Ostrich, Lovelorn (ex Creepoid), Interpol / Spoon, Mat Kerekes (Citizen), Lee Fields, Genocide Pact, Art D’Ecco, and more tour and festival news.

Vocalist and guitarist John Ross co-produced ’ILYSM’ with Peter Silberman of The Antlers and Justin Pizzoferrato, and it also features Ryley Walker, Yasmin Williams, and Samantha Crain.

The duo, made up of identical twin sisters Sophia and Jo Babb, are currently on tour supporting Tori Amos.

Plus: BbyMutha, Kindora, Gilt, Portishead, Circle Jerks, 7Seconds, Negative Approach, and more tour and festival news.

NPR’s Top 50 Albums includes some of the ones we’ve been seeing on many of these end-of-year lists, but NPR always has its own flavor.

We’re shocked and saddened to learn that singer/songwriter Justin Townes Earle — son of Steve Earle — has passed away at 38.

The lineup also includes Snail Mail, Car Seat Headrest, Colter Wall, Julia Jacklin, Haley Heynderickx, Steve Gunn, and more.

Murder by Death in Chicago in 2012 (more by Sarah Frankie Linder) Murder by Death, who we just mentioned play New Year’s Eve in Colorado with Lucero, will head out on a headlining tour not long after that in 2015…