Daily Download: "Montefiore," Robbers on High Street, from "Tree City"

Robbers, a hipster band-on-the-make in NYC, play taut, swaggering piano and guitar retro-rock quite like the kind perfected by Spoon. OK, "quite like" isn't quite accurate. Try exactly like. Really, it's kind of farcical how much these guys sound like Spoon. But it's an excellent band to emulate, and even if they don't have the artful, angular way with space (or the songwriting brilliance of Britt Daniel) that pushes Spoon into greatness, there's plenty to like. Three songs from their recently released debut LP, "Tree City," are available for free download. "Spanish Teeth" might be the best of them, but I can't forgive the lyric "Before the fit ever hit the shan." "Japanese Girls" is a straightforward, druggy rock song. On album closer "Montefiore," the band stretches out melodically, McCartney-style, to nice effect.
Free Download: "Montefiore"