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In the momentous Neon Bible, The Arcade Fire's members are worn down by modern living, and their hearts are in tatters, but their fever burns more brightly than ever. On the heels of Funeral, the follow-up takes a far less obvious approach.

Pairing power chords with timeless vocal harmonies and experimental indie-rock, Illinois' songs seem all-over-the-map and concise at the same time, resulting in a unique, laidback sound. The band performs a concert from WXPN and World Cafe Live in Philadelphia.

As the primary musical vehicle for Omaha wunderkind Conor Oberst, Bright Eyes has experienced a meteoric rise in the past few years, as fans and critics have embraced the literate, emotional songs of a singer often tagged "The New Bob Dylan."

"Boogie Blues" contains two minutes and one second of wonderful boogie-woogie, sung by a great jazz singer at a 1963 concert and never heard on record until now. Anita O'Day's Tokyo performance aired live on Japanese TV, then languished in the vaults.

The music of Low is dark and mysteriously haunting with a sonic depth that radiates well beyond its brooding, spare arrangements. The band showcases its new album, Drums and Guns in a full concert, with the opening act Loney, Dear, from Washington, D.C.

Rock-music veterans whose careers span more than 25 years, The Smithereens' members combine the sounds of Buddy Holly and The Beatles with shades of metal and prog-rock. This year brings Meet the Smithereens!, an album covering Meet the Beatles in its entirety.

The tradition of rock stars singing about the bottom rung of the working-class ladder has been around as long as rock itself. But few did it with such heartbreaking empathy and iridescent beauty as Pete Townshend and Ronnie Lane did on 1977's "Heart to Hang Onto."

The songs of singer-songwriter Patty Griffin are full of heartbreak and longing — so much so that a friend recently challenged her to write a happy song. She discusses that song and her new CD, Children Running Through.

Propelled by clicks, pings and a ghostly backing vocal, "Belarus" is a characteristically oblique Low song: It's built on phrases that set the scene without making a meaning clear, and it draws its power from an arrangement that's both understated and overpowering.

With her tart, no-nonsense voice, Mable John deserved to be a star like her brother Willie, who sang "Fever" before Peggy Lee. But Mable John never quite made it, though it sure wasn't because of her singing. Case in point: "Able Mable."