Tim Williams - Tales of Digression (2005)

Given his predilection for pensive lyrics, whimsical instrumentation, and intelligent pop hooks, Brooklyn, NY's Tim Williams could easily be said to share the same indie singer/songwriter airspace as Josh Rouse and Ben Kweller. Williams emerged on the Brooklyn indie scene in the early 2000s, and managed to land a spot on the roster of the CMJ Music Marathon in 2004 following the release of his first independent effort, Tales of Digression. It was there that he caught the ear of producer David Lynch, who took a liking to Williams' repertoire; Lynch eventually lured Williams to his studio in Eastbourne, England to record some new tracks, resulting in 2006's The Merchant Heart EP. Invigorated by his collaboration with the U.K. based producer, Williams returned to the States and started working on his debut album for Dovecote Records, demoing nearly one hundred songs on his home computer over the course of the next few months. As luck would have it, his computer was stolen shortly before the album went into pre-production, and Williams was forced to re-record the songs he could remember (something in the realm of 50 tracks) on a four-track recorder. The resulting album, When Work Is Done, came out on Dovecote in 2007.