Victoria Bergsman of The Concrentes, perhaps best known as the female vocal on Peter Bjorn & John's "Young Folks," traveled to Pakistan for inspiration – and its shows with magnificent Eastern beats and instrumentals, complementing her superb vocals in this brilliant new album from her solo project, Taken By Trees

Honest and quiet, it's the kind of album to listen on repeat until you fall asleep, contemplatively happy. Bonus points for the superb innovation – it came with its own trailer and feature film: http://www.vimeo.com/7799870

The wonderfully playful and irreverent Thao Nguyen, with her quirky-sweet vocals and superb beats, will scoop you up and sweep you away into a land of musical whimsy and fun

The kind of album that makes a 5-year-wait worthwhile

Scandinavian pop at its best, handclaps and cymbals and all

Unexpected brilliance from the depths of indie

One of the year's most unusual sounds, Eastern-inspired magic

If happiness had a soundtrack, this would be it. Superb melodic arrangement, vocals that soothe your soul

The best new jazz vocalist to come by in a decade, and possibly the best of this year's SXSW crop

A voice to be reckoned with

Another much-anticipated comeback, another stellar Scandinavian gem