Songs from the Pine Room

A five-piece largely acoustic alt-country band from San Francisco, Axton Kincaid break few rules on their debut album. Even the one cover, a startlingly good and stylistically effective reworking of the Stone Roses' Madchester classic "I Wanna Be Adored," is a perfect fit in the bluegrass-up-an-unexpected-rock-standard category of covers. But while Axton Kincaid might not be covering new ground on Songs from the Pine Room, they do what they do quite well. The linchpin of the band is singer/songwriter Kate Howser, whose tradition-minded songs and lovely lead vocals are embroidered by the band's unfussy musical interplay and the gorgeous close harmonies of mandolinist Jen Daunt (Howser's bandmate in a long run of minor Bay Area indie outfits) and pedal steel player Mac Martine. Comparisons to Freakwater and the Be Good Tanyas, among other low-key acts with twangy tunes and female vocalists, are perhaps inevitable, but the lovely harmonies, Howser's catchy tunes, and the overall sense of summery languor make Songs from the Pine Room a most entertaining listen.