The confessional intimacy of '70s singer/songwriters has evolved into something more cryptic, artful, and quietly expressive. Guitars have given way to computers, keyboards, and other instruments in the music of Bon Iver, who dresses deeply emotive songs in glitchy electronics, and harpist Joanna Newsom, who sounds Appalachian and avant-garde at the same time. Strong female voices like those of ironic storyteller Jill Sobule and the sadly triumphant Cat Power have emerged, while Father John Misty and The Mountain Goats constantly change their ruminative personas to address topics like monogamy, politics, and everyday pain.