The Keri Noble that was introduced to the world in 2004 is not the full Keri Noble.

On the new Leave Me in the Dark, Noble's first recording for the Telarc label, it's evident the singer/songwriter/pianist wanted to offer a better sense of her breadth as an artist. The dynamic EP, released in May, should obliterate the impression left by her constrained major-label debut four years ago.

The craziness continues here at Daytrotter.com headquarters this week. After an action-packed weekend of recordings with Cold War Kids, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Catfish Haven, and Locksley, we aren't slowing down. So far this week, we've recorded Parenthetical Girls, Gringo Star, sBach (a new project by Spencer of Hella), Ben Kweller, Whitley, and Annuals. Also coming into the studio this week are Crooked Fingers, Le Loup, Brighton, MA (who played a spectacular set at Sunday's Catfish Haven show at Huckleberry's), Samantha Crain (on The Avett Brothers' label), Wire (the legends), and Man Man.

Alex Riggen and Nick Pompou will perform their first public show as Murnau on Saturday at East Moline's Mixtapes, but the duo's ambitions are already clear.

Based in Morrison, Illinois, the band is named for the expressionist silent-film director F.W. Murnau (who made Nosferatu and Sunrise), and in addition to a trio of demos it has already recorded a score for the 1929 surrealistic classic short Un Chien Andalou as part of an EP with the single "We March on." The songs for a full-length have been written, the drums are recorded, and the album should be released next year, Riggen said last week.

"We've just always focused on recording and releasing ... to a wide audience [on the Web] rather than finding shows," he said. "We just like to write."

If all else fails, with the help of his trusty loop pedal Marty Jones could have a promising future as a one-man band. As the founder, primary songwriter, and conductor - who also handles vocals, bass, guitars, keyboards, additional percussion, sampling, and programming duties - of Silvis' X+X (spoken as "X Add X"), Jones (a.k.a. Heat) seems more than happy to take anyone willing to jam with him along for the musical ride. But he's ready to do it alone, if necessary.