The Sheds -- You've Got a Light

Cincinnati Indie Folk duo The Sheds have released other albums before their brand new You've Got a Light, but don't look for them in your favorite CD store. The band simply put the releases (including this one) up on their Web site for free download. While that can be seen as smart promotional acumen, with The Sheds, it almost feels like an anti-materialistic statement against the music industry's increasingly apparent greed. The Sheds are singer/songwriters Paul Bunyan and Chris Haubner and their close camaraderie is apparent in their musical output. Speaking of friends, the twosome invited many of theirs to lend a hand on the new disc, adding to the communal spirit. The Sheds are multidimensional, meaning you get a little acoustic modern Folk, a little quirky ElectroPop, some driving Indie Rock and, often, a mix of all three. All these elements combine on Light for something impossibly infectious. Bunyan and Haubner's easy melodies are instantly memorable -- listen to the churning opener "All the Right Things" once and it will be burned into your mind forever. "The World Is Changing" is a lilting acoustic ballad bolstered by spare electronic burbling, while the charmingly goofy "Trash Can Jeans" is all minimal, squiggly Electronica with some jive-talkin' vocal muttering over top. On the playful, irresistible "Reflection of the Sun," the duo is joined by local compatriots The Seedy Seeds, Uncle Smokin' Joe and Matthew Shelton, who are each intro-ed by name before their singing parts. "Mtn Cat" is another standout, with its stabbing string sounds, trickling banjo and endearing call-response chorus ("Kind but can I get another beer/There's a cooler in the front and a cooler in the rear"). While there are a lot of varying additives, The Sheds don't pile on, instead using the different elements sparingly. And, despite the electro adornments, there is a naturalness and modesty evident on every track, which makes Light one of the more engaging Cincinnati releases of the year so far. The Sheds present a CD release party Saturday at the Southgate House with guests Arrah & the Ferns, J-Roddy Walston & the Business, Pomegranates and The Seedy Seeds. (Mike Breen) Grade: A