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The Chicago band Lesser Birds of Paradise, known for its hushed and pastoral folk music, takes "You Are My Sunshine" out of the American songbook and slows the classic to a crawl. Left to a hypnotic trance, the words take on significant new meaning.

Just one great highlight in a seamless set, Grupo Fantasma's "Oye Mi Cumbia" — with its blaring trumpets and funky rhythm section — clearly illustrates the raw power that the group brings with it, whenever and wherever it's on stage.

As Evangelicals' singer hits the warbling chorus his brooding devolves all the way into madness. Yet the song marries those moods with moments of catharsis that wash away the angst in an instant.

The boundary-smashing singer returns with a "Spanglish folk-soul" album about love, violence against women, and the immigrant experience.

In Sonnymoon's "Just Before Dawn," Anna Wise's ethereal vocals float across a palpitating soundscape. "Every night, you should have someone to hold," Wise sings, "to tell you that you did okay when your mind is against you."

Drummer Johnathan Blake tackles Robert Glasper's "Canvas," and in the process gives it a renewed sheen.

Nastiness and cynicism often take precedence over melody in Colin Newman's singing, but not in Wire's "Smash." For all the harsh guitars hanging in the air, Newman's words glide onto the hook like apple butter, sweet and smooth.

In "Coming Home," Bjorklund's playing conjures up romanticized roadhouses and late-afternoon sunlight filtered through whiskey, smoke and windows coated with decades' worth of dust.

Once the horn section comes in to add an exclamation point to everything, there's no turning back.

Now that the Scottish people have voted to remain in the United Kingdom, it's time to salute their classical musicians — from soprano Mary Garden to composer James MacMillan.