The Innocence Mission

No one can quite capture the sound of nostalgia and sensitivity like the Innocence Mission. They create ambient and picturesque soundscapes often veering from any heavy distortion or fuzz. Their sound is pure and restrained and absolutely gorgeous to hear live.
Like their 90s "slowcore" peers (think Galaxie 500 and Low) they build sounds that are purposefully underwhelming, nearly absent of direct stimulation. Their shows do not manipulate the listeners to feel a certain way rather they create an atmosphere that allows the audience to bask and reflect on what they are hearing sometimes interpolating their own meaning on to the music.
Their live performances are unassuming and simplistic. Some of their shows feature a traditional pop rock set up of two guitars, a bass, and a drum set; however, they have recently adapted to a even more modest setup. More of their current shows are just of Karen and Don and feature one acoustic guitar, a leading electric guitar, and Karen's vocals. These shows as you can imagine are even more intimate and tightly knitted as their early performances. This setup places great emphasis on the seamless interworking of the two guitars and Karen's contemplative vocals. Don Peris is an outstanding guitarists and if you have heard any of his solo recordings I don't need to say it. He has embraced elements of folk classical and gospel music and has filtered these sounds through a dreamlike reverb. To say the least these performances are heavenly.
The innocence Mission is band that you unfortunately don't hear a lot about and this is a shame because they are truly great artists. They are not completely unknown. In fact they have established somewhat of a cult following. Their music can be heard on the soundtrack of "Perks of Being a Wallflower" and is referenced as a major influence on the work of Perfume Genius. They have made appearances on the albums of Joni Mitchell and Natalie Merchant and still continue to inspire those who are able to catch a glimpse of their music. Though the Mission Statement has kept a fairly low profile those of us who have heard their music are changed.