The Armoires

Incognito

Big Stir Records

Most of these songs were written before the pandemic, and recorded during it, pulling in almost everyone on Big Stir to help record it remotely. They're theoretical singles, a college rock throwback, that in a better world would be as popular as any college rock band of the 80s.

For example, their cover of XTC's "Senses Working Overtime" is as good as the original, and shows what college rock could've become if grunge (itself a type of college rock) hadn't accidentally replaced it. As good as the original is, I much prefer their cover of John Cale's "Paris 1919, as it's faster.

Original songs like "Awkward City Limits," with its down and dirty violin playing, also make the grade. This band is folk/rock, country/rock, and straight up rock, blending many different styles of music together into a seamless whole, one of many things college rock did best.

So if you're curious about what college rock was like, or if you like, say, R.E.M., Game Theory, and XTC and want to hear more, this album is a must-hear. You'll hear a type of music that was for a while, and still should be, very important; a type of music that never really went away; a new type of underground that should be a lot more aboveground.

Andrea Weiss