Listening to: Martha Wainwright, The Ting Tings, Abigail Washburn & the Sparrow Quartet

Seeing as I have been in New York four weeks and have already accumulated more than 50 CDs, I’m going to start writing about some of the new stuff I get.

Martha Wainwright
I Know You’re Married But I’ve Got Feelings Too (Zoe)
Release date June 10
About 32 years old, Canadian, sister of Rufus Wainwright. I Know You’re Married … is her second LP.
Sounds like Folky acoustic guitars with pop melodies. Her voice sometimes has the same kind of young sound as Joanna Newsom and Anaïs Mitchell, which I love.
Listen to if you like Anaïs Mitchell, Emma Pollock, Tori Amos

The Ting Tings
We Started Nothing (Columbia/Red Ink)
Release date June 3
About U.K. duo of Jules De Martino and Katie White. Best known for the song “Shut Up and Let Me Go,” which is in an iPod commercial.
Sounds like summer. Lots of chanting, cheering, and clapping, some electronics.
Listen to if you like The Brunettes, The Go! Team, Matt & Kim

Abigail Washburn and The Sparrow Quartet
Abigail Washburn and The Sparrow Quartet (Nettwerk)
Release date May 20
About Banjo player/singer Abigail Washburn played with banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck, cellist Ben Sollee, and fiddler Casey Dreissen on her first solo LP, Song of the Traveling Daughter, but decided to give the group an official name on this release. Album debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Bluegrass Albums chart and I wrote a story about it.
Sounds like straight-up folk music (some bluegrass, but not so much). Washburn has a gorgeous voice, the music is tight and they all are phenomenal.
Listen to if you like Nickel Creek, Béla Fleck