Kind Monitor

Joshua Aaron Guthals is a very New York, shy singer/songwriter who wrote song after song alone in his room for years, stricken with stage fright and unable to record. After finally working through his fears, Guthals has released a half-dozen of his songs on his band Kind Monitor's debut EP, Somebody Saves My Life Most Every Single Day. Deceptively simple ballads like "Cairo" and "I Love the Ending" are highlights, with Guthals' tender, agile voice (which is reminiscent of Grandaddy lead singer Jason Lytle's, but a bit stronger) accompanied by viola, guitar and piano parts. "Somebody Saves" embodies what Guthals is about, with its delicate, almost uncomfortably earnest chorus buoyed by an ecstatic finish that indicates there's strength beneath the vulnerability. The production, done by Kevin Meeker and Ray Rizzo, complements the songs perfectly, and the listener is left thankful that this Emily Dickinson of the indie-pop world has emerged. 4 stars.