TW Walsh

TW Walsh (Tim to his friends) is a Massachusetts software engineer who moonlights as an introspective folk-pop balladeer. He's got a slightly odd, unconventional voice; this comparison may seem odd initially, but it's a bit like The Flaming Lips Wayne Coyne doing quiet, acoustic, solo stuff. There are similarities between them in timbre and phrasing (Walsh occasionally recalls Neil Young too). In any case, he's got a pretty voice that suits his material. His songs are simple and moody, occasionally with a touch of twang, recalling the stark folk-derived fare of songwriters like Will Oldham and Bill Callahan, but Walsh's compositions tend to be a bit lusher, warmer, less overwhelmingly naked. And every so often, Walsh cuts the big guitars loose for a driving, uptempo Dinosaur Jr.-style rocker. Walsh's smart, poetic lyrics feel like strings of revealing, psychologist-elicited non sequiturs. It's all-around good stuff, eclectic, nicely produced, heartfelt and direct.