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Anais Mitchell: “Shepherd”

Given that Vermont-based singer-songwriter Anais Mitchell has one of the best voices around today and her 2010 Hadestown cut “Wait For Me” (featuring Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and the Low Anthem’s Ben Knox Miller, among others) was one of our favorite songs of that year, anticipation has been running high around here for her follow-up. Now Mitchell’s fourth record, Young Man in America, is set to arrive in just one month and we have a first taste of what’s to come in the form of “Shepherd,” an incredibly promising, allegorical cut with welcome shades of Righteous Babe Records leader Ani DiFranco — a fitting connection given the LP’s producer was their mutual collaborator, multi-talented Brooklyn-based musician Todd Sickafoose.

Among a host of notable guests, Young Man in America includes performances by drummer Kenny Wollesen — whom we saw perform a thrilling set with Marc Ribot last year — and the great Punch brothers singer/mandolin master Chris Thile. The full LP arrives on February 28 via Wilderland Records and Thirty Tigers, but today you can get ready for what’s sure to be a highlight of 2012 with “Shepherd” below:

Video: First Aid Kit – “Blue” (Best Fit Session)

If you’re loving their new sophomore LP as much as we are, this live taste of The Lion’s Roar‘s touching 4th track makes for a perfect accompaniment to our first week with First Aid Kit’s excellent Mike Mogis-produced effort. Performing a session with The Line of Best Fit, the Swedish duo showed off their now-notoriously gorgeous harmonies for an unplugged take on the poignant cut. Check it out:

But wait, there’s more… Johanna and Klara Söderberg also brought the title track to the stage recently for Swedish award show PG Guld. Whereas we’ve heard plenty of inspired, stripped-down sets from the pair in the past, this performance offers a glimpse at their rousing full-band sound:

Stream: Leonard Cohen – Old Ideas

We’ve heard three preview songs — “Show Me the Place,” “Darkness,” and “Going Home” — off Leonard Cohen’s highly anticipated new album, Old Ideas, and now the great poet/songwriter’s full 10-track set is here to enjoy in all its timeless glory.

The most notable influence (aside from Cohen’s usual sage take on spirituality and mortality while finding beauty in nuance), was his recent world tours — during which a few of these works were previewed in earlier stages. To wit, the arrangements here feel more lived-in and deliberate than earlier efforts, which perhaps contained more of a studio-crafted air. In any event, the promise of a late-career triumphant has come into brilliant fruition with Old Ideas.

So, without further ado, boil up a pot of tea, prepare to explore unknown regions of your soul, and join the master over at the Guardian.