Sounds of Hopscotch #3: The Toddlers

Hopscotch is a long weekend-long festivus of musical goodness, and the closer it gets the more excited I get about it. The lineup is so good that I won't be able to see all of the wondrous bands I'd like to, dangit. Sounds of Hopscotch shares the bands that I've got my eye on, and that regardless of whether or not you'll be in Raleigh for the fest, you really ought to get to know as well.

Perhaps what I like most about Chapel Hill outfit The Toddlers is that their sound is nigh on impossible to categorize. In one song I heard the golden 70s Laurel Canyon strains, a little bit of Bryan Ferry's coolest Roxy Music vocal moments, and some long-forgotten Vegas lounge act all vying for the reigns. And there's plenty more where those came from, too. There's a heavy retro vibe to their sound, but darned if you can really figure out from whence it's come. And darned if I don't really, really dig it.