Megiddo
The debut album by 20-year-old singer-songwriter Lauren Hoffman is named for a majestic mountain in Israel that will supposedly be the site of Armageddon. It's an appropriate metaphor for her music, which is deceptively calm and pretty on the surface, with darker themes and a sense of foreboding lurking just below. Hoffman is the sort of singer who can deliver a line like, "Hope you don't mind, the world is fucked up and we're all gonna die" with casual flair over a bouncy rhythm track, and you can only reply, "But of course!" Produced by David Lowery of Cracker, songs such as "Lolita," The Cannibal Ed," and the cautionary tale "Rock Star" mark Hoffman as an artist to watch. --Jim Derogatis