Dead Man's Bones

I was recently introduced to the wonderful music of Dead Man's Bones.

This two-piece group consists of Zach Shields and Ryan Gosling (yes, that Ryan Gosling - although in the band, he goes by the stage name "Baby Goose").  The two found common ground in their fascination with ghosts and decided to write and record love songs about supernatural entities.

In addition to the unusual subject material, the band decided upon a number of unorthodox conditions that would guide and foster their unique sound:  Shields and Gosling would play all of the instruments regardless of their expertise (some instruments they had never even touched prior to their performance on the album), they would do no more than two or three takes during the recording process, and they would include a children's choir for backing vocals.  The result is an spooky and atmospheric (yet catchy!) collection of music.