Australian singer-songwriter Jen Cloher and The Endless Sea can best be described as Folk Noir, with doses of indie rockabilly mixed in. Her lyrics are smart and introspective, delivered in subdued tones reminiscent of Cowboy Junkies' Margo Timmins. The effect is that each song feels as though it's a secret meant for your ears only.
Jen has 2 recordings to date, with a third due for release in April. The first recording, Permanent Marker (2005), is a 4-song EP of sparse, dark songs. Two of those songs made it onto her full-length recording Dead Wood Falls (2006). This album features her Endless Sea band more prominently and they add a wonderful depth to the arrangements. Though there is a certain melancholy that flows through the album, it never becomes depressing. My favorite tracks are "Rain" and "Peaks and Valleys". Since that time, the Endless Sea has expanded, most of the members also making up Laura Jean's band. The new album, Hidden Hands, promises a broader, bigger sound and sees the group moving from 'singer backed by a band' to being a band as a whole. There is so much musical talent & creativity in the group that I'm really looking forward to their future projects.
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