Annuals

Pick It Up…Or rather, download it. With the success-and hype-afforded such recent digital-only releases by Radiohead and that wonderfully bizarre Trent Reznor/Saul Williams collaboration, it’s no wonder that more bands are jumping on the download-only bandwagon. Latest to hop on board are North Carolina’s Annuals. The band’s Frelen Mas (He Be Me B-Sides) digital EP captures Annuals’ ability to expertly mix melodic electronica with ¼ber theatrical rock arrangements. Where tracks like “Such a Mess” call out to Radiohead and Aphex Twin, “Sewn to Kites” combines Iron & Wine’s melancholy with the in-your-face breaks that made Cursive’s The Ugly Organ so damn epic.