Reality is tough
Sometimes you need something to sooth your fevered brain, you know? Something to chill the f*^k out with. A great way to do this is with a good singer-songwriter, but there are so many out there that are so bad. I mean, so bad. So where do you turn?
How about to Germany, to an eclectic, primarily-electronic label like Kitty-Yo?
Raz Ohara, aka Patrick Rasmussen, has been recording and releasing music since the late 90s, and "Reality" comes off of his second album, The Last Legend, originally released in 2001. His label, Berlin's Kitty-Yo, was kind enough to re-press it and offer it up for cheap. The album is really nice: pretty much just acoustic guitar and voice, with minor electronic flourishes thrown into the mix. Other Raz Ohara releases are marked by his singing plus stronger electronics - beats and synths and such - but this record is almost all this mellow stuff. I like it. A lot.
Also worth noting is that Raz Ohara gets around, singing vocals on lots of different people's work, like on Apparat's Silizium EP, on a number of tracks by BPitch Control's Smash TV - see Discogs for details, but suffice it to say that if you're part of the scene in Berlin and want his sweet voice on your songs, it seems like it is a possibility.
Anywho, check out The Last Legend, it is really good, and I think you'll enjoy the change of pace it offers. You can buy it from your favorite indie retailer, from our friends at Forced Exposure (US), or direct from Kitty-Yo. You can also get a "Selected Works" collection of his songs on iTunes.
For those of you in Europe, Raz Ohara is playing 'Urban Funke' in Barcelona, May 5th.