Smells Mellow

Laura Veirs - Galaxies (3.3mb mp3 from her SXSW Showcase page, which will likely disappear shortly)

This might sound like straight-up pop at first, but there's a certain depth here that makes it worth paying closer attention. I bet Sheryl Crow wishes she could craft sparse little beauties like this. There's always something interesting going on -- spacey, warbling keyboards, plinking piano bits, or reverbed guitar feedback floating behind the scenes -- but the singer's wonderful voice and a simple, softly distorted guitar line carry things through from beginning.

The na-na-nas in the last minute probably shouldn't work, but they somehow wrap things up just right. After getting hooked on this song, I believe that galaxies really can pour down your cheeks and flood the street.