Would you like a band that combines the laconic indie folk of Will Oldham and the literate English folk of Nick Drake? If the answer’s yes than you should check out Chicago’s Mean Sea Level. The band is the work of Brian Barton and a revolving cast of Chicago music luminaries and Cardboard Sangria label mates.
Bret is also in house engineer for Cardboard Sangria and you can hear that in the atmosphere he creates in the song “See What You See” from the new record. Vocals on this song are luminous and rich, the guitar sound is recorded beautifully and all the sparse elements added to the mix are just perfect. Now that I’ve listened even more I hear a little of early American Music Club and the earnest songs of Mark Eitzel.
P.S. I went a little overboard yesterday on Swedesplease and proclaimed the new song from Erik Hallden as the Swedish song of the year. Click here to hear this indie pop gem.