RiYL

Cartoonist, songwriter, children's book author, twin-haver. There's little Leah Hayes can't do. The latter serves as real-life inspiration for her latest Fantagraphics book, Identical.

After 14 years, Alexander Hacke and Danielle de Picciotto are home. For now, at least. The couple's 10th album as hackedepicciotto arrives with the title Lichtung, the German word for a clearing in a forest. It's a celebration of a well-deserved rest.

One thing you should know about Cedar Van Tassel is that he'll happily bend your ear about surprising depth and diversity of prairie grass species. Another thing you should know is that the artist lives on a farm, but isn't a farmer really -- at least not by trade -- instead earning a living amid the world of ecological restoration projects. A third -- and arguably most important -- thing is that his new book, Appleguy and Beefwood, is out now on Drawn & Quarterly.

Sonic Youth, Pussy Galore, Action Swingers, Lydia Lunch, Mick Collins -- Bob Bert has kept the beat for some of the best. This year, the drummer's own name finally graces the front of the album, with Beach Bongo Bloodbath. Mixing original with wildly original covers, the record puts the percussion's unique voice on full display.

If anything thing, Sorry Kid's existence is a testament good bookkeeping. Gaps Johanna Samuels discovered when making her latest record had been with her for years -- decades in some cases. A mix of wisdom and hopefulness, the album offers a wide ranging guide to a singer-songwriter discovering the heights of her powers.

Forty years after bursting onto the So Cal punk scene, Kira Roessler officially released a self-titled debut. Its followup, Enigma, is due out next month. Plenty happened in the intervening decades, of course. She'd spend the next few years dual majoring in applied engineering at UCLA and bass with Black Flag. While legendary, her stint in the latter was fairly short-lived, though the middle of the decade saw her joining forces with betrothed fellow bassist, Mike Watt for Dos. More recently, Roessler has made yet another name for herself as an award winning sound designer for television and film.