Steeleye Span:
I remember listening to my parents' vinyl copy of this album when I was a kid--and this was easily my favorite song of the bunch. The way I can tell if I love a piece is if I memorize it accidentally, and this is an early example of that happening.
Down Like Silver:
Found this pair because the male half used to be part of EastMountainSouth. This is an album I can listen to on repeat for an entire afternoon--I really hope they release some more songs (or even another album!), because I love the way they blend, and their music is just so gentle to listen to. A warm sound, even when it's melancholy.
Over the Rhine:
Someone gave me a ripped copy of this album when I was in college, and I fell in love by the end of the second song--and have now bought quite a few of their other albums (and a legit copy of this one), so this was a case where piracy actually benefited the artists in question. ;)
The Unseen Guest:
I have no idea how I came across this duo, but I remember making my mom listen to this song in particular because I liked it so much. It's too bad it looks like we're stuck with only two albums from them--their songs are clever, both musically and lyrically.
Iron & Wine:
Iron & Wine's lyrics, on the other hand, tend to be pretty much word hash, but they're intriguing word hash, and I really like the instrumentation. This may have come to me courtesy of Pandora, back when that was keeping me sane at work.
La Follia:
Okay, so technically this doesn't fit, since "La Follia" is actually just one of the names for a theme that everyone wrote variations on, back in the day. But the thing is, I am a major junkie for a good set of variations. I have two albums that are nothing but variations on this theme (~2 hours total), and if the guy who headlined the first two albums makes a third I will buy it. (Seriously, Jordi Savall, call me if you want Kickstarter funds or something--I'll help you make it happen.)
