Damien Jurado

Damien Jurado - "White Center"
Damien Jurado - "Lion Tamer"
Damien Jurado - "Black Boys"

Damien Jurado is easily one of my favorite songwriters out there. He's up there right alongside the likes of Sufjan Stevens, David Bazan (Pedro the Lion, Headphones), Sam Beam (Iron&Wine), Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes), and Jeff Tweedy (Wilco). I think anyone who likes any of those guys would have a real easy time getting into Jurado's stuff. However, his music is more akin to that of some other elder statesmen - Springsteen, Dylan, Nick Cave - than to that of any of his contemporaries.
The first two songs can be found on his latest work, On My Way to Abscence. The third is an outtake from the recording sessions for that album.
Watch the video for "Lion Tamer" over at Jurado's website.