Given the relative proximity of his Anderson, Ind., hometown, Pop singer/songwriter Jon McLaughlin could be considered a Tri-state talent. As a youngster, McLaughlin learned piano despite his aversion to lessons, eventually studying music at Anderson University. At 21, McLaughlin released his debut album, Up Until Now, followed a year later by his eponymous sophomore disc, which he supported by relentlessly touring the Midwest.  

There are guitar slingers, guitar masters, guitar heroes and guitar stranglers, and then there are the rare guitar icons, players who possess a distinctive style that makes them immediately recognizable after just a few notes. Sonny Landreth is surely among that hallowed group.
  

 Theophilus London’s selection as opening act on the current tour of adventurous Pop artist Santigold was probably the easiest pairing the booking agent ever put it together. Santigold might be under “Pop” at the record store, but if there was a bin labeled “Various” or “Other,” that’s where her records would be most at home. Likewise, London is a “Hip Hop” artist, but his music combines so many varied elements.
  

  While Metal shows are havens for certain physical behaviors — headbanging, throwing the horns, grasping for an invisible orange during a particularly juicy guitar solo — smiling while you're playing is not one of them. But that hasn't stopped Steve Brooks. Torche's ringleader doesn't just crack a hint of a happy face during concerts but practically beams.  

At least twice recently, Rolling Stone has referred to someone’s sound as “Laurel Canyon.” If you were born after the late ’70s and don’t have a soft spot for Neil Young and his friends, you  

In July 2011, Esquire writer Andy Langer argued that Little Dragon's sound bears great resemblance to Prince's.But even with those similarities, Little Dragon is far too capable and confident to ape another artist without showing its own personality. They are careful both when they go fiery and when they chill out, and with an extra dash of the right je nais se quoi, their sound has legit potential to be big on the right radio stations.
  

Remember a few years ago when you couldn’t walk into a Starbucks without hearing the words, “Three words that became hard to say/I and love and you?” At the time, you probably rolled your eyes, but The Avett Brothers ended up becoming kind of a big deal. While “I and Love and You,” as a song, was mostly mellow and Folk-ish, it’s far from a decent indicator of the sort of noise the Brothers are capable of creating.  

In 2010, Natalie Merchant made a lovely two-disc album called Leave Your Sleep, inspired by the way raising her young daughter had given Merchant insight into the mysteries and complexities — the sweetness and the anxieties — of childhood. She wrote songs adapted from the words of 19th and 20th Century British and American poets whose children-related verse struck her as powerful.  

With last year’s six-song Nightlife, Phantogram lightened their atmosphere slightly while continuing to weave a fascinating sonic tapestry colored by threads of Chillwave, ephemeral Synth Pop and beat-driven sampledelica. In the design sense, a phantogram is a two-dimensional image that appears to be multi-dimensional. In the musical sense, Phantogram is a duo that sounds like an airy yet totally engaging Pop orchestra with dimensionality to spare.   

The Beach Boys have been blessing audience’s ears with happy and fun tunes (with occasional blasts of melancholy) for 50 years. As they embark on a 50th anniversary tour, they are preparing to release their 31st album, titled That’s Why God Made The Radio, which is also the title of the first single. Everyone who listens to music can think a happy thought.
  

The recent death of the Beastie Boys’ Adam Yauch underscored the fact that Rap and Hip Hop have now been a major part of the musical conversation for over three decades. Earl Simmons, better known as DMX, is another Hip Hop figure whose evolution traces back to the genre’s nascence and whose success and gruff Rap style inspired a generation to follow his blazed trail.
  

Pinning down the Bright Light Social Hour’s sound is like describing the contents of a blender on puree. The group evokes the spirit of the ’70s with shards of Southern Garage Rock, Psychedelic Soul, electric R&B/Funk, Indie Pop and thunderously elemental Hard Rock, represented by acid-washed church and Farfisa organ, searing slide guitar and chunky riffage, all in the service of songs that are compellingly contemporary and utterly appealing.   

The music industry is fueled by schlockmeisters churning out sugary confections that make millions but provide little enlightenment, while a courageous few pursue their creative vision in relative obscurity, a noble ethic that earns a cult following and a smattering of critical respect. David Dondero falls solidly and willingly into the latter category.  

When Michael Wayne Atha was born in 1979 in the relatively small Alabama town of Gadsden, it’s doubtful that his mother looked at her new son and said, “Future Rap superstar.” But that’s just where Atha — now known by his stage name Yelawolf — is heading.
   

Electronic music generally feels more machine-like than the product of conventional guitars-and-drums setups, but that doesn't mean every electronic artist is inclined to create work that's cold or inhuman. Dan Snaith exemplifies this idea in Caribou.