Robbers on High Street "Amanda Green" from Tree City Live at The Annex Madison, WI Oct 12, 2005 PODCAST EXCLUSIVE!

This week I'm closing out the 2005 clips with the band that out-Spooned Spoon. This is surely heresy among the chattering classes of indie rock elites, but Tree City, from Robbers on High Street, was a much more fulfilling effort than Spoon's Gimme Fiction, in my opinion. They lose some points for sounding exactly like Spoon -- really, it's kind of unbelievable how much every aspect of the band sounds like Britt Daniel et al. -- and they lose a few more for being in those Pontiac commercials -- the particular song from which will be posted on Friday -- but they still come out with the more pleasing record.

This didn't translate into show attendance, though. Less than a dozen people saw the Hat Party and the King of France open the show, and not too many more came in for the headliners. It's too bad, because the set was really strong and they threw in some new material to boot. This track is one of Emily's favorites from their LP and it's got a driving punch that's hard to ignore. Just remember: They're not actually Spoon.