The Velvet Teen: Out of the Fierce Parade

Half the time I don't know what's playing on my iPod. My friends gave me a ton of music before I left for Europe and I listen to it on shuffle and bands come on and I don't know who they are.

So I was listening to songs on the noisy bus when a heartbreakingly beautiful voice began singing. Familiar, but difficult to place. Jeff Buckley? Did I get some rare Buckley tracks from someone? The music, once it kicked in from the quiet intro, was like OK Computer-era Radiohead. I had to pull out my iPod to see who this was.

Turns out it's The Velvet Teen. I got a lot of good music from my friends, but their "Red, Like Roses," is only songs that's inspired me turn my iPod off shuffle and listen to the whole album to see what they're up to. Like in the Tom Waits lyric, I wondered, "What are they building in there?"