Quiet week for the JrzyGyrl.  Lots of work.  Makes for loads of listening time.

1.  Home – The Wealthy West

A side project of Brandon Kinder from The Rocketboys, another Austin, TX band, The Wealthy West is right up my singer-songwriter power alley.  Where The Rocketboys are full-band rock n’ roll with a little reminiscent of Coldplay, The Wealthy West is more toned down – really sparse arrangements (although not all acoustic – check out the organ on “Another Bad Idea”), contemplative lyrics and perfect little melodies.  Brandon’s voice is a bit chameleonesque – reminds me of Greg Laswell every once in awhile.  This little self-titled 5-song EP won my heart this week and got some serious action.  “Home” is my favorite track; seriously, how can you not love acoustic guitar, harmonica and banjo?

2.  Demons – Marcus Foster

Props for this one go to Music for Those Who Listen.  In the same post that gave me Ben Howard last week, he also turned me onto Marcus Foster, a soul-filled folky singer from the UK….think Brit version of Ray LaMontagne, minus the angsty depression.  Really loving his Tumble Down EP (despite the fact that I can’t buy it in the U.S. and am forced to listen to it on SoundCloud) especially this track, which has been the perfect accompaniment to my mood this week.

3. Anybody – The Soldier Thread

I was turned onto Austin, TX’s The Soldier Thread a few years ago by Stephen, who was a member of Alpha Rev’s management and promotions team at the time.  Lately, I’ve been a little obsessed with them, especially after seeing their acoustic act live a few months ago.  Patricia Lynn’s voice is pure freaking gold.  They put this song up for free download a few weeks back, and it has been getting lots of play – I love that this song, and their song “Matador” are serious empowerment songs. This week, “Anybody” shot to the top of my playlists. Not only did they put up a video of Patricia and Justin doing an acoustic version which is absolutely beautiful, but it also became my new favorite song to run to as it closed out my new running mix.  Download the song for free by clicking on the download arrow above or visiting their Facebook page.

4. When I Get My Wings – Will Hoge

With work ruling my life this week, I find myself desperately looking forward to my long beach weekend escape with seven of my closest friends in nineteen very long days.  Of course, the impetus behind the trip is a two-night stand at The Windjammer by none other than Mr. Will Hoge.  If you know me, my anticipation for his new record, Number Seven, is not at all surprising.  If you don’t know me…well, suffice it to say that Will is one of my Top Five artists of all time, and my absolute favorite artist to see live.  This will be the first single off the new album, and although you can only get it streaming right now, it has still gotten significant play from me.   Check out snippets off the new record at willhoge.com, listen to an interview that Alternative Addiction did with Will about the new record here, and read the story behind this song over at American Songwriter.

5. Take in the Sunlight – The Kin
My favorite Australian duo is back!  I feel so lucky to have seen these guys perform live on several occasions on The Rock Boat; there’s definitely a magic that siblings who perform together have that no one else can match, and these brothers are simply profound. Harmonically, they are sheer perfection together. The guys did a song for a documentary called “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead” about a man’s quest to lose weight and create a healthier lifestyle; “Take in the Sunlight” is the “theme” for the documentary, and I gotta tell you, it is an inspiring song.  So much so that it made it to my running mix, even though it’s not really an uptempo song.  They released it as part of EP with a few older songs (“Diamonds,” “Waking Up Shining,” “One Thing”) Unfortunately, the track can’t be found anywhere on SoundCloud, so I can’t put in a clip.  However, someone was nice enough to record them singing it at the opening of the film…and it’s almost better because you can really get a feel for the incredible intensity The Kin has live.  Thanks to BigCityVegan for sharing the clip on YouTube.