North Sea Radio Orchestra: Birds (Oof!)

Led by composer, arranger, conductor, and guitarist Craig Fortnam, the North Sea Radio Orchestra is a gorgeous chamber-folk ensemble that expands to as many as 20 members. Fortnam's pieces range from wandering pieces for classical guitar and flute, accompanied by an angelic choir, to dense, sprawling near-masterpieces of harmonic beauty.

Dokkemand: Høns! (Other Electricities)

For Dokkemand's debut full-length for Other Electricities, synthesizers and electronics layer with organic instruments over glitch-hop beats and other cutups. Guest singers provide ambient and lead vocals, including the dreamy, childlike lines from Cranes vocalist Alison Shaw, that mesh well with Dokkemand's melodic and jarring collages.

Dokkemand: "Lapp"
Dokkemand: \"Lapp\"

The Evpatoria Report: Maar (Get a Life!)

Swiss five-piece The Evpatoria Report concocts dreamy, spacey, instrumental rock. Strings and keyboards layer with a conventional rock-band lineup, resulting in epic passages and ambient interludes.

The Longboards: Motorhythm (El Toro)

This Spanish three-piece isn't breaking the surf-rock mold, but if you're in an already wintry city like Chicago, odds are that you're already yearning for summer. Hold off your beach fever with reverb-soaked surf tunes from this aptly named group.

The Longboards: "Motorhythm" (excerpt)