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THE CAVE SINGERS: Invitation Songs [Matador]

Just as no man is an island, no band is a crevasse—and that goes triple for the Cave Singers. The Seattle trio claims to have never listened to much folk music. But in this über-wired, plugged-in century, who can truly claim to be untouched by blues and country, even if they were deprived of a daily drip of Woody Guthrie and Mississippi John Hurt? Rather, the Cave Singers are the latest humble students to emerge from an indie echo-chamber reverberating with Animal Collective-style rustic ruminations, Devendra Ban-hart-ish out folk and Two Gallants-y wail ‘n’ stomp. Pete Quirk (Hint Hint) whinnies with droning, adenoidal urgency against minimal backing provided by drummer Marty Lund (Cobra High) and guitarist Derek Fudesco (Pretty Girls Make Graves, Murder City Devils). On Invitation Songs, “Dancing On Our Graves” shakes and shivers with a death rattle of circling acoustic guitar, and “Cold Eye” discovers that streak of timeless Americana that Ryan Adams’ recent Easy Tiger failed to find. The members of the Cave Singers seem intent on scraping away their previous bands’ noise and bluster to find a music that’s no less nervy and riveting. [www.matadorrecords.com]

—Kimberly Chun