Teitur (or teetering on the brink)

Perhaps...just perhaps...some of you noticed last weekend that the world seems to be coming to an end:

• Russia invades democratic Georgia


• Bernie Mac dies, and Isaac Hayes dies


• Former Presidential candidate John Edwards admits to a 2006 affair


• Bush suggests major (and majorly detremental) changes to the Endangered Species Act


• Scientists activate the Hadron Collider, cross their fingers and rap

In Philly, however, it was an absolutely fantastic weekend, perfect for sitting on your porch, deck or cement slab with a cup of tea and reading a book. But what's a relaxing Saturday morning without the right soundtrack? Enter Teitur, Stockholm's current hot shit folk singer (I'm pretty sure those words have never been strung together before now):

Teitur - "The Singer"

Teitur - "Start Wasting My Time"

Paste describes him as "foremost a pop craftsman, something that's occasionally obscured by his favoring of minimalist strings, hushed backing harmonies and pulsating horn sections." That's pretty spot on: it's a haunting and spare album, but there are bursts of sing-along tunefulness (see the chorus of "Start Wasting My Time"). His voice falls somewhere between the matter-of-fact delivery of Ben Gibbard and the slightly hammy and bleating sound of the Decemberists' Colin Meloy.

It's a good record, start to finish. Check out the songs (remember to click "Download Original" on the right) and let me know what you think.