Perhaps no artist alive embodies the creaky, creepy, ornately detailed steampunk aesthetic more than Rasputina's Melora Creager. Instantly recognizable on stage in her bloomers, petticoats, and vintage corsetry, Creager has been creating compelling cello-fueled art rock since the early 90s, with help from a rotating cast of supporting cellists and drummers.

Australia-born Sia is well known in other parts of the world, but her last album, 2008's Some People Have Real Problems, was a U.S. breakthrough.

I saw Tender Forever perform one lazy weeknight last summer, and listening to her new album, No Snare, brings it all back.

Say buh-bye to the Tender Trap of yore. Not only have mainstays Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey kicked up a spankin' new girl-group vibe for this third release, but they've also added Elizabeth Morris (Allo Darlin') and Katrina Dixon–all the better for harmonic ba-ba-ba's and sha-la-la's.

With a stage name like Zola Jesus, you wouldn't expect sweetness and light from classically trained singer/songwriter Nika Roza Danilova, and you don't get it.