From the opening strains of “Crutch & Cane”, it’s easy to see that Peter Wolf Crier, the Minneapolis-based group consisting of Peter Pisano (vocals, guitar) and Brian Moen (percussion, vocals), is on to something special.

Nightjar is a sextet based out of Indianapolis (see, local-ish), which formed in 2007 as a duo and quickly gained members after that. With influences such as the Old 97's, Wilco, and Ryan Adams, Nightjar has a decidedly alt country sound, but the music is so much more than that.

Matthew Cooper, performing as Eluvium, has been making dense, ambient music for years now, but this time, he's tried something different: he's added his own vocals into the mix.

Casey Dienel is the woman behind White Hinterland, having previously performed under her own name until 2008. While her recordings under her own name didn't rise much above your typical lo-fi singer-songwriter sound, she's found her niche in style with White Hinteland.

Don't let this EP's status as a Valentine's Day release fool you into think that it is some sappy collection of love tunes to which Brandi Carlile just happened to lend her voice. That's not the case at all; sure, the songs have a bit of a lovey bent, but they're pure Brandi Carlile, country roots and all.