Leif Vollebekk

Anyone can pick up a guitar, strum a few chords and channel their inner Bob Dylan. In fact, many do just that, claiming originality when, really, they're a shameful tribute act in disguise. That's not what Montreal's Leif Vollebekk does. The multi-instrumentalist may draw inspiration from many of his musical forefathers and he does cast a cloud of nostalgia over every song on his second full-length, North Americana, but the results are genuinely his. North Americana layers up with each listen, transforming acoustic tracks into fully-formed works of beauty, whether it's the subtle organ seeping in at the end of highlight "Cairo Blues" or the fluttering violins on "Takk Somuleidis," which bears the distinct signature touch of the Arcade Fire's Sarah Neufeld. Above all, Vollebekk succeeds at highlighting his strong songwriting skills and bone-chilling voice, which recall the great sounds of the past while simultaneously carving out the future in one swift falsetto.