With the incredible wealth of quality indy music available the last few years, I rarely find myself panting with anticipation over a new release. In fact, I often lament the lack of hours in the day to enjoy the music I already have. I’m making an exception in the case of Joan As Policewoman’s new release The Deep Field though, scheduled for a January 24 release date. I was a little late myself to the Joan Wasser party; as I mentioned last month, I only just discovered her solo albums Real Life and To Survive, and I have yet to listen to her previous work with the Dambuilders, Black Beetle, or Antony and the Johnsons. But I’m not too worried about playing catch-up. Given the soulful wandering of her voice, richness of composition, amazing musicianship, and subtle production of her previous two releases, her music will be in heavy rotation on my personal playlists for a while. If you haven’t heard Joan Wasser’s band Joan As Policewoman, don’t look to me for categorization. Beyond saying that she’s one of the most skilled singer-songwriters I’ve had the pleasure of listening to in a long time, I can only say that I find myself repeatedly mesmerized by her intricate songcraft and soulful vocal explorations, which convey an emotional insight and vulnerable toughness that runs deep. If you really need some kind of reference point, you might resort to the jazzier of Joni Mitchell’s work, but only because of the maturity of arrangements and the musicianship, not because of any similarity in mood or style. But there’s no need to take my word for what Joan Wasser’s music is about; she’s offering three free tunes on her site in exchange for your e-mail prior to the new release. Included are Magpies (from To Survive), The Ride (from Real Life) and “The Magic” from her upcoming release. The video for the new tune “The Magic” is on YouTube (also below) as are a few other tunes, which we’ve also included below, along with a clip of Wasser talking about how grateful she is to be working with such great musicians. I imagine they’re as grateful in return; it’s clear her soul knows a little something about the actual Deep Field the new release is named after. I think the videos highlight the fact that it’s difficult to find the right packaging for Wasser’s complex combination of drive, smarts, beauty, and vulnerable toughness. But her music does the job just fine.

The video for “The Magic” from Wasser’s upcoming release

Wasser’s “Eternal Flame”

Start Of My Heart

Wasser Talks About the band