Horse Feathers - House With No Home (2008)

Do you like hushed, wavering male folk singers? Because if you do, you need to check out Portland's Horse Feathers. The delicate vocals are backed by warm and supportive acoustic guitar, banjo, and cello. Justin Ringle's voice falls somewhere between Sam Beam and Justin Vernon. House With No Home feels sparse, as the musicians allow the music to breathe and the instruments to become quiet for a cappella sections. It's a really quiet album. I kept turning it up. The music almost seems reluctant to come out of the speakers. It's also quite beautiful and restrained. Check out the album art, it is perfectly matched to the music. My favorite tracks are "Working Poor" and "Helen".

Joe Purdy - Take My Blanket and Go (2007)

Holy shit this album is good. I kid you not, there were a few moments when waves of goosebumps passed over me... or maybe that was just an open window. Either way, I felt moments of exhilaration while enjoying Take My Blanket and Go. I obviously have no scruples making artist comparisons, so I'll throw a couple out there for Purdy— Ryan Adams and Bob Dylan. Now, Purdy has been diligently putting out albums for awhile (9 albums over 7 years) and in his own right has an established, personal, identifiable, soulful sound, but the Adams comparison for this particular album is too accurate to avoid. Despite the workman like production, Purdy has managed to fly under the radar—well, more accurately, my radar (since his music has been featured in a Kia commercial and Grey's Anatomy & Lost episodes)—but like Iron & Wine's sudden leap into mainstream popularity with the clean, crisp studio depth of The Shepherd's Dog, Take My Blanket has passionate song-writing, production, and fully developed sound that elevates it above his previous (also stellar) releases. This is easily one of those albums I could over-listen, but not grow sick of.

Massive props to Purdy for allowing fans to stream his catalog on his website.

Listen to: "San Jose" (An uplifting start that rolls smoothly with organ, piano and harmonica); "Sinkin' Low" (Very nice); "White Picket Fence" (Sauntering epic with a spike-driving rhythm); "Good Days" (Slow starting piano bit that builds and builds); "You should" (Upbeat Dylan-esque piece).

The Dodos - Visiter (2008)

I just saw these guys last night and they're awesome. On the album, their indie folk falls somewhere between Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, the Animal Collective, and Iron & Wine's later releases. While the songs are catchy, it's the interplay between the drum and rhythm guitar that makes their music stand out. They toy with experimentation, but never loose the song. Live, they ramp up intensity, strumming faster, pounding harder, and just rock out. Check out "Fools", "Winter" and "Walking" for starters.

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago (2008)

This is a very enjoyable, mellow album. Everything sounds heartfelt throughout this patiently, fine crafted collection of acoustic solitude. Primarily falsetto vocals are supplemented by an undertone of steady acoustic guitar and subtle sporadic snare and bass drumming... this gives the songs a beautifully captivating simplicity. For Emma is perhaps my favorite study/reading album that I have discovered so far this year—in the realm of Iron & Wine’s The Shepherd's Dog—and given the amount of time I spend studying, it may break into my favorite new albums overall.

For the uninitiated: "Blindsided," "Skinny Love," “For Emma”