There's nothing new about sticking a harmonica player in front of a rollicking rhythm section and locking into a groove. Pop your head into any number of bars in any number of locales on any given night, and there's a decent chance you'll hear a ragtag group of musicians pounding their way through some variety of "the blues."

What's enticing about Burlington's wickedly named Cccome? is how they slyly fuck with the notion of blues-rock, twisting stomach-turning clichés into something altogether more inventive - and far stranger.... Read more

(Icebox Records, EP CD)

For a band that's only been around for a few years, Swale have established themselves as leaders of a new Burlington sound - a smart fusion of art-rock and experimental pop.

Keyboardist/vocalist Amanda Gustafson, guitarist vocalist Eric Olsen and drummer Jeremy Frederick have all logged serious time in service of the scene. Their frequent live appearances swing wildly from psychedelic free-for-alls to tender, slow-burn ballads.... Read more

(RELEASE)

(Self-released, CD)

Burlington may be a long haul from Bakersfield, but the warm twang and wine-fueled heartache of Buck Owens, Merle Haggard and their fellow Okie pickers has long captured the souls of the local music community.... Read more

(Young Scientist Records, CD)

The Milkman's Union is the nom de rock of 17-year-old Henry Jamison-Root, quite an impressive whippersnapper. The Burlington resident recorded Here's Hoping in his bedroom over three weeks last summer, playing every note on the album from viola to drum machines, guitars to mandolin. What's more, the disc is released on his own Young Scientist imprint.... Read more

(Self-released, CD)

Hailing from Barre and currently residing in Burlington, The Year's Best are four young lads -- guitarist Adam Fuller, vocalist/guitarist Mike Wheeler, drummer Kevin Bell and bassist Sean Martin -- with a knack for meaty pop hooks and introspective indie-rock poetics. It's Not Easy Being Me Around You, the group's third CD, is a 50-minute collection of sad-eyed sermons for the lonely.... Read more

(Saints Rest Records, CD)

The Burlington music scene has always been a little bit country and a little bit rock 'n' roll. Acts such as Chrome Cowboys, The Middle Eight and Starline Rhythm Boys have long mirrored the area's rural cosmopolitanism with an electrified twang. Will, a five-piece comprising Eoin Noonan, Dave Anderson, Matt Marro, Conor McQuade and Jeremy Woods, are the latest locals to saunter down this well-trodden path.... Read more

(Sound & Light, CD)

Over the past decade, jam-rock has dominated college campuses across America. In that same time, The New Deal have proven one of the most consistently engaging acts around. From their beginnings as heady, downtempo groovesters to their reinvention as a strobe-lights-and-disco dance band, the Canadian trio comprising bassist Dan Kurtz, drummer Darren Shearer and keyboardist Jamie Shields have managed to steer clear of the dead ends that cornered other improv bands.... Read more

(Self-released, CD)

Gabrielle and Burette Douglas, the songwriting core of The Cush, moved to Burlington from Dallas, Texas, in 2001 and quickly became a part of the city's rock regeneration. They brought with them a psychedelic, fuzz-flash sound that was like nothing else heard in area clubs. Influenced by the heady drones and massive, padded hooks of Brit shoegazers such as My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive and Ride, The Cush filled their self-titled debut with dense sound and a shot of Deep South sorrow.... Read more

(Rykodisc, CD/DVD)

James Kochalka has long been one of Vermont's art-scene treasures, churning out comic books full of playful squiggles and a sick, smart sense of humor. But he's a polarizing artist; despite legions of fanatic followers, there are plenty of people who shake their heads -- or get downright angry -- at his outsider art. Still, love him or hate him, it's hard to deny that Kochalka has a knack for getting himself noticed. (For example, notice his weekly cartoon in Seven Days.)... Read more

(Self-released, CD)

Burlington alt-country darlings The Middle Eight have been promising the release of their debut full-length for a long, long time. Now, a solid six months after word of its release began to spread, the record is finally seeing the light of day. They'll play the Magic Hat Variety Show on Thursday at both Nectar's and Club Metronome.

In this world of mass-marketed, assembly-line pop, it's comforting to see a band take their time. I can tell you -- it was worth the wait.... Read more