Josh Hedlund's voice is fraught with a twisted sort of delicacy, intriguingly ageless and genderless, and filled with a very rare and delightful form of soul indeed. So many musicians trawl the local coffee and wine circuit armed with nothing but an acoustic guitar and a head full of post-modern angst, but few do it with the startling glory of this young Sandpoint troubadour. The four tracks he's had up on his MySpace forever are just a tease but they do show off well Hedlund's fantastic songwriting and brightly portentous voice.
"Polar" is a mellow and melodically sweet examination of Hedlund's seemingly slightly fried emotional state. Lyrically, it describes a surreal, bitter impression of lovesick hunger, with the ponderous refrain "I'll just wish in one hand". "I'll Fall Apart" is charming for the surprisingly polished, layered vocal sound that pops up to surprise attack you after the rough start of some studio chatter ("Dude!") at the beginning of the track. Nice touch.
Live, Hedlund's voice has a captivatingly dramatic quality that these recordings fail to fully capture, and his demeanor on stage is as warm as toast . His appearances have been rare of late, so point yourself toward Sandpoint this Saturday 1/19 and catch him in action at the Pend Oreille Winery. He's booked for two sets, starting at 5 and 7 p.m. I'd imagine Josh's tunes would go perfect with a nice bottle of 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon.
Recommended if you like: Devendra Banhart, Elliot Smith, Jeff Buckley, Hunky Dory-era David Bowie
Josh Hedlund's MySpace
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