Autumn Tone

Athens, Ga.‘s Futurebirds stakes its stylistic ground on its first full-length record, offering an amalgam of alt-country, Southern rock, Americana, indie and experimental folk. At times, the band channels early My Morning Jacket and at other times seems straight out of the 1970s, complete with jangly guitars and a dreamy, washed out sound. _Hampton’s Lullaby_ takes listeners on an eclectic journey from rootsy harmonizing reminiscent of The Avett Brothers ( “Ski Chalet” ) to roots rock melodies ( “Sam Jones” ) to vocals that sound eerily like Kings of Leon’s Caleb Followill ( “Happy Animals” ). There’s also country-western twang and Southern-infused lyrics ( “Battle for Rome” ), but the opening track ( “Johnny Utah” ) is the band at its finest: soaring pedal steel and reverb-soaked vocals with banjo and mandolin seeping through Southern rock psychedelia. These good ole boys may be the next great thing to come out of The Classic City.