Anais Mitchell's gamine country-girl vocals could get on your wick after 20 songs, but when they are interspersed with the patter of bongos, tremble of double bass and smooth blend of baritone chorus they are addictive.
Now this is more like it from fitful British soul singer, beat boxer, and rogue music-maker Jamie Lidell.
Known for producing blues-rock as thick as drummer Patrick Carney's glasses, Ohio-based duo The Black Keys has over the years tossed its tunes in everything from garage-rock to hip-hop.
As he proved on his two previous albums, this immensely quiffed sharp-suited Bostonian risks getting beaten by his own schtick.
Soul singer and Muscle Shoals veteran LaVette has enjoyed a revival recently: her 2005 album I've Got My Own Hell to Raise.
The Dead Weather do what they do best on Sea of Cowards.
Having stepped out of the shadow of the Wallflowers, Jakob Dylan increasingly occupies an almost MOR singer-songwriter world in terms of melody.
Sometimes people play down their talent so their peers think they are cooler.
It was Auckland's Arch Hill Recordings that became the flagbearer for much of indie rock in New Zealand through the 2000s.
On Diamond Eyes Chino is back to his shrieking, yowling, and soaring best with a unique voice that sounds like he's singing through a loud hailer.
It starts very distinctively Kate Nash: all pretty piano, stirring strings, claps, and her voice - sweet as pain au chocolate.
Tyson Smith's debut album comes about after a fair bit of traveling and he alludes to its intercontinental feel with the image on the cover.
Recent Sub Pop recruits Dum Dum Girls reference the Iggy Pop's track in their name and, it's a good starting point to their sound.
There's a toughness to Lewis McCallum's music that makes it resonate and shine.
Not since Shihad's Killjoy has a New Zealand album - or many other albums for that matter - lurched with the power, brutality and beauty that Arc Of Ascent's Circle of the Sun does.
After the mediocre solo outing of 2004's American Sweetheart, Courtney Love is back with her band Hole for their fourth album.
On Everything P-Money takes off into an oonst-driven dance direction.
Of course it would feature screechy stage voices, young girls punching the air and gyrating in ridiculous pointy bustier and fishnet costumes.
Even something as mediocre as the most recent Hot Chip album would be interesting.
Mark E. Smith of Britain's marathon-running post-punk agit-prop outfit The Fall, is nothing if not consistent.
Singer Sharon Jones and band the Dap-Kings have made a name for themselves by reviving the essence of funk and soul music's heyday from the 60s and 70s.
Originally from capital city Freetown, Allstars founder Reuben M. Koroma and his wife found themselves in a refugee camp in neighbouring Guinea during the late 90s.
On his seventh album Nathan Haines is a hardened jazz head, a seasoned rump shaker, and sometimes, a purveyor of fine elevator jazz.
Infectious US guitar pop-rock which connects with Dunedin and elsewhere.