It’s pretty clear that the US music blog establishment is MUCH keener to give exposure to any lo-fi indie band (no matter how instrumentally inept) rather than to highlight deserving, original, "mellowish" folky acts (rocking ones have more luck). It’s a shame because there are a lot of fantastic bands in NYC that craft quality music of this kind (Lucius, Pearl & The Beard, Swear & Shake, to name a few), and who – onstage – can tear to pieces 90% of the indie rock bands out there.
Mostly driven by Jessie Murphy’s thoughtful songwriting and Marcia Webb’s multi-instrumental talent, We Are The Woods – whom we had the pleasure to see live at our CMJ rootsy show in 2011 – is a band that manages to blend an exhuberant creativity with the intense nature of the rootsy genre. They just released their full length "Whales and Roses" in November, and we recommend you go see them at Mercury Lounge on November 11.