Mike Doughty Brings Us The New Hotness. Again.

If you're not reading Super Special Questions and listening to the music of Mike Doughty, it's about damn time you start. If you are reading it, then you would have seen today's long update post (he's into that recently) about his preparations for the Knitting Factory show (which, alas, I am not going to), his forthcoming trip to Berlin, the songwriting process for his next album which cannot come soon enough, and relinking with Andrew "Scrap" Livingston, international man of mystery. In and of itself, a great post.

But contained in the bottom of the text were some recommendations from Doughty. First, that we should all see that German movie that won the Best Foreign Film Oscar last night. More importantly, however, he introduces us to Sean Hayes, an independent singer-songwriter from San Francisco. I just downloaded his latest two albums, "Big Black Hole and Little Baby Star" and "Alabama Chicken" from iTunes, and let me tell you, I don't think I've heard downbeat folkrock this good since I heard Damien Rice's "O" way back on the campaign trail. Hayes released these two albums on his own label and has lent his personal touch to them. Stirring arrangements are accompanied by his haunting vocals, a cross between the aforementioned Rice, Amos Lee (who, also, if you're not listening to him, you're worse off for it) and, at times, Thom Yorke. All the while, Hayes incorporates the country sensibility he learned growing up in North Carolina into a very mature, folky, unique sound.

In short, go buy these albums now. And enjoy them.

You can thank me (and Doughty) later.