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(JESCA HOOP’S “KISMET”)

I went to see Martha Wainwright at the Troubadour, and Jesca Hoop was the opening act. She played part of her set solo (just her voice and her guitar), and part of her set with two harmony singers (there were a couple of those songs where her friends the Ditty Bops came up to lend their voices as well).

Needless to say, Jesca was a standout for me (though Wainwright was also very good). I looked her up and found out one of her songs was highly requested on KCRW (not surprising), and also found some other tidbits (she was a nanny for Tom Waits, but not before being raised a strict Mormon, where MTV was banned and such and such).

I grabbed her album that night, and I’ve been playing it quite a bit. She reminds me of a weird blend of Fiona Apple, Kate Bush, and Nina Persson from The Cardigans. But it’s easier to listen to her music than to trust my vocal concoction.

Listen to “Seed of Wonder” and “Enemy” for a better reflection of why I’m digging her stuff.

(FAILBLOG)

I’ve wasted too much time scouring FAIL blog. I’m not the first to find this site, nor will I be the last, but for those who haven’t witnessed it yet, it will be a fun discovery all the same.

The art of Petri al-Maunus.

The art of Eimar Norelius: 01, 02.

(TO FALL ASLEEP TO)

5. Great Lake Swimmers - Mp3 - A relatively new band, Great Lake Swimmers have mastered the whole acoustic-guitars-in-a-barn-silo-with-no-audience-save-for-the-crickets subgenre of folk music. All of this works, in large part because of lead singer Tony Dekker’s vocals, which sound as much like another instrument as Thom Yorke’s at his finest. I’m not saying Tony can outsing Thom (few can), but his voice certainly serves his own band perfectly.

4. Richard Hawley - Mp3 - He has a timeless voice, a strange blend of Frank Sinatra, Roy Orbison and Morrissey. Hawley evokes dream-like imagery every time I listen to him. Sometimes his songs shimmer and swell, other times they’re just quiet ballads to relax to, but always his voice pierces through.

3. Stars of the Lid - Mp3 - The ambient beauty these guys create is so soothing, it’s hard to stay awake through an entire album. Which is why I play them while I’m working, just to find out what that last track sounds like. And with album titles like “December Hunting For Vegetarian Fuckface,” it’s clear there’s more than one level to appreciate this band on.

2. Low - Mp3 - Their early material built in layers at a glacial pace, and as the pioneers of a sadcore subgenre from Duluth, Minnesota, this husband/wife team have put out some of the most laid back, haunting, and beautiful songs ever recorded. Mimi Parker’s voice is one of a kind, and Alan Sparhawk only serves to compliment her with mellow, minor key vocals of his own.

1. Red House Painters - Mp3 - Mark Kozelek tops my list for sheer consistency. I originally put his band’s entire catalog in a CD changer and just let it shuffle (something I rarely do). It took me several weeks to figure out which songs belonged on which album, and that was a good thing. It was like I kept rediscovering their music every night. His voice is usually mixed back with the instrumentation (esp. the older material), which serves the songs well. It’s hard to pick one song or even one album when I want to listen to them, which is what puts Red House Painters safely at the top for me.

I like Antony and the Johnsons. I like Tindersticks. I like Mark Eitzel. And yes, I do like Morrissey, too. So I guess I’m guilty by association, because I also like Wild Beasts, whose frontman Tom Fleming is a curious blend of all of those singers (to me anyways).

Check out one of their songs, “The Devil’s Crayon,” and if you dig it, go buy their album on their site.

The art of Futo Akiyoshi.

The art of Cate Anevski.