Was The Shins a downer band? We don't remember them being that way, especially after hearing this song by His Clancyness, which sounded instantly to us like a downer Shins, a good thing. But his other songs don't remind near as much of any other group so much as just being really great, somewhat downtrodden pop. Maybe that's due to His Clancyness' sometime residency in Bologna, Italy, a town whose cultural tradition is so damn old it must be kind of depressing to a new artist. If you're in Italy, make sure to go see His Clancyness at one of his upcoming shows and tell him to keep his head up.
Download: His Clancyness, "Ottawa Backfired Soon" (via Transparent)