Fans of Rufus Wainwright, Tom Waits, and Jeff Buckley may want to add Ed Harcourt to their list of hyper-talented singer/songwriters. The former bassist for Snug (a defunct British power-pop act with a healthy Weezer obsession), Harcourt launched his solo career in 2000, combining his multi-instrumental skills with a fondness for layered arrangements and homemade production. Harcourt has since issued seven albums in seven years, with his songs running the gamut from radio-ready Britpop (“Loneliness,” “Born in the ‘70s”) to orchestrated gothic drama (“Rain on the Pretty Ones”) to piano balladry (“You Put A Spell On Me,” “Whistle of a Distant Train”). And while his music hasn’t always been readily available in the States, Harcourt’s recent dismissal from EMI Records turned out to have some positive side effects: he got to join a new label that wasn’t hemorrhaging 260 million pounds a year (the small ‘n’ cozy Dovecote Records), and America finally got a distribution deal for Harcourt’s magnum opus, The Beautiful Lie.

Originally released in 2006, The Beautiful Lie is as grandiose and far-reaching as Rufus Wainwright’s Want One, but it steers away from the kitschy theatrics that Wainwright so happily embraces. String sections, horns, keyboards, pedal steels, woodwinds, and Spanish guitar all make an appearance, as does an old instrumental loop that sounds as though it’s being cranked out of a phonograph (“Until Tomorrow Then,” one of the singer’s most interesting compositions to date). Ed Harcourt’s music won’t please those who only prefer intimate, minimalist ballads, but if you’ve got the stomach for ornate chamber pop, feast your ears on the samples below. The Beautiful Lie makes it stateside debut on June 3rd.

“Until Tomorrow Then”
An apocalyptic ballad that crackles and pops like a Victrola record.

“I Am The Drug”
Should Amy Winehouse not pull it together in time, this song would be a great theme for the upcoming James Bond movie.

“Visit From The Dead Dog”
A mid-song trumpet solo turns this ghost story into a bright piece of jazz-pop.

“Braille”
One of Harcourt’s several duets; alternately beautiful and haunting.

“The Pristine Claw”
Just a man, his guitar, and perhaps some Iron & Wine influence.