Kid Dakota

Kid Dakota started out as indie artist, multi-instrumentalist Darren Jackson's band, then gradually became his moniker. He happens to be an outstanding songwriter whose no-gimmick songs often come with plenty of hooks, sharp melodies and a solid sense of construction. He is perhaps closest to a general alt-rock sound stylistically, without any particular features that would date his influences. His output has not been terribly prolific for an artist who has been active since the early '00s. But the work that he has released over the years has all been consistently high quality. His vocals have a relaxed Thom Yorke type looseness that gives his songs an expansive feel. From the instrumentation point of view, his songs tend to have a western bend when he is not alt-rocking (though not the dark type).