It’s one in the morning. My boyfriend is hanging out just ten feet away from me on the couch, oblivious to the fit I am having at my laptop (He bought a new guitar today so the focus is definitely not on me). The fit is due to one thing and one thing only – I’ve just begun listening to Jesca Hoop’s new album Hunting My Dress. Suffice to say she’s outdone her earlier work Kismet and I loved that album when I first heard it, too!

Jesca Hoop started from a normal enough background. She grew up in a very musical, very Mormon family and paid her dues as a struggling artist (I suppose) by being a nanny. That’s if you want to call being Tom Waits’ nanny a struggle, of course. To be fair, I’m sure it came with its own unique challenges… not the least of which is the pressure of being affiliated with Tom Waits, period.

The big quote he released on her behalf is “Jesca Hoop’s music is like a four sided coin. She is an old soul, like a black pearl, a good witch or a red moon. Her music is like going swimming in a lake at night.”

“Spellbinding and flawlessly executed”… is probably what I would say if I could download the darn thing off iTunes!! Unfortunately for me, Jesca moved to Manchester before the release of Hunting My Dress last November, and it’s only available in the UK right now. I have to admit that a part of me is pretty ticked off about that.

Let’s just say that the boyfriend didn’t notice my initial glee, but he certainly heard my frustration.

Nonetheless, I still have much love for what I’ve heard so far and take solace in being able to show you the visual below. If I’m lucky, the rest of her album is as dark and complex as it appears to be here, with the song “Whispering Light”.