11. Ed Harcourt
goth ballad/blues/chamber pop http://youtu.be/5bUptQnt9yA First coming to solo prominence in 2001 with his, Mercury Prize nominated, debut album Here Be Monsters, Ed Harcourt has been steadily churning out music since then. Numerous singles, a couple of EPs, six studio albums already and this year sees him release Time of Dust; a collection of songs that showcases his ethereal, ghostly, and macabre brand of songwriting exquisitely. You can find his sound located somewhere around Nick Cave, Tom Waits, and Jeff Buckley, but not at all derogatively. Though you can spot the influences it's more from stretching to find touchstones than noticing audible pastiches. His songs are often sombre and tender, but also morbid with a ghoulish undertone think classic horror film soundtrack meets gothic ballad. Time of Dust is a great place to start with Mr Harcourt, but as said, he has a wealth of music in his back catalogue worth looking into and finding yourself lost in a cemetery or spider web coated corridor with. This is not to say his sound is as cartoonish as my lazy descriptive ability may suggest, as his music can be touching and beautiful or tense and uneasy.