Richard Buckner w/ Conrad Plymouth and Nineteen Thirteen

Alt-country king Richard Buckner is the type of haunting songwriter who brings his voice down to a whisper instead of raising it when he wants to make a point, but although he's toned down the volume considerably from his raw '90s records, he's not averse to turning it back up occasionally. While still stark, his latest record, 2006's Meadow, ups the rock factor, thanks in part to contributions from members of The Mekons and Guided By Voices. A full half decade after that album, in August he'll finally release a follow up, which he's titled Our Blood.