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Like most independent musicians, singer-songwriter Peter Mulvey relies on the Internet to share and sell his music. But ultimately, he makes a living the old-fashioned way: performing in bars and coffeehouses from Anchorage to Dublin, and building a career one fan at a time. Reporter Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers recently hitched a ride with Mulvey on tour.

On an album full of epic tracks, Silversun Pickups' "Lazy Eye" is the powerhouse, mixing Smashing Pumpkins-esque bombast with the complexity and ambitious oddness of Slint. At times, the song seems to move so quickly that Brian Aubert's vocals can barely keep up.

To fans of Sufjan Stevens, Shara Worden is best-known as one of the backing vocalists in his band. On her own, Worden is a remarkable chanteuse who goes by the moniker My Brightest Diamond — and brings to mind the work of Jeff Buckley, Edith Piaf and Nina Simone.

Based on star power alone, this document of London rock circa 1971 should have been huge. Among the A-list friends gathered to support the Incredible String Band's Mike Heron on his solo outing are Richard Thompson, Steve Winwood, John Cale of The Velvet Underground, Ronnie Lane, Elton John and members of The Who.

Wise in Time, the brainchild of DJ and producer Ian Simmonds, combines folk guitars, electric pianos and jazz influences to create a complex musical landscape. The band's music moves seamlessly through lounge-friendly jazz, funk and dance music.

The Black Keys' members have spent their entire career as the Midwestern garage-rock duo that isn't The White Stripes. But with the exception of their shared love of psychedelia and blues, and the fact that both bands have guitar-and-drums lineups, the similarities end there.

Polish violinist Henryk Wieniawski was a dazzling performer. According to one critic, it was because of his "combination of Slavic temperament and French elegance. He knew how to fuse Paganini's pyrotechnics with romantic imagination and Polish coloring."

Franz Ferdinand turns "Sorry Angel" — Serge Gainsbourg's tinny, mostly spoken-word meditation on regret — into a mostly sung dance-floor romp, complete with vintage cooing by Gainsbourg muse Jane Birkin.

Wonder Wheel, The Klezmatics' first album to be sung entirely in English, features the lyrics of 12 previously unreleased Woody Guthrie songs, backed by traditional klezmer music. The album serves as a fitting tribute to the legend and his timeless songwriting.

The singer-songwriter makes simple, keyboard-inflected pop songs with drum loops and guitars — and for the most part, he does it all by himself, with an ear for melody that's as strong as his songwriting ability.