The detail in the songwriting and production of Benji Hughes is so encouraging.

In 2008, Mr. Hughes released A Love Extreme, an unassuming, dark, funny, tuneful double-disc debut masterpiece. It barely made a ripple in pop culture, and I only lucked into learning about this guy by catching one of his songs on some Sirius channel at the home of an acquaintance. It was love at first listen. I've heard comparisons to Beck that I find weirdly uninformed of either musician, other than their penchants for expansive instrumentation and the courage to let their humor through. He shares some qualities with Cake, though I think Hughs's stylistic variance is far more vast.

But let's stop comparing - listen to this song: "Even If."

What would you call this song? Heavy piano rock? Lounge metal?

Beni Hughes has such a gift for long, inventive melody. It is possible to run out of air signing along with these choruses; you have to pick your spots to sneak in more oxygen. Meanwhile, the melody is everywhere, crooning down low, rolling up and down scales, hitting high vibrato crescendos.

The production creates mixes unique sound (a mad piano, strange reflective drums) with all kinds of excellent touches, grace notes, and dynamics shifts.

This is the first of Benji Hughes's songs on my list and not the last.