Kevin Bronson on February 7th, 2012

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When Briertone first started playing around southern California, they were something of a novelty: Imagine, indie-rock played with folk instruments, like … banjo and violin and mandolin. “Punk rock-meets-‘Deliverance,'” I wrote in September, 2006. Turns out the San Luis Obispo-bred quintet fronted by Adam Pasion was ahead of the curve, considering the hills indie-rock has headed for in the interim. “Outlaw rock,” Briertone called their sound, but it was not so much lawless as it was just plain audacious – a combination of the pop-folk that has Mumford & Sons cashing big checks and revival-esque Americana that’s earned the Silent Comedy a big following in SoCal. After a long haitus – drummer Bobby Lucy says it “was a much-needed break for some of us” – Briertone has returned with their “Sky’s Torn Open” EP. Pasion, Lucy and bandmates Matt Black, Elijah Merritt and Robbie English cover a lot of ground over five tracks. “I Am Jacob” somehow fashions an indie-rock anthem out of an oozing chord progression and a nice banjo riff. Works for me.

||| Download: “I Am Jacob”