As far as bands that are wildly influential and actually still playing shows goes, The Walkmen are way up there. It's borderline impossible to overlook their effect on Carnivores, who at first seems like just another garage band from Atlanta ready to sneer its way through some tossed off songs, but take some time and you realize there's a lot more going on, especially on "Heart of Copper." Aside from the woozy vocals and sharp guitars, it sounds like coming up on a ramshackle garage, going inside and discovering every wall painted in tropical colors and a bunch of dudes throwing flowers all over the place. Good vibes hidden behind a rough exterior. Carnivores' All Night Dead U.S.A. comes out in January.
Download: Carnivores, "Heart of Copper"