Veni, vidi

One of the things (and when I'm in a particularly bitter mood, I'd say one of the few things) that makes mp3 blogging gratifying is coming across something that's almost totally unknown and completely wonderful.

Saw is Sam and Annak, a French duo (recently relocated to Sweden) that has self-released several albums' worth of masterful folk-pop. Their 2005 album The Yellow Light is of such uniform high quality that I struggle to comprehend why they're not as well known as say, Iron and Wine or Espers--both acts Saw stylistically resembles. Is it because they're French? They do, thankfully for me and my moldering French, sing in English. And they sound heavily influenced by the sort of new-folk thing that's going on in the U.S., Britain and, if Jose Gonzalez (who I am absolutely loving) is any indication, Sweden, right now. But there is the slightest, je ne sais quoi . . . whimsy, perhaps, that inflects these tunes. And, in the kind of statement that will never fail to warm my coal black heart, their bio says they met and formed a band "around their love for great melodies." Which is something I often find missing in the critically lauded artists of this genre.

Saw takes an enlightened view of downloading: They offer The Yellow Light and their 2004 EP The Long Wait for free on their Web site, asking only that if you like, you seek the recordings out and buy. (However, I tried the four links to US, French, British and Swedish distributors and only the British and Swedish gave you the option of buying anything.)

Can't recommend this highly enough. Listen, spread the word and help these nice, talented people get the recognition they deserve.

Controlling My Fear - Saw

Leaving Traces - Saw

Worries - Saw

Hiding In Corners - Saw

Through The Fire - Saw