Backyard Garden by Earthworm Ensemble

Earthworm Ensemble’s second CD follows their first self-titled album from 2010. Spanning styles from indie rock to zydeco, the 13 original songs provide starting points for family discussions about nature, gardening and a variety of animals. This is a side project of alt.Americana band I See Hawks in LA.

Why we like it: The Los Angeles-based band harvests a winning crop of songs on their sophomore effort. The rootsy music fits in organically with the songs’ topics, which typically involve animals, vegetables or the ecology. A particularly standout track is “I Didn’t Give Up,” a poppy ode to perseverance.