Andrew Cedermark

Andrew Cedermark is one of maybe a dozen ex-members of Titus Andronicus, and he isn't the only one to set out on his own. Fans of that New Jersey band's hallmark angularity will appreciate Cedermark's application of that same disjointed approach to a more folk-based sound. His work is like early Wilco that's been disassembled and rebuilt with noise and junk media. Where Titus Andronicus is the kind of band to break down your door and start screaming about politics, Cedermark's music is deliciously indrawn. On 2010's Moon Deluxe, it's like he's propped open the door to his house. He doesn't push anything on the listener. His work is more like an invitation to read a few pages of his thoughts. Pitchfork Media's Larry Fitzmaurice called Moon Deluxe "incredibly personal," a spot-on assessment given that Cedermark's output feels like intense introversion, somehow shared.

It rarely seems as if Cedermark, an accomplished guitarist, is showing off. Even when he shreds, such as on the title track or "Anchorite," his six-string acrobatics come balanced with barren, beautiful stretches or lonely acoustic-only tracks. The vibrant, tender textures give his LP a unique poignancy. He doesn't so much reference Americana themes as he does redefine them, pushing almost-familiar progressions through redlined amps.

The constancy of Cedermark's understated character is as endearing as it is genuine. When we approached him for press materials, he simply said, "I am a 25-year-old man who lives in Charlottesville, Va. I grew up in New Jersey. My band is called Buffalo Wild Wing. Jacob Wolf plays bass guitar and Kevin Haney plays drums. They are both from Central Virginia." That was it. But if the music has to speak for itself, then there isn't much more to ask. —Corbie Hill