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Port O'Brien writes indie-folk songs that are both haunting and laden with pop hooks — songs that make you sad even as you sing along with their catchy choruses. Here, the band plays songs from its latest album, 2009's Threadbare.

Title Tracks is led by John Davis, a Washington, D.C., singer-songwriter known for his contributions to Georgie James and Q and Not U. Davis' music is awash in bouncy hooks and sing-along refrains, but a close listen to "Black Bubblegum" reveals sharp pain and an obsession with conflicted relationships.

Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser have dubbed Congratulations a "no singles" album. The duo's sophomore release is adventurous and bold, featuring nine psychedelic, space-inspired tracks. Hear the album in its entirety until its official release April 13.

As 2009 winds down and the year-end best-of lists come flooding in, a lot of the same bands pop up again and again. In the spirit of looking out for the underdogs (small-town bands, basement-based indie labels, self-released self-starters), here are 12 albums worth checking out from artists you might not have heard.

While American hitmakers like Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift climbed the British charts in 2009, here in the U.S., we saw a serious influx of great music from the U.K. You wouldn't necessarily call these bands chart-toppers, either here or there, but they do add up to something resembling a British Invasion.

Since Weezer's debut in 1994, the band has released six more albums, gone through a re-organization, and earned a devoted following. Their new album is called Raditude. Last year, Rivers Cuomo, Weezer's lead singer, guitarist and principal songwriter, released two solo CDs of songs that didn't make it onto the band's albums.

The songs "And Then You're Gone" and "But Now I'm Back" began as one, with a little help from Franz Schubert. With some ingenious songwriting and a little help from NPR's Ari Shapiro, together the songs tell the tale of a love lost — and perhaps won again.

"Bottom of the River" has already become one of Arcuragi's most beloved live songs, and it's easy to hear why. An ode to embracing your misfortune and letting it wash over you, the track finds Arcuragi deciding to plop himself down atop the rocks of a running stream and commiserate with the fishes.

With its dance-happy, sing-along sensibilities, fun's brilliantly catchy "All the Pretty Girls" is the definition of pop, complete with rousing percussion, gorgeous strings and Nate Ruess' slick vocals. All the youthful angst in the world can't hide the song's dramatic arrangement.

Landlubbers beware: Peg-legged shipmates may invade your beer halls and cubicles soon. Sept. 19 is International Talk Like a Pirate Day, and Alestorm is at the ready.