Jenny Owen Youngs

Jenny Owen Youngs is best known for Fuck Was I, the standout track that finally found listening ears when played during the second season of HBO's Weeds, and inspiring Nettwerk to reissue her self-released 2005 album, Batten The Hatches. It's a good thing, too - the rest of the disc brings to mind singer-songwriters such as Beth Orton, Bree Sharp, and Mary Lou Lord. The writing ranges from spunky to despondent, but Youngs never complains; she just tells it like she sees it.

These, in addition to Fuck Was I, are my favorite tracks. Keys Out Lights On is a gentle, lazy dream with a meandering flugelhorn that drifts like thoughts just out of reach. Porchrail is more to the point: a 1:45 finger-snapper with upright bass flirting with a playful guitar line, and at precisely the one minute mark, the guitar enters as a guttural rumble, perfectly timed.

Jenny Owen Youngs - Porchrail (mp3)
Jenny Owen Youngs - Keys Out Lights On (mp3)

Own Batten the Hatches.