Fruit Bats - The Ruminant Band (2009)

I have been looking for some new summer jammy-jams for barbecuing and roof deck lounging since my relentless over-playing of Portugal. The Man's The Satanic Satanist back in early June, and I think I may have found such goodness in the Fruit Bat's The Ruminant Band. Fruit Bats have been around in some for or another since the late '90s, but with the release of their first album in over four years, this is the first time I have paid any heed to their exceptional oft-acoustic indie folk rock. Eric D. Johnson's vocals and guitar work, plus the folky instrumentation from the talented backing musicians (Gibson, Sherman, Lewis, Wagster) weave together an album that falls in line with Fruit Bat's Seattle brethren and Sub Pop cohorts, such as The Shins (of which Johnson is a member), Band of Horses, and Fleet Foxes. There is also a taste of Led Zeppelin III folkiness, that is especially prevalent on the title track. The whole album is very good, but here is a vid for the very excellent "Ruminant Band."