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Ex-Concretes frontwoman Victoria Bergsman sings as if she never leaves her windowsill, let alone her native land. But this shy Swede (whose voice was the female counterpoint on Peter Bjorn and John's "Young Folks") recorded her album with local Sufi musicians in Pakistan.

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Old Faithful probably covets the Bats’ consistency. Over six albums, plus a ten-year hiatus, the New Zealand foursome, led by singer-guitarist Robert Scott, haven’t let anything alter their ambling jangle pop.

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With other bands Tweeting and gut-pouring, there’s something startling about this London trio’s impenetrability. They create mood songs as discrete units, each as bulletproof -- or smudgeproof -- as the band itself. Credit Sian Ahern, a singer with Nico’s presence and complexion, minus the contralto.

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What's that joke about gay couples wanting to get married?

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Swedish electronic dance producer Axel Willner consistently finds the sweet spot between breathlessness and breathing too hard on his follow-up to 2007's acclaimed From Here We Go Sublime.

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Poptimist Michael Angelakos tried to hold onto his girlfriend with Passion Pit's first EP. That didn't work (blame the self-obsessed lyrics), but on his band's debut full-length, their squeaky indie-pop theatrics are more convincing. Angelakos backs his falsetto with a gang of schoolkids, gestures toward the grandiose ("Folds in Your Hands"), even triples the keyboards of his live band.