Artist Ben Connelly

Minneapolis' Ben Connelly says he doesn't fit in with the current trends of "indie folk," in part because his beard is "woefully small." Fittingly, his music sounds like it comes from a guy who's earnest but can laugh at himself. That overall niceness carries over to his brightly toned acoustic tunes, nimble picking, and the occasional tabla drum and organ. Once in a while his voice sounds a little strained keeping up with the yearning melodies on the new The Great I Don't Know Why—yet, again, he redeems himself by never getting quite too self-serious or dour.

Updated 09/17/2009