In this week’s edition of Sound Advice, Nick Brunner brings us mysterious crooners, sad ballad composers and a palindrome.

He also previews CapRadio’s Tiny Desk showcase concert, featuring local contestants in NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest. The Sacramento area is blessed with a deep well of talented bands and last year’s event sold out. You can see Nick Brunner Thursday night as he DJs our Print Radio event, where we'll highlight the local artists who submitted work to be featured on our Tiny Desk poster.

Field Medic – “The Bottle's My Lover, She's Just My Friend”

San Francisco songwriter Keith Sullivan has released a record that starts off Hank Williams and ends like early career Death Cab For Cutie. This is a lonesome ballad of drinking, disconnection and loss.

Aldous Harding - "Designer"

Harding is responsible for the saddest song I've ever heard, but "Designer" is an about face turn from the tone of Harding's 2017 record Party. The title track is playful and fun with a Donovan-esque vocal delivery

Orville Peck – “Take You Back (The Iron Hoof Call)”

Masked cowboy crooner Orville Peck released "Pony" on SubPop records back in March. If you’re a fan of Chris Isaak or Roy Orbison, you may find your ears perking at “Take You Back (The Iron Hoof Call)”

Tacocat – “Hologram”

We're ending on a happier note than we started this week with Seattle band Tacocat. The group’s newest record "This Mess Is A Place" came out last week and is a joy from start to finish, poppy and positive without overdoing it. “Hologram” kicks off the album and is an immediate singalong.

Listen to Brunner's playlist here: