up here, the air is cleaner, the air is thinner

I'm going to try something new. You can try it too, if you want. But I'll go first.
That's right, I'm going to review an EP and then give you the link to download it. Because that's just how I roll.

The Mountain Goats Jack & Faye
The lead singer of The Mountain Goats reminds me of what would happen if you were to meld Stephen Colbert and Jason Schwartman into a single guitar-strumming person. However, he sounds more like Colin Meloy and Ben Gibbard. But enough with the comparisons! Put them away with all of your misplaced socks.
Listening to Jack & Faye is like finding a book that someone wrote FOR someone else but it's been long forgotten; sitting and gathering dust among other books FOR people, personal personal works that embody a time and place completely. It was recorded in 1996, which is the tip of the tail end of their lo-fi period, and rightly has some of that dust on it. His voice is a little shaky in some parts, most notably on "There Will Always Be an Ireland" without drawing away from the song itself. If you've heard any live Colin Meloy recordings, you'll know what to expect in that respect.
The songs are plains of grass, ancient ruins that have grown over with ivy and bush. Every now and again the music will swell and a backup singer will follow him. You're standing on a hill in the plain and the swell hits you and you follow the wind of it with your eyes down into the valley to the river there. It's a little chilly, but you wore your windbreaker, and that helps.
Maybe you'll find something there you weren't expecting.

[the EP and many more songs, along with ones I haven't listened to, can be downloaded here.]
Also recommended: "Cubs in Five," "Get Lonely" and "Sometimes I Still Feel the Bruise," which are available on request or on iTunes.

If I do end up doing more of these, I'll aim for one every week or so. If only to keep my mind off of the insane people I have to deal with earlier in the day.