Download: Deep Sea Diver, ‘You Go Running’

Kevin Bronson on April 5th, 2012

2

Jessica Dobson has, in today’s parlance, mad skills. She was signed to Atlantic Records at age 19, back in the middle part of last decade, and in typical major-label fashion they had no idea what to do with an artist whose work could not be plugged neatly into some format. The Orange County native persevered, making music as Deep Sea Diver in between gigs with Beck (guitarist), Yeah Yeah Yeahs (bassist) and, currently, the Shins (guitarist). DSD’s 2009 EP “New Caves,” with its knotty guitar work and intricate rhythms, only hinted at what was to come on “History Speaks,” Dobson’s proper debut. A little bit Chrissie Hynde and a little bit PJ Harvey, Dobson – joined by her husband/drummer Peter Mansen, John Raines and Michael Duggan – works from a wide palette, at once mysterious, seductive and conceptual. The biggest mystery about “History Speaks,” however, is that no astute indie label has picked up an album of such artistic weight, especially given Dobson’s pedigree. If you find a better self-released album this year, send me note.

||| Stream: “You Go Running”