Thick with anticipation, the crowd hushes as the lights dim and the house music fades. Under cover of darkness and armed with instruments, an unassuming five piece takes the stage. Fingers fly deftly up and down fret boards, landing precisely in their intended spots, sounding note after accurate, split-second note. The PA fills the room with the crisp, clear ring of...banjos and fiddles. This, my friends, is how the other half shreds.

The first thing that'll occur to you when you listen to The Mammals is that this band can play. Soon after, you may slowly come to the realization that even though you never fancied yourself a bluegrass fan, you're tapping your toes, you're already singing along to Way Down the Old Plank Road on your first listen. In fact, if you try to tell me you didn't sing along, I'll look you square in the eyes and call you a liar. When they're at their best, The Mammals transcend the confines of genre; they make music that might be classified as bluegrass or folk but should rightly be called simply "good."

But Amie Street is full of great music that can be classified thusly. Let's talk specifics, shall we? For the indie-minded among us, 69 Pleasant Street is an absolute can't-miss, featuring Iron-and-Wine-evoking whisper-sung vocals. If a little political commentary is your thing, check out Whirlwinds , Lil’ Sally and the closer: Industrial Park . For pure, unadulterated sing-along fun, the aforementioned album opener Way Down the Old Plank Road is phenomenal, as is Wandering Boy .

* Bonus for the extra motivated: There's a great New York Times article that uses a live performance by The Mammals as a springboard to expend some serious verbiage comparing their brand of old-time bluegrass to modern rock and roll. It's reprinted for posterity's sake on The Mammals' own official site and you're hereby encouraged to give it a look if you've got a few minutes.