I went to see Brandi Carlile last week. She has the kind of backwoods country flavor that you imagine at a little bar in the hills—like she has to play her guitar and yell her big voice over a wailing jukebox and a bunch of drunk dudes sipping their third rounds of beer. But she sells out all of her shows. She’s kind of country, kind of folksy, kind of backwoods with a little bit of ‘60s pop thrown in. I don’t know how you’d classify that mix, but that’s how I’d describe Brandi.

But I think she’s not alone in this description.  In the past few years, a bunch of bands have come around with the same kind of aesthetic—like they were pulled from a 1960’s rural bar after they'd been weaned on the Beatles and Patsy Cline. Let’s look at some of these bands that might fall into this category:

Ivan & Alyosha. This Seattle-based band opened for Brandi and I was convinced that the leader singer was Brandi Carlile—he had the same long brown hair and wore skinny jeans that she does. His voice is high and quite beautiful, too. After I realized that the lead singer wasn’t Brandi, I really loved the high-energy pop that Ivan & Alyosha puts out. The four-member band really utilizes the skills of its bass and guitar players, as well as smooth harmonies, tambourines, egg shakers and lilting guitar harmonies.  I love the song “Fathers Be Kind.”

Avett Brothers. The North Carolina group has gotten huge recently, selling out major amphitheaters all over the country. I’m surprised by their huge success, but not their talent. They can play a huge number of instruments—guitar, string bass, cello, piano—but also exhibit a musical range unusual with pop stars these days. They can sing ballads, upbeat numbers or combinations of the two in a single song. “Kick Drum Heart” is my favorite song of theirs because of its upbeat exuberance and silly lyrics that fit the song’s message perfectly.

Blitzen Trapper. The Portland, Oregon band’s music combines sound effects and scratchy, reverb recordings that make them seem like they were lifted from an old record store. I love the lead singer’s voice—it’s just a little gravelly and occasionally cracks.  They are really at their best when they write simple songs like “Furr,” a song that includes wicked harmonica and bird sound accompaniments.

Yonder Mountain String Band. Yonder Mountain String Band is a little bit more of a literal interpretation of this genre than the other bands—they literally sound like a band from the mountains. With mandolin, banjo, string bass and guitar, their songs sound like they really were stolen from their grandfathers, real bluegrass jammers, and transported onstage.  The lead singer’s voice just encourages this interpretation—it’s light and sweet like a '60s folk singer’s—as do the vocal harmonies with the other members. Check out “Half Moon Rising.”

Noah & the Whale. I don’t know Noah & the Whale as well as I know the other bands, but the lead singer reminds me exactly of Stephen Merritt from the Magnetic Fields, only British. The songs are summery and ‘60s with shimmering strings, ukeleles and handclaps.  If they were Americans, I would think they were a bit too precious with their ornamentations and cutesy lyrics, but they’re from London, so they’re super adorable.