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Like a less frenetic Animal Collective, The Dodos' members combine country-blues finger picking and tribal drumming in a way that's propelled them to the forefront of experimental folk music. Last year's Visiter aims to capture the bouts of passionate singing and explosive drum rhythms that characterize the band's live sets.

A collaboration between Jon Foreman of Switchfoot and guitarist Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek sprung out of coffee shops and informal home recordings. Fiction Family, the duo's self-titled debut, is full of acoustic pop that exudes '60s flair.

With a gentle acoustic style and evocative lyrics, up-and-coming folksinger Alela Diane has developed a devoted following. The Nevada City native's latest album, To Be Still, blends Americana and psychedelic folk with finger-picked guitar and clear, evocative vocals.

After cultivating a strong local following, the Scottish band has burst into the indie scene with The Midnight Organ Fight. The album is packed with brash, emotional and heartbreaking songs that push until they explode in a cathartic wave of relief. They're painfully catchy and reflective at the same time.

The pair first enjoyed popular and critical acclaim in the early '90s. After a 10-year hiatus, Olson and Louris reunited for a mostly acoustic effort with an old-time bluegrass sound.

Two Austin musical institutions — Willie Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel — have teamed up on a new album to showcase classic western swing. With horns, fiddles and a pedal steel guitar, the music takes Nelson back to his roots. The project has been in the works for a while, having hatched from the mind of the great Jerry Wexler more than 30 years ago.

The folksy songwriter returns with his second album, Elvis Perkins in Dearland, now with a more upbeat, countrified sound. Yet even with the shift, Perkins continues to wrestle with his past.

Though he shouts and wails like a soul man, Joe Lewis drools and gums his words so unintelligibly you'll be lucky to catch one in five. The band rocks with James Brown-inspired grooves, but Lewis sings with enough conviction that you want to know what he's saying.

Despite a constant flood of new music, people still like to insist it was all better in times past. But Marianne Faithfull, who has survived a bunch of musical decades, recognizes that right now is a golden era of its own. Her new record, Easy Come, Easy Go, is all covers, but alongside old standards are what might be some new staples.

Trentalange, the musical project of Crooked Fingers alum, Barbara Trentalange, combines sultry vocals and moody tones to create a thick but welcoming atmosphere on her second solo album, Awakening, Level One. Thanks to hearty vocals and evocative lyrics, Trentalange's music seems well-suited for its rainy Seattle home, or for a saloon somewhere in the old west, where she could freely break hearts and fill dark, smoky rooms with her confident and alluring songs.