The Shins October 19, 2007

Hailing from Albuquerque, N.M., The Shins play some delightfully catchy, totally innocuous guitar pop. Borrowing from '60s pop and injecting it with plenty of indie-rock melancholy and neo-psychedelic charm, the result is a sound that makes many other retro-friendly guitar-pop acts sound like cover bands. Vetiver, a San Francisco band and part of the Devendra Banhart clan, delivers a live set that gracefully navigates the choppy waters of folk and pop as it blends shimmering melodies and intimate songs with the jumpiness of old Cajun music with gentle vocals matched against finger-picking acoustic guitar duets, a tasteful hint of slide guitar and minimalist drumming, and simple, sturdy cello lines from Alissa Anderson.