Moondog, the American composer, musician, poet and mystic Louis Thomas Hardin, has been interpreted and praised by artists as Janis Joplin, Antony and the Johnsons, Julie Andrews,Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker and Phillip Glass.

Majke Voss Romme, the Danish singer/songwriter operating the gears behind the curtain of Copenhagen's Broken Twin, has a voice that perfectly (and sonorously) evokes the Old English word uhtceare, which means to "lie awake before dawn worrying." It's both a balm and a tinderbox, delivering bad news soulfully and slivers of hope with great caution, and when paired with equally austere instrumentation, which consists largely of piano, electric guitar, and the occasional courtly/processional thrum of a single drum, it carries with it the weight of the world.

The second solo outing from the Czechoslovakian singer/songwriter who rose to fame in 2007 after winning a Best Original Song Oscar for "Falling Slowly" (co-written with Frames singer Glen Hansard under the Swell Season moniker), Muna utilizes the talents of 27 musicians (choir, strings, orchestral percussion) and was inspired by, according to Irglová, Jesus Christ Superstar and author Neale Donald Walsch's book trilogy Conversations with God. Muna, which means "remembering" in Icelandic, is a gospel record through and through, but it also reflects the rugged natural beauty of the land in which it was birthed.

Since it has become fashionable to derisively refer to Wilco's music as "Dad Rock," it seems fitting that Jeff Tweedy would cleverly point to his own dadness by making an album with one of his sons. Sukierae, credited to Tweedy, features Spencer Tweedy, Jeff's 18-year-old son, on drums and percussion, while the rest of the instruments (except for some keyboards and backing vocals) are handled by Jeff. This father and son bonding comes at a difficult time in their personal lives, as Susan Miller Tweedy Jeff's wife and Spencer's mom was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in early 2014.

Few figures in jazz history have been able to extract as much feeling from a ballad as Chet Baker. Despite his lack of formal training, he was capable of burrowing deep inside the most sophisticated popular songs and tapping a vein of pure emotion. When surrounded by great musicians in an unusual ensemble, as he is on this album, Baker's poetic instincts were at their keenest. The distinctive septet of jazz giants contains a front line of trumpet, flute, and baritone sax playing Herbie Mann's delicate arrangements over a rhythm section that is empathy personified. Baker never recorded with a more talented or sensitive group, as the music evokes a mood captured so seductively in the cover photo.

Singer and songwriter Sean Rowe is possessed of a truly singular voice. On Magic, his Anti debut in 2011, it seemed to rumble straight up from the depths of the earth to shake the listener's ground. Though the stark guitar and voice production were a bit rigid, Rowe's songs, even when a tad clumsy, carried within them a singular vision of the natural world and an experiential poetry that was easily communicated to listeners through that powerful voice. The Salesman and the Shark stands in contrast to its predecessor. Produced by Woody Jackson, Rowe is backed by a band on most tracks, as well as various backing singers (who include Petra Haden and Isobel Campbell), and an occasional string section (Octetto Magnifico).

In the book that accompanies Alpha Mike Foxtrot: Rare Tracks 1994-2014, a four-disc collection of rare and non-LP recordings by Wilco, former Reprise Records publicist Bill Bentley admits that no less a legend than Doug Sahm thought he was making a mistake when, after Uncle Tupelo abruptly and acrimoniously broke up, Bentley opted to work with Jeff Tweedy's new band rather than Son Volt, Jar Farrar's post-UT project. "Come on, Bentley, you gotta go with the other guy," Sahm said, "he's gonna happen." Which was certainly the conventional wisdom when Wilco and Son Volt launched in 1994 most fans seemed certain that Farrar was going to go on to a brilliant career on his own, and Tweedy's band would be a fine but lesser commodity.

On his second solo effort, Winnipeg native John K. Samson builds on his long-tenured role as poet laureate of contemporary prairie culture. Former frontman of beloved Canadian indie rockers the Weakerthans, Samson's trademark tales of blue-collar Canadians and downtrodden, internet-age academics continue to collide on Winter Wheat, an appropriately titled collection of maudlin folk-rock tunes where hope is hibernating just below the soil. Recorded during a Winnipeg winter alongside wife and musical partner Christine Fellows, Samson's gently picked guitar is supported by former Weakerthans rhythm section Jason Tait (drums) and Greg Smith (bass), whose easy camaraderie is felt in the wide open, nuanced arrangements.

Emerging from the Los Angeles indie underground in 2014, Girlpool sounded like no other act, employing a deceptively simple formula to deliver their raw tales of teenage woe, joy, and confusion. Using just electric guitar and bass to accompany their voices, Cleo Tucker and Harmony Tividad delivered a brief self-titled EP that was heartfelt, funny, powerful, and twice as punk at half the volume. Seeking a change of pace, the two friends relocated to Philadelphia at the end of the year, where they teamed up with Kyle Gilbride (Swearin', Waxahatchee) to record their full-length debut, Before the World Was Big.

While the cordial indie pop that singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Ryan Pollie makes under the Los Angeles Police Department banner belies the project's authoritative name, his command of sleepy melodies and miniature orchestrations take a front seat on his sophomore LP. The Philadelphia native first appeared as L.A.P.D. in 2014 with a self-titled released on the Forged Artifacts label introducing a style the merged the half-whispered earnestness of Sufjan Stevens with the hazy soundscapes of the lo-fi bedroom pop scene.

Upon its release in 1984, Three of a Perfect Pair caused some unrest among fans of King Crimson. Most of their audience felt that the band had made a conscious and obvious decision to try to break through to a more mainstream pop audience. But in hindsight, this is hardly the case; it sounds unlike anything that was out at the time. Like 1982's Beat, Three of a Perfect Pair doesn't quite meet the high standards set by 1981's Discipline, but does contain a few Crimson treats.

The only progressive rock band from the '60s to be making new, vital, progressive music in the '90s, King Crimson returned from a ten-year exile in 1995 with THRAK, their first album since 1984's Three of a Perfect Pair. As with the '80s band, guitarist/ringleader Robert Fripp recruited singer/guitarist Adrian Belew, bassist Tony Levin, and drummer Bill Bruford for this incarnation of his classic band. However, he added to this familiar quartet two new members: Chapman Stick player Trey Gunn and ex-Mr. Mister drummer Pat Mastelotto. Effectively, Fripp created a "double trio," and the six musicians combine their instruments in extremely unique ways.

Beat is not as good as its predecessor (1981's Discipline), but it's not too shabby, either. The '80s version of King Crimson (Robert Fripp, guitar; Adrian Belew, vocals/guitar; Tony Levin, bass; and Bill Bruford, drums) retains the then-modern new wave sound introduced on Discipline. The band's performances are still inspired, but the songwriting isn't as catchy or strong.

When King Crimson leader Robert Fripp decided to assemble a new version of the band in the early '80s, prog rock fans rejoiced, and most new wave fans frowned. But after hearing this new unit's first release, 1981's Discipline, all the elements that made other arty new wave rockers (i.e., Talking Heads, Pere Ubu, the Police, etc.) successful were evident. Combining the futuristic guitar of Adrian Belew with the textured guitar of Fripp doesn't sound like it would work on paper, but the pairing of these two originals worked out magically.

Norwegian Ruby Red & the Moonshine Brothers has released third album. The band has received good criticism for their previous albums and now has clear new music that also takes a little new turn.