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What better way to herald the end of the world than with a jaunty polka, you might ask? Well, not with just any old polka, but one featuring a contrabassoon, electric bass, French horn, violin, percussion, and, oh yes, an accordion – played by musicians plucked from Canada, England, Israel and the American Midwest. Apolkalyptic indeed! If you like the track, check out the album.

Can a song be shy? With its tentative, almost hesitant opening of syncopated guitars and hypnotic, subtle changes in percussion, “Push to Freeze” takes a while to come out of its shell. Gradually adding sonic layers while maintaining a spacey, wide-open quality, Sorcerer (a.k.a. Daniel Judd) shows a great flair for creating inviting atmospheres and scintillating textures – and breaking the ice, so to speak. If you like the track, check out the album.

Fans of the North Mississippi Allstars should be familiar with the deeds of Hill Country Revue. The Revue is NMA’s Chris Chew and Cody Dickinson jamming with guests Daniel Coburn, Kirk Smithhart, Ed Cleveland, and Garry and Duwayne Burnside (sons of legendary bluesman R.L.), veering NMA’s jam-blues caravan down a more rootsy path. “You Can Make It” is a snappy country-rock number with a curling guitar hook that will check your chin; it’s taken from Hill Country Revue’s new album, Make a Move. If you like the track, check out the album.

Still only juniors in high school, Comic Book Heroes already have four years of music experience in their gig bags. Don’t let their youth fool you, though: This is by no means teen pop. Citing collective influences that range from Charles Mingus, the Rolling Stones, and David Bowie to Dream Theater, Nirvana, and Franz Ferdinand, the quartet from Reading, Pa., perfectly combines sassy vocals, strutting guitars, and confident beats into a rumbling, grown-up rock ’n’ roll declaration. If you like the track, check out the album.

Southern Illinois native Jaimee Paul grew up singing in church, where she wowed congregations with her spins on classic hymns. On her newest album, Paul reinterprets jazz standards, including “Cry Me a River,” originally popularized by Julie London. Close your eyes and listen to Paul’s timeless, smoky vocals mingle with tranquil string orchestration and Beegie Adair’s delicate piano playing. If you like the track, check out the album.

How appropriate that “Vivire Para Ti” is the Song of the Week just as everybody’s pulling skimpy summer clothes out of storage. The fun Venezuelan group fills a highball tall with cool disco and Latin lounge, topped with a gorgeous vocal one-two punch from Julio Briceño and special guest Natalia Lafourcade. Producer Dimitri from Paris gives “Vivire Para Ti” wings to transcend both language and discotheque eras. Let Los Amigos cool you down as the temperature heats up. If you like the track, check out the album.

Any recording that begins with an old-fashioned walking double bass line already sounds like a winner to us. Add suave yet understated drumming, crisp acoustic guitar comping, and, most importantly, singer/songwriter/pianist/guitarist Leslie Mendelson’s spirited voice, and one gets a song that does indeed, as advertised, “Hit the Spot.” The bluesy piano and boozy horns that come in later fortify the song’s adult-pop brilliance, which will make listeners frequently click “repeat.” If you like the track, check out the album.

This Nashville group perfectly illustrates the mixture of twang and commercial rock that helps keep country music alive and thriving with a new generation. “Don’t Wake Me” is a cut from Love and Theft’s upcoming World Wide Open album. Members Brian Bandas, Stephen Barker Liles, and Eric Gunderson intertwine their vocals to create excellent harmonies, and there’s a fiddle not too far off in the mix of what’s primarily an uptempo rock ballad with country soul. If you like the track, check out the EP.

Major Lazer is the dynamic DJ duo of Switch and Diplo, creating a distinct style of future-facing dance music. Diplo and Switch build a feverish pace on “Keep It Goin’ Louder,” chopping up baile funk beats and electro effects, while Nina Sky and Ricky Blaze watch over the packed dance floor doing play-by-play and color commentary. “Keep It Goin’ Louder” is an example of the collaboration-heavy Major Lazer debut, Guns Don’t Kill People Lazers Do. The album is stacked deep with guests like T.O.K., Santigold, Vybz Kartel, Turbulence, Future Trouble, Mr. Vegas, and . . . Andy Milonakis? You’ve been warned. If you like what you hear, check out the album.

This week we’re proud to serve up our first-ever children’s music selection. The Sippy Cups hail from the coastal Bay Area town of Montara and combine a modern rock aesthetic with the family music principles of education, kindness, and fun. “Seven Is the New 14” sneaks in some basic numerical concepts and multiplication lessons in a power-pop package that comes complete with groovy keyboards, infectious backing vocals, and even a jazzy instrumental bridge. If you like what you hear, check out the album.