All the Rage

The first track on Arthur Dodge's brand-new solo album, The Perfect Face, is a tranquil and comically devastating song called "She Wants a Cowboy." It's the kind of song that keeps coming to mind in pensive moments. Face is doubtless one of the best local releases of the year, a masterful record on which the gruff Dodge, aided by some of his loyal Horsefeathers, realizes himself as a songwriter who crafts material that sounds gentle but cuts deep. arthurdodge.com

Drakkar Sauna

What is a Drakkar Sauna? Soundwise, it's a stamping conference of acoustic thrumming and old-time, squinty-eyed Grayson-and-Whittier-style yelled balladry. Wordwise, it's a dime novel's worth of small-size tragedies, treacle trifles and well-reasoned observations. In addition to having chosen an inscrutable band name, Wallace Cochran and Jeff Stolz cite Mandy Patinkin as an influence. They get away with it. All of it. myspace.com/drakkansasauna

In the Pines

It was a line from the folk song "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" that provided inspiration for In the Pines' name. Like the song it's named for, the music of this six-member ensemble of strings, guitar, percussion and pump organ evokes a fever of desperate longing for lost love. Late last year, In the Pines released its self-titled debut on Second Nature Recordings, and each of the album's 12 songs is a dusty, gorgeous narrative of romance, murder and/or betrayal. inthepinesmusic.com

Kasey Rausch

Summer music festivals can be impersonal affairs, but Kasey Rausch's seasonal itinerary features events such as Dogstock in Melvern, Kansas, and the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield — community hootenannies that are cozier than any club gig. She also performs at farmers' markets, chili cook-offs and weddings, as well as city-folk venues such as the Brick's Rural Grit Happy Hour and assorted 39th Street stops. Rausch recently released Live How You Love, a bluegrass record that retains the friendly warmth and picking prowess of her concerts. myspace.com/ kaseyrausch

Hardcore/Metal

The Esoteric

Last fall, the Esoteric released Subverter, a hardcore album heavy on foul, second-person exclamations such as The scene is dead, and so are you, alongside literary references to the late fellow Lawrencian William S. Burroughs. The band's righteous approach was rewarded by MTV2's Headbangers' Ball, which placed the video for "Your New Burden" on its best-of-2006 list. Following a nearly two-year touring bender, the Esoteric is lying low this summer but will be back to point a finger in your face. the-esoteric.com

The Leo Project

By adding a crunchy backdrop to Tech N9ne's "Riot Maker," singer-guitarist Tyler Lyon helped redeem the deeply sullied rap-metal genre. His band, the Leo Project, stocked the 2006-07 calendar with impressive — if not quite as miraculous — achievements. After reissuing its debut, The Burning, now bolstered with acoustic tracks on which Lyon demonstrates that sensitive singing is not synonymous with whining, the Leo Project began work on a follow-up full-length, due later this year. The group rates as the area's go-to local opener for airwaves-friendly hard-rock touring acts, most recently Papa Roach. myspace.com/theleoproject

Moir

Moiré turns 10 this year, marking a decade of giving metal fans what they truly want — music that sounds like it comes from hell. The cover of the band's latest album, Public Execution, is appropriately adorned with a guillotine image, and the sounds found inside are a history of real metal: the dual guitars of the '80s, the machine-gun drums of the '90s and the horrifying screams of today. No one around these parts offers metalheads more ruthless punishment. moiremetal.com

Out of the Suffering

With a singer who goes by the name of Graves, and with Bible-ripping lyrics and a dual-guitar attack savage enough to turn household pets feral, Out of the Suffering oozes metal credibility like a brain-shot zombie leaking gore. The group executes its high-speed grinds with daunting technicality, and Graves manages to enunciate while gargling brimstone. Molech's Dustin Albright, who booked the band for his Phantasm Fest in June, notes another point of interest: "Their bassist is a really pretty lady. But c'mon, fellas, don't be that guy." myspace.com/outofthesuffering

Sicadis

Cicadas rank as the insect kingdom's noise rockers, producing an undulating drone for summer nights. The Kansas City quintet Sicadis draws inspiration from the feedback-replicating swarms, though it switches the spelling in suitably brutal metal fashion. Featuring former members of Evermourn and Raise the Remains, Sicadis incorporates thrash tempos, thudding hardcore riffs and two-pronged guitar harmonies. In the past year, Sicadis has weathered several personnel changes and released its debut EP, highlighted by the incendiary track "Slay the Masses." myspace.com/sicadis

Hip-Hop

Approach