Lydia Loveless

By appearances alone, Lydia Loveless is a run-of-the-mill, young, hip guitarist, impractical scarf and all. But give her a chance to sing out, and it’s clear that she’s doing her own thing. Equipped with an acoustic guitar and an upright bass player, her wistful licks don’t reek of pretension. Even while belting out a ballad, there’s a playful realness found in Loveless and her stoic, bass-playing husband, Ben Lamb. Her 2011 debut for Bloodshot Records, Indestructible Machine, hits all the right notes of hell-raising, and rocks along the entire way. Frankly, in the era of big-lipped, manufactured pop “indie” artists like Lana Del Rey, it’s damn good to see such a talented person both having a blast and making excellent music.

Updated 07/04/2012