Lord knows I’ve binged on my fair share of heartfelt folk over the years. And after the Fleet Foxes/Bon Iver spike, I entered a reactionary period where I hoped to avoid overly-earnest ballads of the vein. But Mutual Benefit seems a fitting antidote. Jordan Lee provides natural, honest, settled tunes that resonate with why I dug said folk music in the first place. But tagging Mutual Benefit solely with the folk box does him a disservice. Moving through Love’s Crushing Diamond evokes the song writing of Patrick Watson, the quirkiness of Andrew Bird, the expansive instrumentation of Sufjan and the illusive simplicity of Devendra Banhart.

Mutual Benefit arrives to San Francisco’s Rickshaw Stop this Saturday, January 25. Tickets are $10-12. Doors at 9pm. Dan Casey and Dim Peaks open.