Kate Mann has a strange innocence in her voice that is nothing short of a genuine and blessed with grace. At times she sounds like a country girl type. At others, a woman of the earth. There is something positive to be said of an artist with a likeliness to someone you can’t quite point a finger at. In actuality, it is the craft that has been mastered, not some sort of mimicry. And Kate’s wonderfully prolific Things Look Different When The Sun Goes Down …

When it comes to good solid blues-filled rock n roll, the older is usually the better. And when such blues is lyrically constructed to fit the new age with the original spunk, it can make for a brilliant timepiece that celebrates latter day accomplishments. Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears have always known this. And Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is, is as goodhearted and brutally honest as any old-schooler would have you know.

The first time I heard Pigeon Lane, I thought it was a new project by Pelle Carlberg. But it quickly dawned on me that it indeed was not — Pigeon Lane’s sound is filled with similar amounts of pop, but the vocals (the trait most like Carlberg) are less humorous, less professional. Compared to Carlberg, Pigeon Lane fits a lower-fi profile. This suits them well; in a way, this style is comparable to early Starlet or early Acid House Kings.

Horse Feathers conjure an older definition of “gothic” in their music. It is the term as used in Southern fiction—at once horrible and beautiful. Like Flannery O’Connor’s short stories or Tennessee Williams’ plays, the songs are populated by families and lovers that are grotesque in the way that they can barely conceal their terrible pain, yet they experience moments that approach transformative grace.

Empire Of The Sun (MySpace) is not your typical duo. They add theatrics to their songs. They blend earth-based life with ancient spiritual aesthetic. They bring the golden age of early civilization into the modern technological world. They also take their name from a 1987 Speilberg flick. One listen to either of Empire Of The Sun’s first two “hits” and you’ll hear why everyone is talking about these guys — they’re easily this year’s MGMT.

“The original idea with Cloud Cult,” states front-man Craig Minowa twenty six minutes into No One Said It Would Be Easy, “was to try and create something that would make people feel alive for a moment.” While that mantra has changed slightly since the group’s inception, I’d bet it’s pretty safe to say they know they’ve succeeded at achieving their original intent.

On Ain’t Nobody Cares, Portland’s Paper Brain draws musical influence from the 60s and 70s and lyrical influence from literature. Most notably, “Robin Hood” (easily one of the best songs on the album) is a homage to Edgar Allan Poe’s Eulalie – A Song. It’s a unique take on literature, the putting story to song; one that others have likely emulated.

It’s hard to believe that my first live show of 2009 didn’t happen until mid-April. Then again, with the extent of travel over the past six or so months, maybe it isn’t. Add to that the fact that I’m getting older, and that it’s getting harder and harder for me to stay up late. Still, it was fitting that the first show took place at The Crocodile, recently remodeled and reopened with new decor and fancy marble-sinked bathrooms.

The infamous blend of pop and rock can often be a burden. Packed with generic artists, the mash-up of genres can be more a hindrance than anything else. Especially in the world of the independent. However, Golden Bear transcends the curse of the mundane and they do it in style.

A synthesis of bedroom pop, shoegaze, and folk-tronica, Anois finds a near perfect balance of melody and dissonance. From the pleasant instrumental loops to the off-norm harmonic male/female vocals, Tree House Whispers is an instant classic filled with the dawning of love and passion that mature and bloom into meaning and life.