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A singer-songwriter from Massachusetts, McKenna spent the first decade of her career toiling on the roots-music circuit. In 2005, her career received a huge boost when Faith Hill recorded four of her songs for Fireflies. Hear an interview and in-studio performance.

Gonzalez's "Killing for Love" opens with the intimate sound of fingers caressing guitar strings. His voice never rises above a clear-eyed tone, but Gonzalez's buzzy finger-picking and Erik Bodin's thwacking conga drum combine to form a hypnotic, driven pulse.

The organ riff that opens Beirut's "Nantes" sounds like a setup for a variation on modern garage rock. But when a tango beat enters soon after, "Nantes" transforms into something else altogether: a new genre that could be called poignant ballroom cabaret pop.

The Bay Area band the Boneless Children Foundation makes energetic pop with glam rock melodies, raw vocals, and crunchy guitars. Their album, Stars for Anyone, mixes the classic punk style of Richard Hell and the Voidoids with the erratic liveliness of the Unicorns.

Matthew Dear's "Deserter" sounds like a gem plucked from a compilation of early-'80s European synth-pop. His emotionless voice serves Dear's chilly new-wave perfectly, just as the song serves as an ideal introduction to his new album's icy pop excellence.

He is best remembered as the composer of the standard "Misty." But he also remains one of the greatest improvisers ever, a self-taught pianist whose unique approaches to melody, harmony and rhythm made him a star.

Blending an array of musical styles as diverse as his influences, Harper combines acoustic folk, blues, funk, soul and rock. Hear an interview and in-studio performance by Harper, whose new album Lifeline showcases a loose, expressive style.

Hoop crafts an eclectic concoction of troubadour folk, summery California pop and Broadway balladry. At times, the music can be introspectively nuanced, at others powerful and cinematic.

On Fast Computers' "Sweden Hasn't Changed, You Have," a minimal, pinball-like loop explodes into a swirl of carnival-esque synth washes evocative of Low-era Bowie. The melody is powerful, haunting and stark, but it also seems organic and natural.

The Duhks, a band of five high-energy, heavily tattooed twenty-somethings, has spent the last four years winning over fans across North America and around the world. Hear the eclectic folk group in an interview and performance from Folk Alley.