Who? They may have an Ivy-bred name, but Eagle Rock, CA’s Princeton are more concerned with chamber-pop than condescension. Comprised of brothers Jesse and Matt Kivel, plus longtime pal Ben Usen, Princeton combine the Glaswegian gloom of Tigermilk-era Belle and Sebastian with sublime orchestration and Vampire Weekend‘s bouncy, lilting rhythmic structures to formulate a sound that will send listeners off to a regal pop Valhalla. Check out the fluttering woodwinds and galloping melody of “Ms. Bentwich.”
Recommended if you like… Belle and Sebastian, Vampire Weekend, Sufjan Stevens.
Their Latest: Princeton’s second EP, Bloomsbury, dropped July 7 on Striking Peasant.
Now Hear This: “Ms. Bentwich” (DOWNLOAD MP3)