1. Dan Mangan - Waltz #2 (XO)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JI_0dfAWEY Originally recorded by Elliott Smith in 1998, 'Waltz #2 (XO)' has been cropping up amongst Dan Mangan's setlist here and there for a while now. But it wasn't until this past May he actually released it, as part of Arts & Crafts: X, a collaborative album of those signed to Canadian record label Arts & Crafts. Mangan puts his own spin on the classic, with his haunting vocal almost effortlessly blending with the music. Towards the end of the song, Mangan applies a certain aggression to the track, in the form of his trademark huskiness. I'm pretty sure that's a word. It's mesmerising. The real crime here is that it was billed as a bonus track, meaning that it doesn't feature on certain editions. That doesn't sit well with this Mangan-enthusiast.
Like Dan Mangan? Checkout some of his other tracks: 'Basket', 'Journal Of A Narcoleptic', 'Reason To Think Aloud'.