They may come from present-day Philadelphia, but you could be forgiven for mistaking Fern Knight for a late-’60s British folk revival band. Warbly hints of psychedelia and electronic phasing mingle with gossamer, pastoral melodies played on harp and cello along with guitar and violin. At the heart of the . . .

The number of worthwhile albums that memorialize politicians can probably be counted on one hand. But you can add one more to that short list with Songs for Frank Zeidler, a CD dedicated to the memory of Milwaukee's last Socialist mayor. Who better to pay tribute than a couple of Milwaukee's finer folkies? Jym Mooney . . .

The surprise, thrown-together reunion of Tom Petty's teenage band, Mudcrutch, unveils its full fruits here, with liner notes boasting, “made in 10 days, no headphones, Los Angeles… A lot of love.” While that says it all musically, the release also ends a widely misconstrued notion that the rocker was entering retirement, and offers his legion of fans a driving soundtrack for '08...

Every once in a while, Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon, Pussy Galore’s Julia Cafritz, Boredoms’ Yoshimi P-We and sometimes (but not this time) Pavement’s Mark Ibold (and no, indie fanboys, that does not mean a Pavement reunion is in the works) get together to break what must be the tedium of being in some of the coolest %#@*ing bands in the world...

Christina Booth, lead vocalist of the British prog band Magenta, cites Madison’s Garbage as one of her favorite artists. That influence shows in Magenta’s fourth album, the dark and slightly off-kilter Metamorphosis, which bristles with haunting and atmospheric pop-rock songs that can stir odd emotions in listeners...

After a hiatus, Milwaukee's Repertoire has regrouped for another contribution to today’s soft rock. With new vocalist/WKTI contest winner Jaizon Plaga, the quintet coalesces folk, pop-country, jam rock, reggae and a twinge of garage punk into a sound that would fit comfortably on adult contemporary, alt rock and Top 40 radio stations (though the album could use a touch more polish)...

The mood on the debut album by Brazil’s Sonantes is, well, Brazilian. The music is a delightful synthesis of spaghetti westerns and reggae, samba and ’60s rock, Eastern Bloc pop and spy movie techno, but the spirit is like the cool breeze that touched “The Girl From Ipanema.” The album’s concept is a collection of themes from imaginary films; Sonantes works on that level, painting soundscapes from...

In between getting engaged to Van Wilder and filming a make-out session with Penélope Cruz for the new Woody Allen picture, Scarlett Johansson (Scar-Jo if you’re nasty) decided, “Hey, might as well record a bunch of Tom Waits songs.” So she called on the production skills of TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek, and the two . . .

Think the Steve Miller Band doesn’t matter anymore? Try telling that to the generations of smiling fans who packed the sold-out Ravinia Amphitheater in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park for two nights last July. Captured with 17 cameras in 5.1 surround sound, those gigs anchor Live From Chicago . . .

Along with all things Louisiana, Cajun identity made a comeback in the 1980s. Descended from French-Indian deportees to the bayou in colonial times, the Cajuns speak a French dialect and make music with its own distinct cadence. The youthful band Feufollet is the latest manifestation of the Cajun revival . . .