In the best tradition of lo-fi bedroom pop comes Orphan Bird, a one-man band that may or may not involve West Virginia songwriter Jason Ward.

It’s a brand new project — the first post on this blog is dated Dec. 31, 2009 — but it sounds like things are happening fast, with four songs already written and recorded. We have two of them.

The first, “A Slow Song for Sad People,” is just that: quiet, spare and mournful. The second, “Why Not,” is a jauntier number, “which is sort of what this project is about,” says the Orphan Bird blog.

With double-tracked vocals over simple acoustic guitar, the song reminds us a little of early Devendra Banhart: it’s melodic, catchy and just a little bit haunting.

LISTEN
A Slow Song For Sad People mp3
Why Not mp3

January 19, 2010 at 10:00 am | Share |