A twinkling merriment behind it all.

“Funerals,” the Operacycle; “Gonna Miss You,” Hub Moore and the Great Outdoors; “Tear in Your Hand,” Tori Amos; “Bhangra Fever,” MIDIval PunditZ; “Turning the Pearl,” Jeff Harrington; “Myth,” k.d. lang; “The President,” Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians; “I Want to be a Sideman,” Dave Frishberg; “Dizzy,” Siouxsie and the Banshees; “Hear Me Talkin’ to Ya,” Ella Fitzgerald.