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Devotchka - A band from Colorado that does it's best to pretend that it's from Eastern Europe. They, at times, have a french horn, accordian or violin onstage. When I saw them play, the French horn was bedecked in Christmas lights. Seriously. I'm not going to list strenghts of each song because I've included a large-ish number and I know I'd repeat myself. Give them a good listent or two; I know they'll be slightly weird at first, but the songwriting is solid, the vocals are quite nice and they present a sound that you don't often hear. One other note, a couple of their songs sound like they belong in Clint Eastwood Westerns.

• Reprise - A simple instrument that serves as an introduction to the band
• Such a Lovely Thing - Feel the french horn, feel it act like a bass. It really is such a lovely song. "You only love me when I'm leaving / You only love me 'cause I'm leaving"
• The Enemy Guns - I've heard this song pop up in a few places, most notably in CBS's coverage of sporting events. It has a great rythym and a wonderful pseudo-western feel. If you can't imagine tumblweed a-tumblin' through a sepia toned landscape, you can't feel.
• This Place is Haunted - The picking on this song gives a floating, dreamscape quality to it, it's almost like a harpist trying to play guitar and plucking too hard at the strings. The piano just falls.
• We're Leaving - There's some Mexican style horn action going on, while the french horn again lays down the bass line. There needs to be tables with pitchers of cerveza on them and a dance floor filled with people.
• You Love Me - This is a pretty straightforward song from Devotchka, and really shows off Nick Urata's Morrissey-like vocals.

The Dresden Dolls - A duo from Boston whose style has been called punk-cabaret. Mostly featuring Amanda Palmer singing (serious vocal range, with the Rock settig dialed all the way to 11) and playing the piano with Brian Viglione playing some very solid drums. On their first album, a lot of songs have blatently appropriated elements from other acts in Rock history, but each moment works so well you applaud the usage. I haven't gotten to know Yes, Virginia... as well as I know their eponymous debut, mostly because it's hard to live up to an album that I've listened to at least 70 times.

• Backstabber - One of the few from their second album that I've gotten to really like, it has a nice light musical feel without sacrificing any of their edge and attitude. Viglione's drums are just spot on.
• Good Day - A bit of a revenge song, Palmer relishes having a better life than an ex who was, at the very least, of a bit of an ass. "So go ahead and talk about your bad day / I want all the details of the pain and misery / that you are inflicting on the others / I consider them my sisters and I want their numbers."
• Gravity - There's some nice multitracking of vocals, showing a personality that's fragmenting under pressure. "If I could attack with a more sensible approach / obviously that's what I'd be doing, Right?" also: "If you've got a straight line / this'd be a good time"
• Half Jack - "Half underwater / and Half my mother's daughter / the fractions left up to dispute"
• Shores of California - Showing a little growth, they allow the atmospheres by of their music and lyrics to not quite match up, giving you something that's not quite catchy but that sticks in your ears for a little.
• The Jeep Song - My favorite Dresden Dolls song. From the exactly perfect description of what it is to constantly see a car of someone you're no longer with to the absolutely fantastic Rolling Stones moment (where I quite literally clapped in delight upon hearing), there' so much to love in this song. It's clever and heartbroken.

Rob D - Clubbed to Death - This is the only song I have of his and last I checked on AllMusic, it was his only. The strongest song from the Matrix soundtrack, full of haunting piano and strings backed by a timely but not insistent techno beat.

Future Bible Heroes - Stephin Merritt's electronica band. His songwriting talents are joined by Chris Ewan who takes care of the electronica portion of the band, and Claudia Gonson (as of Eternal Youth) does the singing. As always for me with electonica type things, the otherworldly sounds are best offset by a very human voice, and Gonson hits the nail on the head. Her flaws as a singer are extant, but she has the right amount of emotion and her delivery of some pretty cleverly humorless lyrics is flawless.

• Kiss Me Only With You Eyes - "When the priest said 'You may kiss the bride' / Mary kept her veil down as she sighed / 'Kiss me only with your eyes, more than this I would despise'
• Losing Your affection - "I would rather rub the hair of a bear in a lair in the opposite direction / I would rather put the make on a rattle snake / than be losing your affection"

Vox Vermillion - This band from Minnesota broke up far too soon, only giving us one album and a couple EP's. A sometimes percussive piano, an achey-stringed cello and some pretty heavy drum beats make the base of a great sound that's darn unique. Kelsey Crawford's vocals are a touch avant garde, but the moment's she's bad at are far out-weighed by the time's she's just perfect. This is something to enjoy on a good stereo with the bass turned up a notch.

• Controller - One of their few songs where an electric guitar is really obvious, and with the hand claps adding to the drumming, they're convinced this is a hand-clapping good song. They're right. The chorus is little more than Crawford singing "controller" and later doing some "oh oh oh ohohoh" type stuff, but the music behind it is nicely layered.
• Macbeth - This song has moments where the vocals are a touch off, the repeated "Ha Ha Ha" is more distracting than functional, but the rest of the song is quality. Also, it's one of their shorter songs, so you're getting the entire package of Vox Vermillion in less than 3 minutes.
• Psycho - "Gotta Get outta here / Gotta get some English / Gotta feel all the pictures / Gotta freeze in my footsteps / Gotta get in touch with my secrets"
• Up In It - "All you people with your golden fame / never danced dark, in the rain" A simple piano line somewhat reminiscent of Something's Bad About To Happen In A Horror Film runs through the song, and the bass line more than occassionally resembles a hearbeat.

Tom Waits - A talent who has a preoccupation with finding out what sounds this, that and the other thing can make. He also seems to have taken that approach to his vocal chords, which make Bob Dylan's voice sound nearly silken. He's awesome.

• Chocolate Jesus - Perfectly timed for Easter, this is a more satirical version of the same commentary as Depeche Mode's Personal Jesus. Also, it has rooster crows, which I think makes it a better song. Marilyn Manson won't be messing with this rooster.
• Downtown Train - Rod Stewart's crowning achievement is making this song well known. Of course, I really, really don't like Rod Stewart, so I might be biased. Listen to and love the original.
• I Don't Wanna Grow Up - Tom's both plaintive and having fun. And, of course, rasping.
• Time - Tori Amos covered this on her Strange Little Girls album, and the cover is Quality, but Tom's original is better, mostly because he imbues his songs with so much of himself that they'll always sound a little like a Tom Waits song, no matter how pretty the voice.
• What Is He Building? - A delightfully weird and creepy spoken song about suburban paranoia.