/Passenger

Today, at lunch, the topic of road trips and music came up and it got me thinking about what sort of music would be able to sustain me while driving long distances. I think /Passenger‘s (yes with the slash) U.S. debut album “Wicked Man’s Rest” fits the bill. The music arrangements are complex but traditional, using few (if any) of the cliche digital or artificial effects that I am starting to find annoying. Vocalist Mike Rosenberg’s voice has a slight English inflection, and while his pitch bothered me at first, I soon found myself appreciating how it varied throughout his range. They will be performing at Hotel Cafe in L.A. on June 9th, and two days later at the Mercury Lounge in NYC. If you’re a fan of David Gray or Nick Drake, you will want to check out their EP Night Vision Binoculars which will be digitally released on June 24th. Their album comes out this summer.