Pop and country music were never entirely isolated from one another. Some of the material sung by the early generations of country recording artists originated on Tin Pan Alley before seeping into the folk traditions of the South. Later, Tony Bennett recorded Hank Williams’ “Cold Cold Heart” and, during the early. . .

Do you still thrill to ’80s-era Whitesnake, Dio, Queensryche and Iron Maiden? Then Firewind should slot neatly into your head-banging collection. What this Greek powerhouse lacks in originality, it makes up for with a commitment to keeping melodic hard rock and heavy metal alive in an increasingly disparate . . .

Eighties post-punk added a creative spark to many Madison bands in the Reagan decade. First among them may have been The Appliances-SFB (Shit For Brains added to their original name for legal reasons). The two LPs reissued on CD by a Milwaukee label demonstrate how the group adapted the innovations of its . . .

After years of audience anticipation for what he would come up with after Rage Against the Machine, vocalist Zack de la Rocha opts for quality over quantity on this five-song EP. That’s wise, because de la Rocha and his drummer band mate Jon Theodore already begin to repeat themselves on these tracks. It’s a minor . . .

David Berman’s latest is an album where the sleeve art outshines the record itself. Think of your most hated prog album (is it Yes’ Topographic Oceans? I bet it’s Yes’ Topographic Oceans) and you’ll get the picture. A beautiful sepia-tone painting depicting Babar (that’s right; the beloved elephant) amidst jagged rocks . . .

Los Angeles based musician J.D. King is a man of few words on Myspace. But his recent release speaks for itself. King introduces himself with warm vocals, seamless lyrics and plays pure acoustic guitar, harmonica and flute. And with six band mates tossing around more than whistles, drums and mandolins . . .

Groove-oriented, improvisational-minded folk rock with a smattering of world music flavors is Milwaukee musician Matthew Haeffel's stock in trade. Haeffel and his percussionist, Cody "C-Note" Calderon, must be fans of Dave Matthews and Rusted Root. One may still hope that Haeffel cracks a few more smiles in . . .

Black country singers? It sounds as oxymoronic to some ears as Mexican polka, but then much Mexican music was influenced by polka and north of the Rio Grande, the cultural lines between black and white, blues and country, were often fluid. The pair of Dirty Laundry compilations is among the most enjoyable . . .

Milwaukee’s Cyberchump is an electronic duo crafting wonderful melodic soundscapes. Drawing from a wide palette of instruments and influences, Cyberchump summons Pink Floyd in a mellow moment, ambient chill room electronica, moody low-key art rock, whoosing spacey sounds of Krautwerk, Near Eastern . . .

With the Wallflowers on hiatus, the band's frontman, Jakob Dylan—who happens to be the result of rock's greatest romance in Bob and Sara—attempts to find his own identity among the usual route of hushed obscurities and loosely finger-picked acoustic guitar. Seeing Things . . .