Alamo Race Track - Black Cat John Brown (2006)

If it isn't weird enough for a band from Amsterdam to call itself Alamo Race Track, consider how the mostly unclassifiable foursome have fanned the flames of their international popularity: a camera caught them in an impromptu performance of the weird but likable song "Black Cat John Brown in a miniscule dressing room, and You Tubers went crazy for it. It's not hard to understand why. Other indie bands won't go there, but the boys of Alamo aren't afraid to capitalize on quirkiness. Every song, from the acoustic and slightly menacing title track to the pop wingding that is "Northern Territory" makes very little sense, yet is delivered in such a way that the melodies fit everyday moods. You may not understand what Ralph Mulder and company are making a minor racket about when they launch into a song like "Lee J. Cobb Is Screaming A Lot," but you will feel the energy they've derived as students of 80s new wave, mainstream rock and pop. Comparisons to The Strokes and Radiohead are swirling, but don't believe them. ART is more like an edgy, sometimes slap-happy Peter, Bjorn & John.