Photo: myspace.com/basiamyspace
The Band: Basia Bulat
The Buzz: Canadian singer-songwriter returns with a second record that’s even stronger than her debut Oh, My Darling, applying her gently wavering voice to stark, dramatic folk songs.
Listen If: You still rep hard for 10,000 Maniacs’ In My Tribe.
Key Track: The harrowing “Gold Rush,” where Bulat sings like an old West widow, bemoaning her fate over taut bursts of violin and rollicking rhythms.
The Band: jj
The Buzz: Never underestimate the power of a good mystery: Swedish (we think?) band appears out of nowhere, releasing a sublime full-length on the label Sincerely Yours, offering no biographical information, no MySpace, granting no interviews. In an age where bands Twitter their shopping list this, we say, is a bold, bold move. It helps that the music is absolutely entrancing.
Listen If: You own more than one Tracy Thorn solo record, or you miss that weird moment in the mid 90s where there was a sudden rush of solo records by ethereal females (Milla — we remember you).
Key Track: “Things Will Never Be the Same Again,” where the anonymous vocalist’s aching alto bemoans loss over synths that burble like a digital riverbed.
The Band: Kurt Vile
The Buzz: Occasional member of Philadelphia group the War on Drugs steps out, funneling classic rock affection through lo-fi instrumentation, making grand songs that grunt and growl. Vile’s father got him started early, playing him classic country music as early as age two to help steer him in the right direction.
Listen If: You’ve got a beard, or have worn the same T-shirt more than two days in a row. Bonus points if the T-shirt has a hole in it somewhere.
Key Track: The snarling “Hunchback,” where Vile’s wild man moan does battle wit...
Article Source: Rolling Stone : Rock and Roll Daily