Music

Are you the type to make New Year's resolutions? They're easy to make, but tough to keep — at least when it comes to your own. So how about brainstorming a few resolutions that are a little less personal?

The Besnard Lakes have a new album coming out in April, and after hearing the song "People Of The Sticks," it's safe to say we're in for another soaringly gorgeous record from the Canadian rock group.

Singer-songwriter Grace Weber makes her first appearance on Mountain Stage, recorded live at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston, W.V. Originally from Wauwatosa, Wisc., Weber began honing her soul-inflected pop voice at a young age by singing in local choirs. At 23, the recent NYU graduate has appeared on Harlem's famed Showtime at the Apollo, as well as at the Kennedy Center, at the Ella Awards and on The Today Show. In 2009, Weber was selected from hundreds of thousands of applicants to sing on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

While the new year is still fresh, let's take a look in the rearview mirror at some of the noteworthy happenings in the classical music world. Were you listening last year? See if you remember the big, and not-so-big, stories from 2012 in our quiz.

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Atlas Genius, a project led by Aussie brothers Keith and Michael Jeffrey, has a pop sensibility that's hard to deny. "Trojans" caught my attention immediately, so we were thrilled to welcome the band in for a live session and get a preview of songs from its forthcoming full-length debut, When It Was Now.

Last year's collaboration between St. Vincent (Annie Clarke) and David Bryne was surprising on many levels. The album they wrote and recorded together, Love This Giant, is inspired and artful, if not as immediately accessible as some of the solo work each of them has made in the past. On stage, performed live at the Strathmore music hall in Bethesda, MD, the songs found their heart and soul.