May Music Picks: Kris Kristofferson, Black Prairie, The Living Sisters, and more.

CDS WE LOVE...in which we cozy up to and share music that has struck our eardrums.

Kris Kristofferson: PLEASE DON'T TELL ME HOW THE STORY ENDS: THE PUBLISHING DEMOS 1968–1972

"When you're heading for the border, lord, you're bound to cross the line," sings Kris Kristofferson, someone who gave up military brass and academic prestige to push a broom around Nashville, and all for the sake of the song. In other words, a dedicated line-crosser. But even more impressive than Kristofferson's intrepid character is the sure-footedness of his songwriting. In PLEASE DON'T TELL ME HOW THE STORY ENDS, Light in the Attic's new release of Kristofferson's demos, the stripped-down acoustics allow the songs to breathe, uncluttering the angels-on-the-head-of-pin lyricism of his old-as-time laments. "When I Loved Her," with its blithe finger-picking and resonant, multilayered vocal tracks, glistens like the cosmic-cowboy duds of the late '60s; "Litte Girl Lost" and "Duvalier's Dream" takes a pull from Townes Van Zandt's bottle of melancholy blues; and "Slow Down," a rowdy, mid-tempo sing-along, is a reminder to enjoy life at whiskey-sipping speed. These recovered treasures are essential listening, and not just for Kristofferson die-hards. And if you think once is enough, well, to quote Kristofferson again, "You're the only one that you are screwing, when you put down what you don't understand." (Light in the Attic Records, 2010) —BS

Hear this! "Slow Down" by Kris Kristofferson

Hear this! "When I Loved Her" by Kris Kristofferson

Black Prairie: FEAST OF THE HUNTER'S MOON

While Colin Meloy writes children's books, his Decemberists bandmates Chris Funk, Nate Query, and Jenny Conlee have launched an equally unexpected side project: Black Prairie, a traditional band that blends old-tyme string music, Eastern-European folk ballads, and French bal-musettes. Consisting mostly of instrumentals, the debut album is a score to haunted landscapes. "Across the Prairie" invokes the grizzly riders of the Western frontier, while the band's cover of "Red Rocking Chair" turns the country reel into a ghost-town dirge. "Tango Oscuro" is an aristocratic spectacle, as violin and accordion square off like matador and beast. Sounding as apocalyptic as its title, FEAST OF THE HUNTER'S MOON offers a fresh take on the old, weary, and otherworldly. (Sugar Hill Records, 2010) —BS

Hear this! "Across the Black Prairie" by Black Prairie

The Living Sisters: LOVE TO LIVE

A modern-day version of The Andrew Sisters, a girl version of The Beach Boys, a white version of The Dixie Cups—all of these comparisons are apt, but don't quite pinpoint The Living Sisters' magic brew of jazzy indie-doo-wop. Three immensely talented solo artists, Eleni Mandell, Becky Stark, and Inara George (of The Bird and the Bee), collaborate in perfect, three-part harmony, proving, once again, that girl groups are greater than the sum of their individual parts. (Vanguard Records, 2010) —BS

Hear this! "Double Knots" by The Living Sisters

Alec Ounsworth: MO BEAUTY

Sputtering sax, tinny pianos, and explicit homages to New Orleans feel like an instant recipe for Waits-wannabe status. However, Ounsworth's voice is an assonant, nasally croon less conscious of its street cred than simply capturing a hard, poetic image. "Bones in the Grave" opens with a drunken-waltz time signature, a plodding organ and tuneless guitar, but by the refrain smartly departs from its straight-off-of-RAIN DOGS feel. In contrast, the upbeat horn run on "South Philadelphia (Drug Days)" echoes an E Street Band anthem. As this album ranges from underwritten ballads to sweeping orchestral themes, Ounsworth showcases the breadth of his expert songwriter's portfolio. (ANTI-, 2009) —NE

Hear This! "South Philadelphia (Drug Days)" by Alec Ounsworth

Hammock: CHASING AFTER SHADOWS...LIVING WITH THE GHOSTS

Space cadets and shoegaze aficionados, if you haven't heard Nashville's Hammock, you've been missing a garden of astronomical delights. Much like their album cover implies, Hammock creates boundless, aquatic instrumental frescoes. Like most shoegaze, CHASING AFTER SHADOWS...LIVING WITH THE GHOSTS is an impeccable, womblike soundtrack, and with its thrumming strings and sunny undertones, would make for a perfect afternoon lounging in plush grass under balmy rays of light. (Hammock Music, 2010) —NE

Hear This! "Something Other Than Remaining" by Hammock

Indian Jewelry: TOTALED

If you grew up with a post-punk penchant for Cleopatra compilations, no-wave bitterness, and Alan Vega's incantations, then check out Houston's Indian Jewelry—they're the closest today's kids get to touching the hems of those garments. Their latest effort, TOTALED, is a collection of dissonant, industrial-inspired synth jams, where melody sounds more like a coincidence than a commitment. TOTALED trades their usual cacophonous pounding for atmospheric swirls and minor-key instrumentation, while preserving those affected vocals that sound like groaning in the cavern of a rusty airplane hangar. Rekindle the darkness of your youth with this album—it's guaranteed to feel just as cool. (We Are Free, 2010) —NE

Hear This! "Oceans" by Totaled