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The Oranges Band

The Oranges Band’s second LP, The World & Everything In It, is a variety pack of indie-rock charms. Lead singer Roman Kuebler sounds like a more mellifluous version of the Shins’ James Mercer, and even affects British inflections like Mercer does (though the Oranges are from Baltimore and the Shins are from Albuquerque–not exactly the Isle of Wight).

Roman Kuebler, along with drummer Dave Voyles, guitarist Daniel Black, and bassist Tim Johnson create pretty, straightforward indie pop that sounds a bit like the work of a different James–the one with no surname. Catchy numbers like “Ride the Nuclear Wave” come off somewhat like James’ one U.S. hit, “Laid,” but with lyrics that give an impression of depth: “When the sharks speak / Look past the sharp teeth / There truth and it cannot hide / Listen to the fish inside,” Kuebler sings.

The slower numbers, again, sound like an east-coast version of the Shins, particularly “Mountain,” with its spare guitar work and generous vocal harmonies. But these Baltimore boys have a sound that is unique and often un-Shins-like, and they are definitely hometown favorites: Baltimore’s City Paper named guitarist Dan Black the city’s “Best Band Member” for “looking all serious with his entire head and body vibrating ecstatically like he’s got a school of eels wriggling around his underwear.”

If you’d like to see good ol’ eel-pants and the rest of the crew, the Oranges Band is coming to a city near you with Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. For more info on the Oranges Band tour dates, check out: lookoutrecords.com