It’s always nice to hear something a little bit friendlier when you’ve been drowning in a sea of, erm…less friendly stuff.

The Beauty Shop, a trio from Illinois, make raw and gentle slightly anti-folk songs. Listening to Monster is so easy, it just flows through your ears and doesn’t get annoying.

With beautiful acoustic guitar to set the tone and vocals likened to Beck, Johnny Cash and Leonard Cohen from John Hoeffleur, accompanied by soft percussion, this song is like summer drives in the countryside put into music (trust me, I’ve done a lot of them!). It’s just calm and simple, and I like its unassuming honesty.

B-sides Public Hangings and Nighcrawlers aren’t too bad either.

Label: Believe Music
Website: www.thebeautyshopband.com
Release date: 24th April 2006

Tracklist:

1. Monster
2. Public Hangings
3. Nightcrawlers