RecommNeds | Haunt the House, Streets of Laredo & More

Aaron “Neddy” Stein has one more batch of recommendations, or RecommNeds, for us in 2014. We’d like to thank Neddy for the dozens of incredible releases he’s turned us on to this year and look forward to more in 2015.

Haunt the House: Jack Rabbit Jones

Didn’t think it was possible, but I’ve become hip to an excellent folk band out of Rhode Island that I didn’t discover at the Newport Folk Festival. Still, Haunt the House has the sound of a band you’d discover at Fort Adams Park: superlative songwriting, old school acoustic instrumentation, sweet summer harmonies and that indescribable special something that merits a second listen. Their debut album, Jack Rabbit Jones has all of these and more. Some top notch Americana.

Rdio: http://www . rdio.com/artist/Haunt_the_House/album/Jack_Rabbit_Jones/

Spotify: Haunt the House – Jack Rabbit Jones

Rhapsody: http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/haunt-the-house/album/jack-rabbit-jones

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Streets of Laredo: Volume I & II

Somehow Streets of Laredo is from both New Zealand and Brooklyn, which isn’t that unreasonable when you listen to their debut album Volume I & II. Actually, the album is two EP’s pasted together seamlessly into a nifty set of euphoric, big-band indie-folk. Yeah, I know you’re sitting there thinking, “do we really need another indie-folk band?” But these guys are worth it: great songs (I’ve listened to “Girlfriend” about a zillion times) and cool instrument combinations (a somewhat surprising amount of trumpet, for example). Streets of Laredo is a family affair with brothers and brothers’ wives harmonizing with plenty of friends-you-call-brother. Enjoy!

Rdio: http://www.rd io.c om/artist/Streets_of_Laredo/album/Volume_I__II/

Spotify: Streets of Laredo – Volume I & II

Rhapsody: http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/streets-of-laredo/album/volume-i-and-ii-dine-alone-music

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Frontier Ruckus: Sitcom Afterlife

If you’re looking for superlative songwriting, look no further than Michigan band Frontier Ruckus. On their latest LP, Sitcom Afterlife, you’ve got lead singer and songwriter Matthew Milia singing about doing drugs in a bathroom stall, finding porn behind a Taco Bell and finding yourself drunk at an enemy’s wedding, amongst other interesting potentially true scenarios. All par for the course for Frontier Ruckus who finds beauty in the not-so-beautiful and makes music that’s both engaging and fun as hell to listen to. Guitars, bass and drums, but banjo also a heady dash of saw (the instrument) as well. Enjoy.

Rdio: http://www. rdio. com/artist/Frontier_Ruckus/album/Sitcom_Afterlife/

Spotify: Frontier Ruckus – Sitcom Afterlife

Rhapsody: http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/frontier-ruckus/album/sitcom-afterlife

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Written By: Aaron Stein