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World/Inferno Friendship Society's countless members convene around Jack Terricloth, whose grinning, genial stage persona only amplifies what appears to be a sinister intent. It should be a mess, but it coalesces instead into a combination of Bruce Springsteen, The Pogues and the noise the devil makes as cities burn.

It's hard to define Aaron Neville's music — he's been nominated for Grammys in country, R&B, pop and gospel — but it's hard to argue with his success. The third of the four brothers in the New Orleans musical powerhouse Neville Brothers, Aaron has been the most successful Neville when it comes to transitioning to a solo career.

Given four days to record a couple of songs for a film, Marketa Irglova and The Frames' Glen Hansard made a full-length record. The result is 10 quietly brilliant songs, each built around piano, acoustic guitar, violin, cello and the two headliners' soft, sweet voices.

Each song on singer-songwriter Kris Delmhorst's new CD, Strange Conversation, has its genesis in a poem, by writers ranging from Lord Byron and George Eliot to Edna St. Vincent Millay and E.E. Cummings.

Dropping references to "8-balling," "jonesing" and "feeling like a junkie," Amp Fiddler's intoxicating "Dope" captures the euphoria and entropy of letting love take over to dangerous extremes. Fiddler rouses the otherwise comely melody with dissonant wails, shrill sighs and cracked notes.

Rice's music demands close attention: Whether he's singing in an aching whisper or yelling amid strings and other pomp (often in the same song), he's a nuanced performer who isn't afraid to lay his feelings bare. "Elephant" finds him carrying on in top form, in an epic ballad that showcases his considerable emotional and vocal range.

The Long Winters, the indie-pop vehicle for singer-songwriter John Roderick, has included members of likeminded Pacific Northwest bands such as Death Cab for Cutie, Built to Spill and The Posies. Having toured all over Europe and North America, the group has become known for its smart, evocative lyrics and sharp rock instincts.

Marc Broussard is a self-proclaimed "white boy singing soul music," but that playfully dismissive tag doesn't do him justice. His music radiates soulful Louisiana blues, but his songs blend those influences with raucous rock 'n' roll to create unique and infectious music.

Green Gartside is the driving force behind the various incarnations of Scritti Politti, which has been making music on and off for 35 years. Driven by Gartside's childlike voice and uplifting melodies, Scritti Politti's smooth pop sound surfaced on the Top 40 in 1985, but has mostly been heard on pop culture's margins.

Damien Jurado has experimented with everything from rollicking rock to electronic beats to found sound, but his stock in trade remains painfully intimate folk music. Traversing barren and dusty acoustic hellscapes, Jurado makes music that seems painstakingly constructed for consumption at 4 a.m.