Lady Lazarus Lapsarian

Your ears always perk up when you hear an enchanting voice along with beautiful piano playing. And it's even better when the artist takes inspiration from a great like Sylvia Plath. So it's no surprise that I'm really into Lady Lazarus, an artist who delivers minimalist tracks in the realm of dream pop and experimental folk. She'll remind you of Joanna Newsom or Cat Power, but making the comparison is a bit unjust in light of her exceptional talent.

Lady Lazarus is Melissa Ann Sweat, a singer-songwriter, artist, poet - apparently jack of all creative trades - hailing from Los Angeles. Her songs are all really calming; the bewitching tone of her voice accompanies keys all too well. It's impressive that she only started teaching herself keyboard back in 2008.

This track comes off Melissa's newest album, All My Love In Half Light, due out on January 29, 2012. It's a moody accordion sounding piece with simple but dramatic lyrics. This speaks to the sound of her entire album: straightforward yet evocative music from a beautiful soul. Favorites are "Wonder Inc.," "Edge," and "Do Not Go Gentle" - heavy piano tracks.

Melissa released a 7" on Inner City Cruiser this summer as a part of the Graveface Charity Release Series, which included indie greats like Mount Eerie and Xiu Xiu. She was in good company then, and with tracks like this, you can bet she'll continue to be in good company in the future. While waiting for the album to drop, you can follow the music maker on her website. Stay on top of more captivating indie releases like this by stalking her excellent media group, Crash Avenue.