Brooklyn, New York
Right at this moment in the cold and grey suburb of Williamsburg NY, one man stands alone in his small, cramped bedroom, doing something offensive. Not in an "oh God, Sebastian why don't you ever lock the door" kind of way. More like, "how can ONE guy do SO much, this is just indecent".

Inlets are Sebastian Krueger; his voice, his clarinet, his bells, his ukulele, his accordion, his -well, what have you got? He's contributed in the past to My Brightest Diamond, but his solo project he describes as "bedroom fidelity", which I guess is like lo-fi but... more private and confined. The lightly haunting music couples an earnest intimacy with elusive lyrics, poetic imagery with intricate arrangements, detailed vocals with an unpredictable melody. And I discovered him at the best time and place I could.

The place? Union Hall, a teeny pub/venue/bowling-alley in Williamsburg where he was supporting a Deerhoof side-project the Curtains at the beginning of this year. Other than the music, the highlight of the night was Krueger's charming confession during one of the early songs that he'd forgotten the first line, needing an off-stage friend to prompt him. The time? Three days after I'd finally vowed to end to my five-month addiction to Sufjan Steven's Come On Feel The Illinoise, thus leaving a decidedly Sufjan-shaped hole in my playlist. SO, if you're into a bit of the Soof, you'll love a bit of the Inlets - and you'll be happy to know that Krueger has given the go-ahead for everyone to download the whole delightful EP online.

MP3: Pictures of Trees
MP3: See Her, Seer
Download the whole Vestibule EP from LuvSound

Myspace - website

And just quietly - I proclaim this to be the year of the ukulele in independent Australian music.