Artist: Moses Luster and the Hollywood Lights
Album: I’m The Lion
Label: self-released, probably
Genre: Gritty singer/songwriter with rock influences
RIYL: Nick Cave, Early Tom Waits, smoky bar-cured elegance
Essential Tracks: I’m The Lion, The Shadows of My Life, The Fist of Karma

I discovered Moses Luster yesterday after a recommendation from Weirdo Music, a blog that hits music left-of-the-dial. He released his album this year for free (or pay what you want) on Bandcamp. On a normal blog I might have flipped right by Moses Luster without a second thought, but the prestige of Weirdo Music made me go to the Bandcamp page to sample the first few tracks. Let’s just say I was impressed. Almost every song is amazing. Despite a heavy Nick Cave leaning, Moses Luster carves a unique niche for himself simply due to the strength of his songwriting and execution. When a song needs a horn, he adds a horn. When a song demands a female voice, he adds a female voice. He’ll get quiet–he’ll get loud. While the album leans more towards the rockers, even the more ballady titles don’t feel out of character or unwelcome. Unlike many free albums on bandcamp this doesn’t feel at all amateur or lo-fi. If I paid top dollar for this at Barnes and Noble, I wouldn’t be in the slightest disappointed.

(Click icon for Bandcamp download page)

(Yes, you have to enter an email address, but after sampling a few songs you’ll see it as quite worthwhile.)