The Lanterns

If Richard Linklater made a movie set in 1992 with a skateboarding/petty theft montage, the Lanterns would be the soundtrack. There's something instantly identifiable and endearing about the music made by these New Hampshire punks, calling to mind the Replacements fronted by Ben Weasel, but if he was female. There's a perfectly mid-tempo "Bastards of Young"-vibe that pervades songs like "Clark and Belmont" and "Chain," while the more punked-up feel of "Crooked Line" offers up an appropriate mid-EP pick-me-up. There are no fancy tricks on Postcard Pictures, just really catchy songs played with genuine passion by a few earnest-sounding dudes and ladies.