Perfectly respectable parameters, and indeed further opens up the discussion.
Thanks!
Oh, and if anyone is interested, of the music I had found on my own before this thread, my favorite was Joe Pug singing “Call it What You Will.”
Love that.
Not what I was expecting from your description. I feel like it might take a lifetime to hear all that these guys are about, but they aren’t really striking my fancy right now.
Nice.
I’ve only heard a short clip so far, but that voice is great.
I’ve only heard “Sugar Mountain” and liked it quite a bit.
I really like a couple of the songs and really don’t know about a couple others.
I haven’t found them yet.
Her music would torture my husband, which means I love it. 
Love that.
Thanks for all of the suggestions.
I live for threads like this.
I’ve been beating the drum for the band Marah for years. Only the first two albums are must-haves, but for me they are purely magical. From Let’s Cut the Crap and Hook Up Later I would suggest “Formula, Cola,Dollar,Draft” and from the second album Kids In Philly try “Roundeye Blues” and “My Heart Is the Bums On the Streets”
I’ve been listening to Matt Pond PA and love the songs 'New Hampshire" and “The Hollows”
There’s always some old Uncle Tupelo the band that spawned both Wilco and Son Volt
Andrew Bird’s album The Mysterious Production of Eggs is simply awesome…try “Fake Palindromes” and “Masterfade”
Band of Horses is gaining in popularity…despite this I still like them. “Detlef Schrempf”, “No One’s Gonna Love” “The Great Salt Lake” and “The Funeral”
For a more jangly, Dylanesque vibe try Felice Brothers “Frankie’s Gun”
Idaho might be a bit challenging for some but “Clouded” is a great song.
Pretty hard to beat Iron and Wine for laid back folky stuff…“History of Lovers” is a keeper.
Jose Gonzalez beautiful voice…good acoustic guitar player…“Heart Beats”
Josh Ritter “Kathleen” is a good one…but “Bone of Song” is on my top ten of all time.
M. Ward has a unique and completely laid back voice. His cover of Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” blows the original out of the water…also check out “Sad, Sad Song”
And last but not least Mojave 3 … they sing one of my favorite songs ever “Prayer For the Paranoid” …see also “Most Days” and “Mutineer”
If you find even one of these songs moving and leads you to look deeper into the band, then I’ll be elated.
Quite like Jay Nash, Garrison Starr, and Shane Alexander.
I’m very taken with The Hereafter and found Shannon Hurley very easy to listen to but maybe not the sort of thing that sticks with me. The AM site was giving me trouble.
Krister Axel is my favorite of all you’ve linked to. I was sitting there thinking “Jazzy? He thinks this is jazzy?” but then I followed some links. 
Joe Greene is awesome.
Quitzow was amusing, but not something I’d likely return to. Breech is a maybe. Your typo on West amuses me and I really like the group.
Nice, I like that.
Glad you took the time to listen, and glad you found the effort put into the research to be rewarding.
Based on your want to “to support some indy bands or singers”, I’ll just point out that almost* all the artists you picked out of my list are indie indie- they self-funded and self-released their albums and they tour on their own dime. So, if you choose to support them it will be support directly felt and appreciated by the artist. Keep an eye on their tour dates, check them out when they come to your town. Also, you can feel good knowing that the money you spend on any of their records goes right into their pockets.
*The one exception of the artists you listed is Garrison Starr, who I believe has a little bit of someone else’s money backing her up at the moment- but she is still busting her ass in many “Do it Yourself” aspects.
I just checked out AM’s Myspace page, and you’re right there’s something not working. There is one song that you can listen to on his “Website in Progress” official site. It’s a duet with an artist named Buddy.
Official Website scroll down and click “play” for the song “Hear Me Sing”.
Dead Rock West, sans typo, did a tour opening for John Doe of X. He liked them so much that he had them continue on the next leg of the tour- with the added duty of being his backup band!
When they come to my town? Ha! Not likely. I live in BFE.
I’m not big on concerts anyway, so that’s not an issue.
Thanks for the new link for AM. I’ll check 'em out shortly.
Aimee Mann
Ani DeFranko
Well, it’s not exactly forthwith. Sorry!
These United States–awesome
The War On Drugs–haven’t found yet. No tracks at last.fm that I see
The Walkmen–their “We’ve Been Had” is my favorite track I’ve heard from your list
The Besnard Lakes–the two clips I’ve found were a bit disorienting
The Childballads–haven’t found yet
Sunset Rubdown–haven’t found yet
Mother Mother–Okay, I think “Dirty Town” is the weirdest song I’ve listened to as a result of this thread.
The New Year–definitely NOT music to drive to.
The National–love that lead voice. He sounds a little like the Crash Test Dummies guy occasionally.
Wilco–I’ve heard of them. Enjoyable but a little… polished?
Calexico–very nice.
of Montreal–kind of weird, at least the tracks I heard. I like weird.
Spiritualized–I like.
Neutral Milk Hotel–not my thing today.
Papercuts–very good
Thanks for all the suggestions.
Either I’m easy to please or people in this thread are good at suggesting music.
Thanks. I’ve heard of Happy Rhodes, but I don’t mind the reminder.
Some good recommendations in this thread. I’ve personally been digging Betty Soo. I think the lyrics are pretty and I like her voice. My favorite album is Let Me Love You and my favorite song (currently) is Sunshine Girl (you can listen to it here).
If you can, check out the album Trail of Stars. It’s both their most accessible one and my personal favorite.
ETA: The Cave Singers
I guess Wilco could be called polished–it depends on the album. A.M and Being There are very alt-country. Then things begin to evolve–I wouldn’t call A Ghost is Born alt-country. At the same time, it’s clear that Jeff Tweedy is a perfectionist, and he knows how he wants his music to sound. I would suggest seeking out Wilco & Billy Bragg’s albums Mermaid Ave Vol 1 and Vol 2. They’re all songs written by Woody Guthry.
Other bands I enjoy:
Golden Smog
Fleet Foxes–I was introduced to this band because they toured with Wilco this summer. I honestly don’t know what to think. Some of the songs are really annoying, but other songs like Winter Hymnal are quite lovely.
Great Lake Swimmers
Retribution Gospel Choir–Another band I was introduced to because they were supporting Wilco. They’re not really mellow…they reminded me a lot of 70s Classic rock.
The Autumn Defense–Um, another Wilco related band. This made up of two members of Wilco and they are interested in bringing back 70s easy listening, except their music doesn’t suck.
Josh Ritter–I think you’d like him if you like Andrew Byrd or Ryan Adams.
My favorite way to find new music is to go to last.fm and start a radio station with Wilco or a similar band. It works like Pandora in that it’ll find similar artists, but honestly, I’ve had better luck with last.f
I’d heard of all of yours except Amy Millan and Camera Obscura. I found all of them enjoyable, Cat Power probably the most “me.”
Thanks for the updated suggestion and the link. I’ve listened to the first two songs for The Cave Singers and am digging them.
Gah. I meant to be asleep an hour ago. I WILL get to every act listed in this thread! I WILL!
Oh, you should also check out:
Carissa’s Wierd
Sera Cahoone
Definitely second Andrew Bird. He used to play fiddle for Squirrel Nut Zippers, and he’s really developed a nice distinct sound for himself. Also second Mysterious Production of Eggs as his best album.
Second Regina Spektor. On The Radio just brings me up every time.
The Unicorns were a nice dark pop band that only made one (great) album.
Rodrigo y Gabriela are a really nice guitar-based instrumental band with South American flavor (they’re from Ireland, though, I believe).
**Nellie McKay **is one of my favorites; she has a background in musical theater and stand-up comedy, and she’s done some really cool, eclectic, and bitingly lyrical stuff. My favorites include Identify Theft (brilliant lyrics), The Dog Song, and Respectable. Also, I’m going to marry her, so stay away guys and lesbians!!
**Chequerboard **is a really obscure Irish band that describes itself as “folktronica”, which is essentially electronica with a warmer, more human feel; a lot of it is guitar-based. Really nice compositions.
I’ll second Jose Gonzales as a nice lo-fi singer-songwriter Swede who sings in English.
Finally, I also heartily recommend Silvio Rodriguez, a guitarist-singer from Cuba who crafts beautiful songs with beautiful lyrics (in Spanish). I didn’t know any Spanish when I first got into him, and I’m sort of teaching myself the language just to understand (and be able to sing) his songs-- and it’s worth it! Just a few of my favorites include: Ojala, Quien Fuera, Playa Giron, Juego Che Me Regalo Un 6 Enero. As for albums, I would recommend Silvio (they’re all pretty good, though).
Oh, I can’t believe I forgot to mention Atherton. They’re a band from Salt Lake City. Great lyrics combined with powerful vocals–and they’re just really nice guys, too.
I’ll probably forget half of what I want to mention because I should be asleep and obviously am not, but what the hell…
I’ve been listening to a lot of The Mountain Goats lately, John Darnielle is just about one of my favouritest persons ever. Here’s Sax Rohmer #1 from the recent album, Heretic Pride (which probably has confused a couple of metal fans).
Also a favourite: Two Gallants and their unique brand of blues-infused folksy rock with a hot and dusty western feel; here’s Steady Rollin’ from their 2006 album What The Toll Tells.
In a somewhat similar vein, Murder By Death; if you like the voice of The National’s lead singer, this should hit a similar spot – personal favourite is Comin’ Home (fan-made video), but the whole album Red of Tooth And Claw is pretty excellent.
And before I get too rocky, Midlake might be good on the somewhat more mellow side, and also because naming an album The Trials of Van Occupanther is somehow just very cool in that slightly off way I enjoy. Here’s the video for Roscoe from that album.
Mark Lanegan is probably best known for his work with Queens of the Stone Age, but I rather prefer his solo work, for instance his album Bubblegum, where this song is from; I love his gravelly voice, and contrasting it with PJ Harvey’s singing is what makes this song stand out – for a similar, if even more pronounced effect, check out his collaborations with former Belle and Sebastian cellist and background singer, Isobel Campbell. He collaborates very extensively, and a lot of that is equally worth checking out, his work with Soulsavers or Greg Dulli as the Gutter Twins for example.
Another great singer-songwriter I haven’t seen mentioned is Ray LaMontagne, who’s got a new album out that I hope to get my hands on soon. Here’s the video for his song Trouble.
And of course I mustn’t forget Neil Hannon and his band, The Divine Comedy, whose Perfect Lovesong is pretty much just that, if your perfect love is a bit whimsical and sometimes melancholy.
Hopefully everybody knows him already, but I can’t help shilling out for the great Nick Cave – his 1996 album The Boatman’s Call is probably more melancholy than mellow, but whaddaya know, it might strike a chord somewhere. Here’s Into My Arms.
And not to totally neglect the ladies, there’s that harp-playing angel, Joanna Newsom – her voice may be a little hard to get into, and with its quarter-hour tracks her last album, Ys, may seem a little unapproachable, but it’s worth the work to get into, and seeing her live has brought a little magic into the world of this staunch atheist. Here’s Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie live on Later with Jools Holland.
Of course, while I’m in that whole New Weird America corner, I might as well mention Devendra Banhart, also on Jools Holland with It’s A Sight To Behold, or one of my favourite funnest songs ever, Just Like A Child.
Now! I almost forget the wonderful Sam Beam of Iron & Wine! I would never have forgiven myself. So here he is, Naked As We Came.
Also, there’s Bill Callahan/Smog, who’s just awesome, enough so that Joanna Newsom chose him as hers. Apart from that, though, he also makes quite wonderful music.
Then there’s the man with the many names, be it Palace Brothers, Palace Songs, Palace Music, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, or simply Will Oldham, who all have one thing in common, albums with them on it tend to be pretty damn good. Here’s I See A Darkness from the album of the same name, a song that has been covered by Johnny Cash, for some reason before a background of Doctor Who clips.
Does probably not meet your ‘wanted’ criteria, but I’ll have to throw him out there just because of general awesomeness – Seasick Steve, here singing about some difficult times in his past: Cheap.
And on the off chance that you don’t know 'em yet, there’s also the Eels. No idea what to link to, because pretty much everything is great, so here’s Last Stop: This Town just cause I like little carrot E.
That got a little longer than I thought, but I got carried away a bit… Hopefully there’s something for you (or anybody) in it.