Sang

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audiences a couple of decades ago. Toledo gets no attention from the taste setters.

If you're in a rock band in Toledo, you're into it for the sheer love of it — which is one reason I fell in love with the music of Sangsara, the quiet and ethereal group that makes some pretty spiritually kicking music. The focus of Sangsara is singer-songwriter Lyndsay Stiles, who plays keyboards and guitars. With a foundation of her churchy keyboard and low-key, clean guitar drones, Stiles and company — bassist Dan Grunke, guitarist Matt Ruch, and drummer Ryan Grames — create a kind of music that I fell in love with instantly.

Vocally, Stiles sounds like a female Lou Reed, or maybe closer to John Cale without the accent. She has the speaking/singing quality of Leonard Cohen but a bit more melodic, and she conveys a tranced-out coldness that melts nicely into the darkly angelic instrumentals. With perfect pitch and control, Stiles is an original who knows exactly what she wants to do with her voice and her band.