The Best New Album of 2006 (Thus Far)

I can't believe I haven't posted anything about Josh Ritter's new album. "The Animal Years" is at the same time grown organically and with painstaking care with its raw, sublimely picked strings, warm, full drums, and well thought out, wonderfully crafted, smart, biting lyrics. I've connected to his words more so than I have any other artist in recent years. And with the e-card above, you can listen to the entire album online for free!

The first time I heard Josh Ritter, I had just ended a relatively passionate relationship which managed to waiver on being the most honest and dishonest encounter I have ever been party to. Honest in all the flushes and rushes being in love can do to two people. We'd spend hours together just to be together. We'd spend all our money to be able to do so. It was dishonest in that when we were apart, the relationship delved into a lie so absurd I will spend my life trying to understand it. I suffered a series of whacks to my esteem: backhandedness, cheating, lying, and pure abuse. I'd returned from California where she was living, and for reasons I won't go into now, we'd both been watching HBO's "Six Feet Under" somewhat incessantly over those ten days. The first episode after our break-up ended with "Come and Find Me" by Mr. Ritter accompanying the credits. I immediately went out and found all the Josh Ritter I could, and became somewhat obsessed for the latter part of my senior year of college. His music seemed somehow to mend the pain she'd caused in all her lies. It recreated in me the desire to love, to find it again, if not for a moment.

The summer after college, I moved on from Josh Ritter to Damien Rice, Jeff Black, and Patrick Park, and that fall, I moved to London where as I continued to love Mr. Ritter's increasingly potent songs, I found out that while an Idaho native, thanks to major support from Glen Hansard and his band The Frames, Mr. Ritter'd gained a lot of leg in Ireland - where I would move next. Just prior to my arrival, he announced a Valentine's Day concert. My very close friend and roommate Blake and I leapt with excitement. We went. It was a wonderfully scattered show, and the Irish truly love him, especially, the rotund gentleman who'd heckle, "Keep playin', John."

Why I am telling you all this, I have no idea - just to lay out my coming to find the man who asked that we "come and find" him. So, do so now. It's never been a better opportunity.