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Ok. So. Now that I've got your attention:

The neighbor who lives directly behind my house (I call him "The Bleeder") has a taste in music that is UNCANNILY similar to my own.

Consequently, I sometimes sit out on my roof with my earbuds in (to avoid Old Guy Neighbor) but no actual music playing, just so I can listen to HIS music instead.

I was doing this the other day, when a song came on that literally gave me chills. The voice sounded like Tom Waits. And initially I thought maybe he had a new album out. But he doesn't. And after I removed my earbuds and craned my eardrums some, I could tell it wasn't him. But the song was haunting and startling. And it was followed up by another song that I THINK was by the same artist which was also dissonant and strange and lovely. But despite all my ear-drum craning, I COULDN'T EXTRACT ANY LYRICS FROM THE SONGS TO GOOGLE.

I thought I had. I thought part of the chorus of ONE of the two songs was "angels stepped down." Or "[something] stepped down." Or "[something] STEPS down." But these are yielding NOTHING but a Jane Siberry song, and unless she recorded an album in which her sweet, juicy-grapes voice sounds like a gravelly whiskey-drinking man, I suspect this is not the song.

I also tried googling many variations of "sounds like Tom Waits," and apparently the internet is populated by thousands of musical morons who THINK they get the essence of Tom Waits but who apparently HAVEN'T A FUCKING CLUE. (Check out Merz on myspace and you'll see what I mean. Someone mentioned HIM as Tom-Waits-like.)

I was almost tempted to shout across the way at my neighbor and ask what band/artist it was when I first heard it. But I kind of figured that would severely creep him out.

And I'm SURE he probably already thinks of me as That Crazy Cat Lady, so I'd like to avoid ADDING to that by letting him know that I actually sit and listen to his music on a fairly regular basis.

So. Dear readers. HELP A MUSIC WHORE OUT!!!!! PLEASE.

The Bleeder is fairly current in his musical tastes and seems up on indie trends and all that shit, so I suspect this is probably a newer band.

But does anyone know of any bands/artists that meet the following criteria:

• The lead singer has an unusual voice like that of Tom Waits.



• The songs rhythms are unusual and the guitar-work is startling and unique.



• There are possibly lyrics in one of the songs that involve "stepping down" or "step down" or "angels stepping down" or SOMETHING fucking stepping down. (But this may be completely incorrect.)



• There MAY also be a woman who sings on the album. This I'm not quite sure of.



• I suspect it's probably something kind of hipster-cool that's lurking around right now.

If you have even an INKLING of a clue whom I might be thinking of, please do comment and leave a link or something. (One-F Man--my right-hand whore when it comes to music--RAPE that brain of yours and figure it out for me please please please.) I'm pretty certain that, after ALL this searching, I will probably be sorely disappointed when someone finally figures it out for me. And it will probably the most lame-ass music ever. But I'm willing to take that chance.

So please: HELP!!!

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