Water Liars create songs of novelesque visions. Straightforward, bucolic and romantic imagery of a breakfast-catering kitchen and a clean bed serve as the setting for "Linens."

There's a bird inside of my chest
He's fighting for breath
He's dying to leave...

As I am driving across the river into Illinois, on my way to this filming of Water Liars for Show Me Shows, and my head is full with memories of all the other hundreds of times I've made the same crossing.

If there were any doubt that Justin Kinkel-Schuster was a major talent as a singer and songwriter, and that Andrew Bryant was an ideal partner in indie folk-rock crime, then "Fake Heat," a track from the forthcoming Water Liars album "Wyoming," should put all that to rest.

Thursday evening, Off Broadway filled with friends, family and new fans as two acts with ties to St. Louis took the stage.

When St. Louis' noisy-folk quartet Theodore ended, Justin Kinkel-Schuster went down to Mississippi to record some songs with his friend Andrew Bryant. This endeavor lead to what became the first batch of Water Liars songs.

They're writing great songs, releasing albums and playing shows all the time. 2012 brought some fantastic releases from local St. Louis artists -- some brand new to the scene and others sounding better than ever.

Frontier Ruckus writes brokenhearted songs for the lonely. Most think this doesn't go well with a Friday night, but with some help from their friends they proved that sometimes it feels damn good to feel damn bad.

The Mountain Goats showed that the cliff they're climbing is a high one. They played to a semi-private audience at the Gargoyle last night. The show was free for Washington University students, and only 75 tickets were available to the public. Their vigorous set grew bumps on the arms of the crowded audience.

Twangfest won't arrive until June, but 88.1 KDHX and Twangfest delivered a taste of what's to come with their 13th annual SXSW day parties this past week in Austin.

After a week of streaming their new cd, "Phantom Limb" on kdhx.org, Water Liars held their CD release party at Off Broadway.