Joan As Police Woman

On 2007's Real Life, Joan As Police Woman (aka Joan Wasser) charmed discerning listeners with orchestral indie pop. Here, she often strips things down a bit but still entrances. Like Cat Power, Joan knows how to paint vivid images with words, mood and space. Like Feist, she has a feel for using and deconstructing classic pop melodies -- "Furious," "To Be Loved," "Magpies, "Hard White Wall" and "Holiday" are fantastic head-bopping sing-along pop songs. David Sylvian and Rufus Wainwright help out on one of 2008's best releases.