Undersung Indie Pop 2006

There are a couple acts I think people have been sort of sleeping on in the 2006 so far, namely Okay Paddy and The Five Mod Four. Okay Paddy's record The Cactus Has A Point is particularly strong, and besides a following among certain Philly-area cognoscenti it seems the act isn't getting enough attention out there on the Internets. Yes, they sorta have a Weez-ment/Pav-er thing going on, but no one has ever convinced me that is a bad thing. Feast your ears on the track "Where's The Taste," a mid-tempo jam that should be inciting in-car sing-alongs the nation over.

And then there's The Five Mod Four. If I had to quibble I'd say that the band's recently issued set Whiskers probably isn't as strong song to song as Okay Paddy's, but there is still plenty of great stuff to be heard. The track "There Will Be No More Cahoots," besides having a great title that reminds me of some high school Model U.N. sloganeering ("There will be no linkage!"), is one of the more lo-fi numbers on the record. I like the quiet handclaps and maracas, and the way the song sort of dangles the possibility of something big around the corner until it peters out.

Okay Paddy -- "Where's The Taste" -- The Cactus Has A Point
[Buy The Cactus Has A Point from Insound]

The Five Mod Four -- "There Will Be No More Cahoots" -- Whiskers
[Buy Whiskers from B&N]