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January 30, 2009
Annuals at World Cafe Live

Annuals join us for the Free at Noon show at World Cafe Live. A co-production of WXPN and NPR Music.

Intricate, melodic, and vivid: the sound of North Carolina's Annuals is the epitome of sunny indie-pop. Their thoughtful harmonies, anthemic orchestration and percussion, and bright electronica has earned them rave reviews since their indie-label debut in 2006, the critic's darling Be He Me.

Annuals was spearheaded in Raleigh during 2003 by Adam Baker as a side-project of still-strong band Sunfold. The current six members of Annuals - Adam Baker (songwriter/vocals), Kenny Florence (lead guitar/backing vocals), Mike Robinson (bass/backing vocals), Anna Spence (keyboard/piano/vocals), Zak Oden (drums/guitar), and Donzel Radford (drums/percussion)- were all surprisingly young when the band released their first effort. When Be He Me came out and catapulted them onto indie-pop watch lists, their average age was 19. Since that time, the band's sound has matured but kept its youthful intensity. Citing influences such as Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys, and Paul Simon, the Annuals' style draws references to contemporary bands Fleet Foxes, New Pornographers, Bloc Party, and Arcade Fire.

The sextet's latest effort, appropriately named Such Fun, stays true to Annual's tagged sound yet still displays enough variety to keep old fans while capturing the new. As stated in Billboard's review of the album, "[Such Fun] is as rich and diverse as 2006's Be He Me, unfolding with layers of piano and string flourishes, crunching guitar jams and vibrant pop melodies."

Website: annualsmusic.com
MySpace: myspace.com/annuals
Origin: Raleigh, North Carolina
Recent Release: Such Fun
Release Date: October 7, 2008
Label: Canvasback Music

Song Clips:
Always Do | Confessor | Talking

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When you come to XPN's Free At Noon Concerts, bring a can of food to support Philabundance, Delaware Valley's hunger relief organization. Beginning April 25, we'll have drop-off boxes to collect canned goods for the needy. Current priority items include: canned pasta, chili, beef stew, tuna, mac & cheese, ready to eat cereal, pork & beans/ baked beans, green beans, corn, fruit cocktail, creamy peanut butter and/ or grape jelly (plastic containers only), and boxed sugar. Thanks!

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Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Sean Lennon, Chris Smith, California Guitar trio, Joan Osborne, Disco Biscuits, Damien Rice, Cold War Kids, Marc Broussard, The Slip, Arlo Guthrie, Alice Smith, The Dears, Barenaked Ladies, and more...