Music is life, but more than that, it's a chance to impress your friends with the cool and obscure bands they've probably never heard of. And so, here are three little-known acts to start the school year with:

Johnson Brothers
Uno

The Johnson Brothers' first CD, Quintessential Honey, was pretty sweet, so I was eager to check out their latest 5-track indie release. Alas, it didn't live up to expectations. The J-Bros (as they're styled in the 'hood), may be pretty good-looking—at least the ladies thought so, when I caught them live at Arlene Grocery—but they could use some stronger songwriting chops. I was hoping for a more original sound from these guys, but instead they refused to go anywhere that Aerosmith, Lenny Kravitz, or the Chili Peppers haven't been before. Honestly, none of the songs stuck in my head except for the last track, the acoustic version of "A Long Day," which had both some good writing and some nice harmonies.

Still, there's hope. The Johnson Brothers are pretty tight musically, and if they just stopped worshipping Steven Tyler and found some punchier songs, they might have something there.

Mission of Burma
Signals, Calls, and Marches

Mission of Burma's sound, to the uninitiated, sounds horribly derivative. After all, what they're about—melodic punk for the thinking man—has been done before. The Talking Heads made a fortune off of it, and every emo-boy in their gas station shirt and Buddy Holly glasses aspires to be recognized for manfully expressing the same sort of inner pain. Then you look at the liner notes, and see that the album was recorded in 1981. What you have in your hands isn't another wanna-be bunch of suburban punks; it's a band of visionaries.

Mission of Burma is proof that you do get second chances in life. Existing for only a heartbeat of rock 'n' roll history, and rarely leaving their Boston home, the group, consisting of Clint Conley on bass, Roger Miller on guitar, and Peter Prescott on drums, has had an amazingly widespread influence. REM and Moby have recorded covers of their songs, and they sold out a short reunion tour in January of '02. I myself found them after a Salon.com article. It's amazing that a band so obscure could have been so influential.

If you only pick up one Mission of Burma album, make it Signals, Calls, and Marches. The CD has eight solid tracks, but "Academy Fight Song" and "That's When I Reach for My Revolver" are true classics. "Fame and Fortune" and "This is not a Photograph" are also brilliant, though, unlike most people, I don't think"Max Ernst" is all that hot.

All in all, Mission of Burma is well worth checking out. Not only is it incredible music,but you can totally impress your friends with your newfound indie rocker cachet.

Lourds
Supergirl

We've carrried a torch for her for a long time, but with this three-song demo CD, Lourds has really caught fire. Recently signed to a major label (the rumors say "Arista"), the East Village-based singer/songwriter/violinist seems poised for major success above and beyond her already massive cult following. If the three tight, polished tracks are any indication, she certainly deserves it.

"Paper Doll," the first track, is a moody number, with shades of Heart and Blondie. Lourds uses her powerful voice in a way that is at once disciplined and emotional, going from a throaty little-girl whisper to a soft croon to a full-on assault that Melissa Ethridge would give her left ovary to be able to pull off.

The next track, "Love All of Me," is much more "top 40," but no less virtuoso (virtuosa?), with good use of both harmonies and vocal effects. Lourds' songwriting, as always, is top-notch, both personal and universal.

"Supergirl", the last song, is both the darkest and the most emotional. The guitar solo at the end really brings TJ Jordan's guitar chops to the fore, and the entire backing band aquit themselves marvellously.

Overall, Lourds needs to be heard. Order her CD, and if she comes to your town, be sure to check her out.

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