My recommendations 2006:II by Espers

Espers: II
Drag City 5/16/2006

It's ironic that the bands lumped into the music press construct known as New Weird Americana tend to exhibit a high degree of Anglophilia. Take Espers, for example, whose most apparent influences include Incredible String Band, Nick Drake, Bert Jansch and Vashti Bunyan. Like their British forebearers, Espers emphasize sweeping melodies and lavish arrangements that include strings, guitar and vocal harmonies. Though psychedelia has clearly influenced their sound, Espers are unusually succinct, tending not to allow their compositions to noodle and stagnate needlessly, but rather reining their compositions in before they become tiresome.