Danger & The Steel Cut Oats

Danger & The Steel Cut Oats - Eye of the Storm

They're a bit like the Decemberists, but with a lovable rowdiness that the Portlanders are missing on record lately. In fact, to take this further, Danger & Oats (Oates?) are American in all the ways that fellow current-obsessions-of-mine Broken Records are European; that is, fiddle-rockingly so. This song makes its own slow way down the dirty track to tell you something to your face, with a grin and a tear, and this comes at 2.34 and it's beautiful like when it starts raining at the exact right moment, and the day is perfect. There's a real bevy of stringed instruments here, and it's worth pointing out how gracefully they fit themselves together, like clasped hands. Also, I have no idea what that noise at the end is, but it works.

Danger & The Steel Cut Oats are from Nashville, and they have an EP that you can buy, or win from a band member if you beat them in a push up competition. Relatedly, Broken Records are also selling an EP on their MySpace now! Unrelatedly, I recommend you check out this session from Sandro Perri at the ever-wonderful B(oot)log.