photo by Aaron Sandberg

The track “Someone Has Always Got Someone,” off his new album Low, opens a sweetly and deceivingly with it’s gentle melody picked over and again creating a serene, almost blissful mood. However, the lyrics that accompany the music are piercing and absolutely heartwrenching, overflowing with sadness.

Losch and backing vocalist Gia Margaret’s repetition of the line, “Don’t you want to be happy? I do, but nothing is free,” cuts fairly deep. “Someone Has Always Got Someone” reminds me of Canadian indie rockers Broken Social Scene due to the track’s sweeping orchestrals, while simple can be largely overwhelming, although in a good way. If you’re looking to get lost in melancholy, this is the song with which to do it.

Brendan Losch releases his third album Low today, April 10.

Looking for a music festival that features big names but hate fighting massive crowds of hippies, frat dudes and hipsters in the summer heat? Then Champaign-Urbana’s Pygmalion Music Festival might be right up your alley.

Entering it’s fifth year, the Pygmalion Music Festival goes down September 16 – 19, 2009 in Champaign-Urbana, IL.

This year’s edition of the festival features big names and up-and-coming acts including Iron and Wine, Low, Lucero, RJD2, The Books, The Antlers, YACHT, Wavves, Headlights, Japandroids, Autolux, BLK JKS, My Brightest Diamond and many more.

The Pygmalion Music Festival is less like other major Illinois festivals such as Lollapalooza and Pitchfork and more like Austin’s annual spring event South By Southwest as the event takes place over four days in 15 different venues in two of Champaign-Urbana’s most vibrant neighborhoods.

The full schedule and ticket information is available right now at 2009.pygmalionmusicfestival.com.