All aboard the Civil Wars train

If you're not one of the hipsters that are soon going to disown them for their newfound popularity, you're probably just catching on to folk duo The Civil Wars. The pair, made up of Joy Williams and John Paul White, scored its first two Grammy's this week for "Best Country Duo/Group Performance" and "Best Folk Album."

The release of their debut album Barton Hollow in February 2011, along with being the opening act for Adele on her spring/summer tour last year, catapulted them into the spotlight — and rightfully so.

I got to see The Civil Wars in Memphis last summer at Playhouse on the Square, and honestly, I felt like I robbed them to have only paid $15 per ticket. Vocally, it was the most incredible performance I've ever heard live.

I remember their opening act that night, Rayland Baxter, saying as he introduced them, "you're about to experience perfect harmony." He was absolutely right. It was unbelievable.

If music was a drug, The Civil Wars would be one of those that people get instantly addicted to — eternally in search of the same "high" they felt the first time they experienced it. I was genuinely a little bit heartbroken when it ended, and I've been watching for them to play somewhere close enough for me to drive and see them again ever since.

The way their voices just go together creates a harmony that you have to think, "those voices were made to be singing together." Interestingly enough, their meeting seems somewhat fateful.

Williams and White told the story of how they met during the Memphis show I attended. Basically, the two were both attending a song writing session in Nashville in 2008, where they were randomly stuck in a room together to write. The rest, they said, is pretty much history.

Lyrically, their music tends to be somewhat dark, and I've only ever seen them wear black on stage, but their voices are nothing short of heavenly. There is this mysteriousness about them that's so captivating that it literally takes you to another place. It's a bit somber, but it's breathtakingly beautiful.

It's truly one of those things that are almost unexplainable — it's just something I think anyone with any sort of music interest needs to experience. But be careful, you'll get addicted and have to have more. My recommendation for getting a "fix" in the meantime is downloading their free Live from Eddie's Attic album. And, of course, purchasing their only full-length album, Barton Hollow.

Most recently, the duo has written and recorded a single for the Hunger Games sound track with Taylor Swift called "Safe and Sound." It's great, and is without a doubt Swift's best vocal performance, in my opinion.

If you have ears and any sort of music taste whatsoever, you need to jump on the Civil Wars train. You won't regret it.

Unfortunately, there are no signs of them playing anywhere near by any time soon. The duo heads out for a European tour that starts in London on March 8.