Russian Red Essentials

Though Lourdes Hernández's nom de plume suggests the bold shade of a favorite lipstick, her ethereal indie pop is much subtler in its seduction. Debuting in 2008 with I Love Your Glasses, the English-singing songwriter from Spain proved to be as quirky and beguiling as Feist or Joanna Newsom, with airy folk melodies augmented by waltzing rhythms, gentle snaps, and hushed horn blasts. By 2014's Agent Cooper, her vocals would grow smokier (think Lana Del Rey) and her arrangements grander (via sparkling '80s synth-pop), without losing an ounce of that melancholic whimsy.