Sono Oto - "How Do You Feel"

Photo by Alex John Beck

When I first read the bio for Sono Oto, I knew exactly what he would sound like. Also known as Mark Henry Phillips, he is the main behind the music for the wildly popular (ok, the first season at least) Serial podcast, as well as the sound designer for films like Cutie and the Boxer and Teenage. Obviously his debut album is going to be filled with indie orchestral soundtrack type music, a la Jonny Greenwood, right?

Judging by "How Do You Feel," my assumptions were very wrong. Sono Oto is more of a singer/songwriter project, albeit a more orchestral one. "How Do You Feel" is pretty straightforward and reminds me a lot of later Elliott Smith. The story of Sono Oto's origins go way back to 2008 when Phillips' father was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. He had given up on his dreams of being a full time musician and was instead a producer for NPR. So he didn't die with regrets like his father, he quit his job in favor of music. 

Sono Oto's debut album, Inheritance, is due out on March 24. You can listen to "How Do You Feel" below. For more on Sono Oto, check out his website.