Best New Music: Geoffrey O'Connor

My freshman year of college, I had a crush on this guy who I think was obsessed with melodrama. Whenever he spoke, he'd leave these big, dramatic pauses between sentences, as if allowing the enormity of what he had just said to sink in. He'd also talk really quietly -- almost whisper (especially when he was drunk) -- so that you'd really have to lean close to understand him. And the reason I bring this up is because...crushing on this guy felt emotionally similar to listening to a Geoffrey O'Connor record -- such as the recently-released Vanity is Forever.

O' Connor, seeming O-so-nonchalant (see what I just did there?)

Like my college crush, O'Connor is fond of hushed, breathy vocals, dramatic pauses, and intense, simile-filled lyrics that unfold slowly over the course of a song. He's indebted to the '80s (my crush liked yacht rock) -- and knows smoothness is more important than all else. Listening to Vanity is Forever, one feels not exactly vain, but certainly indulgent -- check out my full review over at Phrequency.com, and be sure to watch the creep-tastic video for "Whatever Leads Me to You."

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