Similar to "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak?

this definitely: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4p9USIZ8y0

Harlan T Bobo - "One of These Days". A lot of his other ballads too. More the first record than the second.

'pablo and andrea' by yo la tengo

red house painters? i think maybe i'm not getting it.

Carol by The Reigning Sound

"Deep Red Bells" by Neko Case. A few tracks on "Blacklisted" give me this vibe, actually.

Deep Red Bells seconded with vim.

also: http://www.myspace.com/doloreanmusic

even Jim White a bit.

Some of the darker Gram Parsons stuff maybe. Such as "Hot Burrito #1".

And how about Lloyd Cole and Grant Lee Buffalo?

Paula Frazer, especially her songs on the first Tarnation record.
Mark Eitzel/American Music Club: "Highway 5" and "Last Harbor" among many others.

I think "Flowers in December" is the better Mazzy Star song for this category.

Michael J. Sheehy's "Dark Country Moment" is another good one.

Tindersticks are a great suggestion as well, "My Sister" is a favorite though other songs probably have more of a country vibe.

Early Red House Painters certainly fits ... "24" perhaps?

Good call on American Music Club, they have many songs that fit like "Western Sky" or "Why Won't You Stay"

That first Tarnation record is a great call as well.

calexico....

Late stuff by And Also the Trees

does anyone remember this album?

http://www.artistdirect.com/Images/Sources/AMGCOVERS/music/cover200/drc400/c498/c49828m01ef.jpg

the goth cowboy thing was all the rage for a second there.

Great stuff, thanks for all the suggestions, i'm trying to check out all of them. Mazzy Star definately fit the bill. I'm looking for stuff that's, dare i say it - a bit "sexy" if you know what i mean.

Yes, good suggestion re. Bonney. I think Crime and the City Solution would fit even better, altho they had some post-punk grit that doesn't fit with Isaak.

Sarah Coleman/Ladytown has this great song called "Aint Never Win" that fits the bill. Worth buying for a buck as an iTunes song. CD here: url=http://cdbaby.com/cd/ladytownmusic

Oh! Oh! Oh! Kendra Smith's "Valley of the Morning Sun".

Half of Mary Margaret O'Hara's Miss America.

Some Lisa Germano, maybe?

Half of Emmylou Harris's Wrecking Ball.

Most of Calexico.

Half of Lucinda Williams's Essence and World Without Tears

Wow, "Crime and the City Solution" i only know them from the two songs from 'Wings of desire'. I just thought of Joan As Policewoman, but only one or two songs, 'Christobel' kind of fits. Thanks even more!

what about that popcorn ad w/ "Wicked Game" soundalike music that Isaak filed a lawsuit over?

what about quickspace? I know its not a usual association, but tracks like 'goodbye precious mountain' has that same - uh, slightly dreamlike guitar.. not got the vocal crooning though. What about Mazzy Star come to think of it?

Carol by The Reigning Sound

their version of "So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)" off the first lp definitely.

Try some Jesse Sykes from Reckless Burning or Oh, My Girl.

This audio-only track on YouTube will give you the flavor:
You Are Not Gotten Here

Shearwater "Palo Santo" (I think so at least)

Palo Santo is a little on the dark/eccentric side for the comparison to work, but it is a really great album.

Well, title track in particular, when he starts to get into the crooning is a close match to Isaak's "AH ooooo", similar mood as well IMO

Early Morning by A-ha. Lock Thread.

The most Lynchian stuff I've ever heard that hasn't actually been used on one of his soundtracks (yet) is that album Black Earth by Bohren and Der Club of Gore (Ipecac).

Search: Jody Reynolds, monster of mood-a-billy. "Endless Sleep" is well nigh definitive.

As is Kris Jensen's "Torture".

"Blue Moods Of Spain" Spain...Josh Haden is a genius

Jimmy Wilsey -- El Dorado

Wilsey was in Isaak's backing band Silvertone and played guitar on "Wicked Game." Before that he was in the Avengers, and most recently has played with Miss Derringer, a pretty kick-ass LA band. His first solo album, El Dorado, was released earlier this year on Lakeshore. It's all instrumentals, all in the "Wicked Game" vein, and quite good.

Milk And Honey - Jackson C Frank

I hate this fucking song. I heard it today and fuck it

lol this is my karaoke fave

I love Chris Isaak.

Man I forgot all about Neko Case til seeing her mentioned here. Several years ago there was a glitch in iTunes where it wouldn't let me add anything on Blacklisted to my library, causing her to be absent from all my playlsits and whatnot. Tried adding it again just now and the glitch is still there! Wtf

it's been blacklisted, iirc

Lol

I can't imagine hating this song, my lounge obsession is partially searching for Twin Peaks/twilight Zone sounds and the lonely desert vibes of Wicked Games.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FswlNbh_n7s
Friends of Dean Martinez

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6ymVaq3Fqk

Ry Cooder

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZO1SGvFSgZQ

Jose González from Red Dead Redemption soundtrack

All of those need some steel guitar imo

i love this song and chris isaak!

the jerkcurb album from a couple years ago reminded me a lot of what i love in chris isaak's music. this was the highlight of the album for me, but thd whole thing is solid:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYA3n8yYluo

"shadowshow"

Ooh that's nice

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OzmlCmTvc4

Dope Lemon

I would have sworn I contributed Friends of Dean Martinez to this thread years ago, good call.

Blue Hawaiians - “A Cheat”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPEAEP5j1Q0

This may be too obvious to mention, but some of Lana Del Rey’s recent stuff sounds like she literally wrote it right after listening to this song (which I understand she’s also covered).

I think it's the ur-text of her songwriting and persona.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nguuo344j00

this is so similar...erm.. ok, it's the same song

Wicked Game - Lakshmi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sy4aQnCaEps

Huh, no mention of this yet in the thread?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tT0The1SMNU

'The Crow' by Hurts:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLH2MCnfVAo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7K6WKkUIJSw