It's easy to have a love/hate relationship with the singer-songwriter stuff. On one hand is the craft of the simple song, but on the other, singer-songwriters are a breeding ground for gratuitous backing tracks: dolt-simple drums and bass lines. So when something gets thrown into the singer-songwriter category, I tend to ignore it until someone gives me a good reason to go back to it.

Elvis Perkins in Dearland, "I Heard Your Voice In Dresden" (2009)

go get Elvis Perkins In Dearland

Elvis Perkins' music reminds me of the more creatively presented simple songwriting of the early 90's like Michael Penn or Crowded House. There's no question is the product of A Guy Writing Songs, but not only are the songs strong, but there's the added benefit of this century's production, where there's a reverbed gauze draped over the songs but still enough Real Musicians grit and energy to give it a tangible feel.

"I Heard Your Voice In Dresden" has lessons learned from Neutral Milk Hotel, but without being as unhinged. The combination of a meandering arrangement with an excitable insistence makes even the slightly-trite exclamation of "glory glory hallelujah" sounds as impassioned as it's meant to.

Oh, and if don't know Elvis Perkins's background, you need to go read it. So fascinating and tragic that it's almost hard to believe.