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Ratboys &bull; <i>Happy Birthday, Ratboy</i>

Ratboys • Happy Birthday, Ratboy

Revisiting songs from their debut 2011 EP and various favorites from a ten-year career, this sunny folk-pop ensemble is buoyed by brightly colored harmony balloons dangling deathly sharp unexpected hooks. Listen with care and often.

Drive-By Truckers &bull; <i>The New OK</i>

Drive-By Truckers • The New OK

Yes, it’s the Drive-By Truckers, and they remain consistent to their deep Southern roots, but I had to keep checking the player to see who was sounding exactly like Dinosaur Jr. or riffing off Hall and Oates.

Old 97's &bull; <i>Twelfth</i>

Old 97's • Twelfth

Someone threw a key party for a bunch of musical genres, and Americana, Rock, and Punk left together. On the dashboard radio on the way to the motel, the Old 97’s were playing.

Chicano Batman &bull; <i>Freedom Is Free</i>

Chicano Batman • Freedom Is Free

A fluid mixture of influences and identity, with tropical flavors and delicate pop sensibilities layering up with street-tough attitude for some songs, like a leather-jacketed hoodlum holding a bouquet of roses.