Titus Andronicus

Although shoegaze references abound when people refer to Glen Rock, New Jersey's Titus Andronicus, the band probably has more in common with the lyrically dense freak-folk outbursts of Neutral Milk Hotel than it does with My Bloody Valentine. Noisy guitars and crunchy vocal effects are merely window-dressing for the quick-witted poetry and infectious hooks found on its The Airing of Grievances EP. Still, Grievances possesses a certain down-home quality that keeps the band's hyperoverdriven soundscapes grounded — and the EP's understated pop songs have enough unbridled energy and grit to maintain a youthful, spontaneous sense of urgency.