If you’re the sort who revels in the dusky melancholy of deep winter, Jason Ward can help with the soundtrack.

The West Virginia singer and songwriter joins the ranks of those offering their albums online for free by posting his album, “Almighty Row,” here. You can also stream the whole thing on his MySpace page, which lists Radiohead as an influence. Indeed, you can hear echoes of Thom Yorke in Ward’s murmuring vocals on spare, simple songs stripped down to piano or acoustic guitar and a keyboard or two.

He’s a developing songwriter who’s still finding his own sound, but Ward shows definite promise on “Hinting Towards the Door,” with its somber piano chords and lonesome air, and the bitter recrimination of “Sinkhole,” where a churchy organ on the chorus lends a certain downhearted grandeur.

December 29, 2009 at 11:12 am | Share |