Birthdays (Deluxe Edition)

With a voice reminiscent of a young Steve Forbert and unflinching, honest lyrics worthy of Mark Kozelek, the London-based singer/songwriter and illustrator Keaton Henson evokes a private world just a few degrees removed from those of Elliott Smith, Jeff Buckley, Bon Iver, Conor Oberst, and others to whom he's often been compared. His own stage fright has made him even more famous among the underground and clued listeners into empathizing ever deeper with his gentle, emotionally true songs. Yet lest you think he's all sensitive singer/songwriter, the humor of "Kronos" will set the record straight. And where his 2010 debut, Dear…, was a beautiful lo-fi expedition, Birthdays lets the sound open up ever so subtly. The deluxe edition includes three bonus tracks—"Milk Teeth," "If I Don't Have To," and "On the News"—that are among the most powerful and most detailed of Henson's career to date.