Capybara

Is it fair to be especially impressed when a new band you fancy come not from New York, Toronto, Los Angeles or Montreal but Kansas? Capybara have succeeded in wooing me to their Midwest vantage with their nice guy energy, falsetto harmonies, limber syncopation and keyboard/banjo duelling. Try Brother kicks off with three back-to-back bursts of energy that push and pull at your neck muscles like a tractor loaded with melodies. Little bits of everything from Snailhouse at their herky-jerkiest tempered by Bon Iver-esque wistfulness click together with the surefooted instrumental detail of Loney, Dear. They cool things off midway through on "Happiness/Let Child Roam," which has the languid kitchen sink drama of vintage Rock Plaza Central. Named after the largest living rodent (up to four-feet in length), Capybara combine the modesty of mice with the scrappiness of city squirrels, and Try Brother is one of this year's biggest little albums so far.