Jasmine van den Bogaerde, a.k.a. Birdy, is a 15-year old singer and pianist from Lymington, England, who cracked the U.K. Top 20 with a cover of Bon Iver’s "Skinny Love" even more dolorous than the original. On her debut, she repeats the trick nine more times, warbling sad-sack versions of songs by the National, Fleet Foxes and other indie worthies. (There's also one original, "Without a Word.") The songs stick to a formula: tolling piano chords, an "atmospheric" beat and Birdy' s mewling. The result is the most boring music ever recorded bya teenager. No one so young should have such flawless taste in Quality Indie Rock, or sound this bummed out. 

Listen to Birdy:

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• Photos: Random Notes

“Is It True”

As the British Invasion reached its peak in 1964, Brenda Lee went from Nashville to London to record one of her hardest-rocking hits, her perky vocal backed by a stuttering, squalling guitar. That guitar was played by session musician Jimmy Page, yet to skyrocket to fame with first the Yardbirds and then Led Zeppelin. "She said to me, 'I've come here to make a record with the British sound,'" remembered producer Mickie Most. "She felt she wouldn't get the same sound in Nashville because they're only just catching up on the British beat group sound of about six months ago."