Intense singer-songwriter, see: Sufjan or The Shins?

Himself a big fan of literary masterpieces like East Of Eden and Honderd Jaar Eenzaamheid, this American multi-musician writes collections of songs like epics.

Or to be clearer: he recounts and sings a family history and uses it to fill his Family Tree CDs, currently a trilogy with The Roots, The Branches and The Leaves... Here via V2.

From fictional in the 19th century to sometimes scaldingly autobiographical, as Radical Face alias Ben Cooper didn’t exactly grow up under the most prosperous circumstances.

But the generous and versatile autodidact does succeed in charming a large audience with his ingeniously handled innermost feelings, 'who crafts albums like an author writes a tome, extolling subtle Southern Gothic and magic realist tales with a soundtrack of jangling guitar, layered strings, and syncopated rhythms.'