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Cherryholmes: Sweet Family Harmony

For the Cherryholmes family, bluegrass is more than just a pastime that morphed into a career. It was cathartic for dealing with the death of their oldest child, Shelley. On the band's third CD, Don't Believe, the Cherryholmes still deal with the profound emotions triggered by that loss.

Cherryholmes: Sweet Family Harmony

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Second Stage

Perhapst: 'Harbour'

John Moen, best known as drummer for Portland, Oregon's The Decemberists, steps into the spotlight with his side project, Perhapst. On Perhapst's self-titled debut, Moen sings and performs most of the quirky, 1960s-influenced pop music himself, with the notable exception of a guest spot by Stephen Malkmus on guitar.

Harbour

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World Cafe

Human Highway: Pop For Day's End

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Years in the making, Human Highway is an anxiously awaited collaboration between Nick Thorburn (the frontman of The Unicorns and Islands) and Jim Guthrie of Royal City. It's a tad poppier and spacier than either musician's main projects, and seems perfect for the conclusion of the day.

Human Highway: Pop For Day's End

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Second Stage

Liz Durrett: 'You Live Alone'

Liz Durrett is finally stepping out of her shell on her third and latest album, Outside Our Gates. Known for her sparse and somber Southern folk music, the Athens, Ga.-based musician has put together a release that still has plenty of gloom but is now balanced by over a dozen guest musicians, including her uncle, Vic Chesnutt.

You Live Alone

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Second Stage

Ant Neely: 'Scratch Redux'

Musician and composer Ant Neely is an advocate of literally spreading his music around the world. A member of the electronic band Subthunk, Neely has turned the release of his first solo album, Not Fit For Human Consumption, into a global experiment by leaving copies of the CD in public locations for people to find, copy, and then leave someplace else. With the help of those who find the CDs, Neely is tracking the movement of his album on his Web site. One disc made its way from England to Brazil while another hopped around the U.K. before landing in Africa.

"Scratch Redux"

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Song Of The Day

Ben Folds: Cynicism Meets Sweetness

As cathartic piano prodigies, both Ben Folds and Regina Spektor know how to make listeners laugh and weep at the same time. So it should come as no surprise that they discover one other and meet on common ground in the raw, personal "You Don't Know Me."

You Don't Know Me

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Second Stage

Michael Knight: 'Dumbshow'

I'm Not Entirely Clear How I Ended Up Like This, the latest album from Berlin-based Michael Knight, is a jumble of unexpected twists. For starters, Michael Knight is not a person but rather a large collective of musicians fronted by lead singer Richard Murphy. Then there's the fact that I'm Not Entirely Clear How I Ended Up Like This is a two-disc release, with its second disc featuring instrumental-only versions of all the songs on the first.

Dumbshow

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Second Stage

Kira Lynn Cain: 'White As A Dove'

The cover art for Kira Lynn Cain's debut, The Ideal Hunter, depicts the San Francisco-based chanteuse bearing an uncanny resemblance to 1940s actress Veronica Lake. That, along with the dark background and bright red block lettering of the album's name, makes the artwork seem more like a film noir poster than a CD sleeve. The design choices make sense after listening to The Ideal Hunter, which begins with the haunting song "White as a Dove." The track features eerie cello strokes layered with piano and an occasional, ominous drum beat lurking beneath Cain's breathy vocals.

White as a Dove

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Second Stage

The Invasion: 'The Madness'

Have a listen to The Invasion's debut album, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Madness, and you might be inclined to wonder which part of England the rock quartet is from. Yet despite similarities to Radiohead and Muse, the band actually hails from Nampa, Idaho.

The Madness

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TV On The Radio: Complicated 'Science'

Brooklyn's TV on the Radio has always been a forward-thinking rock band. Its new album, Dear Science, is its funkiest, but in a typically complicated way. Sick of living with pessimism, the band has brightened its tunes and beats.

TV On The Radio: Complicated 'Science'

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