Let me start by apologizing for the delay: I just started a full-time job after a nearly four month stint of uninterrupted unemployment. Needless to say, I think this is going to take some getting used to… Anyway, in lieu of talking about the big music news, namely Arcade Fire’s wonderful surprise early album release on Thursday and the huge loss of Lou Reed on Sunday, I’m going to fill you in on a pompadour-coiffed Aussie folk musician who goes by the name of Kaurna Cronin.

Now I have to admit that my first couple of weeks in Berlin were not nearly as fun as you’d think. Instead of elatedly hopping from one trendy electro club to the next in a youthful haze, I forced myself to hunker down and commit to personally handing my CV to the supervisor of every English language school in the greater Berlin area. Yeah, I’m sure that’s precisely what you think of when someone yells, “I’m moving to Berlin!” Luckily for me, though, I happened to pass under the Alexanderplatz S-Bahn bridge at just the right moment on my way to a job prospect; that’s where I found Kaurna Cronin and friends playing catchy folk-pop tunes to brighten up my day.

Cronin’s music sounds like if Paul Simon fronted The Low Anthem: the grit of folk coupled with a singer’s finesse and a pop sentiment. Their live show is somewhat simple and uncomplicated, but it’s fun and it draws you right in; we in the audience were ready and willing to sing along.

He’s currently touring in Australia, but he spent a lot of time playing around Europe. So who knows, he might make his way to you sometime soon. Check him out here: http://www.kaurnacronin.com/