Minnesota was doing some weird things to me last night.

As it turns out, they have some serious music appreciation going on over there. Have you ever stumbled across a Youtube video by 89.3 The Current? They are, in a word, inspired. Maybe it was the late hour and ill-advised Americano egging me on, but my little mind was certainly blown. I would probably give both my arms now to move to Minnesota and work at that radio station; I loved every show I watched from their site that much. Check out Yeasayer’s “Wait for the Summer” and maybe you’ll get an idea.

So shame on me for not giving Minnesota much thought…ever. Thanks to Minnesota Public Radio, I’ve been introduced to Peter Wolf Crier. I’ve given them a good listen and forged a strong attachment. Peter Pisano’s fervent vocals and the pulsing thrums of Brian Moen called out to me and said, “Desiree, put us on the top of your 2010 Watch List.” And there they sit, just inches above Jesca Hoop and Ferraby Lionheart.

Happily, PWC has been getting quite a bit of action outside of Minneapolis. The duo announced their partnership with JagJaguwar in early March (think Bon Iver, Okkervil River, and Sunset Rubdown). Then they played alongside Rogue Wave and the Local Natives at SXSW. And just yesterday, Daytrotter released a live recording with them that definitely merits an enthusiastic plug from me: I love you Daytrotter!

I predict an extremely bright future, starting with their May 25th release of Inter-Be.

There are many promotional downloads available through JagJaguwar, Daytrotter, NPR, etc… but if I may suggest a starting point, here is a special recording of “Untitled 101”, a tribute to Joe Pug’s “Hymn 101.”