Nick Drake - Pink Moon (Island, 1972)

For many years, I have heard people speak of Nick Drake in hushed, reverential tones. It is rare to find a Drake fan who isn't completely and utterly enamoured with him. I had heard his music sporadically up until a month or so ago - a song on the radio here, a song at a friend's house there - however, I had never explored his music deeply. I am a firm believer in the idea that the music we love most has a way of finding us when we need it most, and I must say that I am extremely grateful that Nick Drake has finally chosen to find me.
Pink Moon is a stark, beautiful album that Drake recorded in two days with only an acoustic guitar, and occasional piano accompaniement. His lyrics speak of sadness, loss, and despair. Drake, no stranger to depression, would eventually die from an accidental overdose of anti-depressants two years after recording Pink Moon, at the tender young age of twenty-six. While the subject matter of the album may seem gloomy, Drake's tremendous acoustic guitar playing and finger picking, along with his soft, plaintive vocal delivery, transcend the gloominess and transform the album into something simultaneously dark and enchanting.
Listening to the album's opening track, Pink Moon, the piano line that kicks in 61 seconds into the song never fails to send a shivers up my spine, and the shivers recur throughout the remainder of the album, be they caused by a certain guitar note, or a softly sung lyric that speaks directly to the heart.

Check Out: www.brytermusic.com

James Figurine - Mistake Mistake Mistake Mistake (Plug Research, 2006)

How do you like your electronica? I like mine any number of ways, although perhaps my favourite type is Warm Electronica. Never heard of Warm Electronica? Don't worry, I just invented the term. I often find that a lot of electronica is just far too, well, electronic. It is too cold and inhuman, which makes it difficult for me to establish any sort of connection with it. This album does not suffer from that problem. James Figurine is perhaps more widely known by his real name, Jimmy Tamborello, whose is perhaps more widely known as one half of The Postal Service. He, being, of course, the half responsible for the music - as opposed to the lyrics and singing - of said group.
Warm Electronica is a more human form of electronica; it can be like your favourite blanket: warm, cozy and inviting. Its squeeks, beeps and beats are electronic, though it somehow manages to sound as though it has the warmth of an analogue recording.
The opening track of Mistake Mistake Mistake Mistake, 55566688833, is a tongue-in-cheek lament of cell/mobile phone politics (55566688833 being the numbers necessary to spell 'love' when text messaging), while Pretend It's A Race And I'm On Your Side, is playful and oddly poignant at the same time, with a layered, sprightly melody built around the refrain "When I say, don't walk away, pretend its a lie." Another highlight is the track Apologies, which offers the sage advice that apologies are in fact gifts, that should be accepted with a smile on your face.
All-in-all Mistake Mistake Mistake Mistake is a very cool album that has been receiving repeated plays in my stereo. If you are a fan of the electronic side of The Postal Service, this is definitely an album worth checking out. It also features some fine guest vocalists, including Jenny Lewis and King's Of Convenience's Erlend Oye.

Check Out: www.myspace.com/jamesfigurine

Elvis Perkins - Ash Wednesday (XL Recordings, 2007)

When I first heard Ash Wednesday's opening track, While You Were Sleeping, on KEXP (www.kexp.org) early last year, I was instantly enamoured with its lilting melody and its infectious, rambling, sing-a-long quality. I henceforth spent the remainder of 2006, eagerly anticipating the release of the album (Ash Wednesday), as Perkins toured the U.S. with the likes of My Morning Jacket and my personal favorites, Okkervil River. Much to my delight, when the album was released in February, 2007, I found that While You Were Sleeping was by no means exceptional in its greatness, as there are a number of tracks on the album that are equal to, if not greater than, the album's opener.
Elvis Perkins has had his fair share of personal tragedy in his thirty-three years of living. His father - actor Anthony Perkins - died from complications related to AIDS in 1992, while his mother was aboard one of the planes that flew into the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001. The title track of the album - Ash Wednesday - is a stirring meditation on that horrible day, performed by someone who has more right to speak of it than most, but does so in a way that is not overtly obvious, and all the more powerful for it.
As you may expect, the themes of love and loss are a constant throughout the songs on Ash Wednesday. However, Perkins does not allow himself to wallow in self-pity. His ruminations are transformed into wonderfully moving tracks such as All The Night Without Love, Moon Woman II and Sleep Sandwich, among others. This album is a fine example of an artist's ability to turn sadness into something beautiful.

Check Out: www.myspace.com/elvisperkins