Forget everything Mojo has told you about country music. There's a new star setting ears alight by the name of David Loss. A voice filled with regret and eyes that tell of too many late nights, David Loss is here and ready to take the crown of alt.country. If Will Oldham is the God, then Loss is the Jesus (far-fetched maybe, but country loves a bit of religious imagery). Forget shams like Ryan Adams... he's just a black toothed Bruce Springsteen with a drink problem. What you need is some good-time misery.

Primer, David Loss' new LP, released on the ludicrously brilliant AA Records, is a lesson in pathos and pain. The album, glued together with tears, stumbles along just managing to keep it together. It's loose like The Band. It's melancholic like Lambchop. It has the slow burning groove of anyone who truly understands what country-folk should be. Its DIY production is homely and understated, letting the brilliant songs do the hard work.

Album opener, "Oh Lover", features a honey-dripped melody backed by banjo, saggy drums and a vocal that wants to cry, before breaking into a cracked falsetto. It's a stunning opener. "Song To My Skull" follows hot on the heels with dustbowl balladeering mixing it up with twanginess and female backing vocals.

People, on first listen, may not go for Loss' voice, finding it a little hard to swallow. Since when was someone else's pain easy to digest?! You stuck with Bonnie 'Prince' Billy didn't you? Three songs into this wonderful long player and you'll be begging for mercy! You'll wonder why there aren't more LPs like this in the world... and you could probably convince yourself that an album like this is easy to create as it sounds so effortless... but don't be fooled.

Primer is the sound of a master craftsman at work, backed by one of the most underrated producers on the planet, namely Spanish magician Rafael Martinez del Pozo. If you see that name, it's a stamp of approval and a mark of quality.

If you want to get your hands on some dynamite folk-country, you need to buy Primer right now. There's no two ways about it. Finding artists like this is hard enough. True talent has a tendency to hide its light under a bushel, so don't let this star go unnoticed. It's a beautiful and beguiling record that needs to be heard by as many people as possible. It's great on first listen and jaw-dropping on the second. Let David Loss get under your skin... let him grow on you... this LP will be your friend for the rest of your life.

Click here to buy David Loss' Primer LP.

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