My list of favourite artists continues... Thank you for your comments about the bands that I've mentioned (even if they are not to your taste), I'm going to further this post by linking each artist to something; unfortunately Youtube in the UK no longer hosts music videos and other such musical goodness so I think that I'm generally gonna resort to linking to myspace pages.

Sufjan Stevens

Labelling Sufjan Stevens as a 'singer/songwriter' is a bit of an injustice, he is so much more than that. Sufjan is most well known for his 'illinois' album (part of a projected series in which he plans to release an album based on each US state) and his signature tune 'chicago'. I first heard Sufjan Stevens on when I watched 'Little Miss Sunshine' and I immediately swore to look into his back catalogue. Sufjan is often considered to be an indie-pop-folk artist yet his albums vary from the electronica of 'enjoy your rabbit' through to Brian Wilson-esque orchestral pop found in 'illinois'. His music is often considered to be based on his own life experiences and the songs that are semi-autobiographical are heartbreaking and intriguing. His 'States' series of albums focus on distinctive themes based on each area and 'Illinois' features songs about aliens, serial killers and cancer. There are very few artists around that can produce albums at such a prodigal rate and still maintain such a high level of quality.

Songs to listen to: "Chicago", "For the Widows in Paradise, For the Fatherless in Ypsilanti", "Casimir Pulaski Day", "John Wayne Gacy Jr."

Mogwai

Mogwai are a Scottish post-rock instrumental group that formed in the mid 90s and have since established themselves as one of, if not the greatest post-rock band to date. Their work has been mimicked endlessly since they broke through to the relative indie mainstream with their album 'come on die young'. The group have released the majority of their albums on the acclaimed Scottish indie label 'Chemikal Underground' that boast artists such as 'arab strap', 'aereogramme' and 'The Delgados' in their stable. Mogwai have released 6 studio albums, a John Peel Sessions compilation and a soundtrack to a movie entitled 'Zidane- a 21st Century Portrait' in which the band scored the soundtrack to a football match in which dozens of cameras followed around the mercurial french midfielder Zinedine Zidane for an entire game. The actual album is brilliant (as is the film) and is testament to the powers of the band in which they can channel their terse orchestral works to any ****of content and still produce staggering results. If you are a fan of 'Godspeed You! Black Emperor', 'M83' or any other band that dabbles in apocalyptic instrumental anthems then you need to hear Mogwai.

Songs to listen to: Hunted By A Freak, Like Herod, Mogwai Fears Satan, XMas Steps

Tom Waits

Tom Waits is many things; an artist, a poet, an actor and a composer. He is most well known for being a pioneering and challenging singer songwriter and boasts a back catalogue of music spanning from jazz to blues to industrial metal. It is often said that their is a fine line between madness and genius and Tom Waits definitely stands firmly on this line whilst sipping scotch from a broken glass. His album 'Rain Dogs' is one of my all time favourite albums and has written some of the greatest songs of the last century. He has also covered a number of songs and completely over-shadowed the original artists that penned the songs (search for Tom's cover of 'Roxanne' by the Police, I dare you). If you have ever experienced a day in which nothing seems to go right and your only salvation has been odd music and strong spirits then you should consider Tom Waits to be a kindred spirit. Never has a nervous breakdown sounded so brilliant.

Songs To Listen To: Goin' out West, Jockey Full of Bourbon, bad liver and a broken heart

Arab Strap

Arab Strap don't exist anymore. They disbanded in 2006 and their hasn't been a band since to produce an album that can challenge the sad, poetical nihilism that Malcolm Middleton and Aiden Moffet turned into an art form. Arab Strap (label mates of Mogwai) created beautiful and tragic songs that offered vignettes,dirty, glancesof a sleazy and down beatenvision of lifethat others are too scared to reference. Aiden Moffet's vocals are delivered in the form of a drunken, epiphany hit murderer and their songs revolve around sexual failures, drunken adventures and sober realisations all to a post-rock tinged backing that manages to musically relay the emotions in which the lyrics often allude to. As previously stated, Arab Strap no longer exist; they achieved a modicum of the fame of which they deserved and no more. Their live performances spanned from the shambolic (in which the band members where so drunk that they were unable to perform) to the sublime (in which each member of the audience stood rooted to the spot, unable to express their gratitude for bearing witness to such perfectly crafted brilliance) and having witnessed both ends of the spectrum I can say that I'm wholeheartedly grateful to have been in the presence of true genius.

Songs to Listen to:Soaps, New Birds, Packs of Three, There is no ending, The Shy Retirer