Oh, Brother

You can learn a lot about Annuals from “Brother,” the opening track on its debut album Be He Me—all the necessary elements are there in full flush, from elegiac strings to bombastic drums and sometimes-sung, sometimes-hollered vocals. New Yorkers are lucky to have a handful of chances to see Annuals this week, since it’s in the live arena where the band truly excels, beating the shit out of even the downbeat numbers and letting the pretty melodies surge along on syncopated staccato. Critics have been flogging the usual suspects (Animal Collective, Arcade Fire) in an effort to draw analogies, and they’ve been more or less on target—though Annuals neatly mix the same emotive melodrama with a welcome pop quirkiness. 

Frontman Adam Baker might not be old enough to buy a beer, but he’s lived long enough to have absorbed the ghost of indie rock’s past—and unlike his barely legal Gypsy-worshipping counterpart in Beirut, this kid’s noisy outfit actually deserves all of its Pitchforked buzz.

The band hails from North Carolina, home state of iconic mid-’90s groups like Archers of Loaf and Superchunk. “We’re definitely trying to bring North Carolina back into relevancy,” says bassist Mike Robinson, who’s been playing with Annuals members in various configurations since the age of 13. As for an equation that might sum up the Annuals mojo? “Wild Bill Hickok + Hitchhiker’s Guide + Herbs + Southern hospitality,” Robinson surmises, though this reporter would also like to add keyboardist Anna Spence, the talented belle whose on-stage presence anchors all this joyous, boyish clamor.  

Annuals are slated to play two CMJ shows, spicing up a surprisingly lackluster festival roster for 2006. On Monday they take the stage at Bowery Ballroom, gracious enough to be the opening act and to play second fiddle to the grossly overrated Voxtrot.

Nov. 6. Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey St. (betw. Bowery & Chrystie Sts.), 212-533-2111; 8, $15. (additional performances Nov. 3-6)