"I Believe in Rock and Roll/Moving Fast to Save My Soul": The Rosebuds

Raleigh's Rosebuds make light-hearted guitar pop -- nothing weighty, just lots of energetic fun. There's a somewhat old-school vibe here, and bands like the Kinks are a common reference point. I'm especially fond of the loping pace of "Big Heartbreak," a slower track from Make Out, their full-length debut on Merge Records. The heart of the band is guitarist Ivan Howard and his wife, keyboardist Kelly Crisp, joined by a rotating roster of drummers (currently, it's Wes Phillips of Ticonderoga).

Here's an interview with Howard from 2003.
Pitchfork reviews Make Out.
Scroll down here to read the Independent's listing of the Rosebuds as one of "12 Bands Not to Miss".

MP3: "Kicks in the Schoolyard" (note that this is a higher bitrate MP3 than the one I linked previously)
MP3: "My Downtown Friends"
MP3: "Big Heartbreak"
MP3: "Waiting for the Carnival"
(From Make Out, Merge Records 2003. Buy)

MP3: "Happily Ever After"
(From Old Enough to Know Better: 15 Years of Merge Records, Merge 2004. Buy)

MP3: "Back to Boston"
(From The Rosebuds vs. Utah! 7", Pidgeon English. Out of print. Unclear to me if this is different from the version on Make Out.)