Ben Howard, "Old Pine"

23 Ben Howard’s brand of gorgeous, stripped-down folk has people drawing comparisons to the likes of Nick Drake, Bon Iver and Jose Gonzalez. None of which are off base. Howard, who grew up on the rugged shores of western England, makes nostalgic, rustic music that conjures memories of crackling campfires. Take “Old Pine,” for example. The title track off his upcoming debut EP is basically a gentle seaside breeze in song form. For the video, Howard smartly enlisted the directing talents of Mickey Smith, whose amazing short film The Dark Side of the Lens caused an internet tsunami last year.