Tiny Vipers mesmerizes. Intensely. There will be no cautious shuffling up near the rims of Jesy Fortino's songs to gingerly sneak snippets of what lies inside. Once you've made your way into her vicinity, the dense magnetic vortex of Tiny Vipers doesn't just mandate focused attention, it pulls you deep into freefall with relentless gravitational force.

There's an ironic vacuousness that comes with loss and despondency. It shovels out a sucking, sucky black hole that can cut a person down, flat to the underbelly of earth, while simultaneously connecting them to the peaceful, unmoving root of all being. Fortino's songs embody such dualism.

Highly personal portraits painted by the spilling out of raw anguish into fat, sticky, spherical puddles, Tiny Vipers' songs are enormous virtual teardrops that hover like clouds pregnant with the sorrows of many worlds. Fortino's vocal timbre evokes Lucinda Williams' riveting glumness, loose and distinctive after a good bit of wine, crossed with Sinead O'Connor's compelling, Irish-accented clarity when tilted toward the down side and stripped of pop elements. Bathed in baptismal sadness, Fortino emantes a rousing, deep soul's howl.

Musically, mystically, Jesy Fortino moves cooperatively with the entities of space and time, perhaps better-known friends to her than many living individuals, to craft an inescapable forcefield palpably aligned with nature.

Development, a story of love and the most painful loss, forces spontaneous tears. I bawled and continued to bawl even after the song poured itself out into a beautiful ocean and then released gently on the wind of a birdlike whistle.

On This Side reveals Fortino's voice as innocent and higher in register. A looping pedal came in handy to compliment herself with just enough simple yet effective harmonies like finger rays of sunshine. Resonating with Irish flair, the song points to harmony with earth and her cycles.

CM bears lighter patches in a beautiful dance with the natural seasons, balancing emptiness with refreshing sprigs of vocals and guitar.

Be prepared for Dreamer, below, a powerfully enchanting emotional plunge.

Tiny Vipers - Dreamer - Luxury Wafers Sessions from Luxury Wafers on Vimeo.

Listen to the Exclusive Live Tracks (option/click to download):

Development [mp3]

On This Side [mp3]

Slow Motion [mp3]

CM [mp3]

Time Takes [mp3]

Tiny Vipers is Jesy Fortino from Seattle, Washington.

Buy Life On Earth (Sub Pop, 2009).

Click Here for more photos of Tiny Vipers Live@Chessvolt Studios for Luxury Wafers.