Live and direct, Call and Response are comin’ at ya straight outta Athens. And while that statement might not carry as much weight (or weapons) as, say, "straight outta Compton", it still lets you know more or less who you're dealing with. However, since C.A.R. aren't actually from Athens -- they just recorded there -- their self-titled debut is unlike anything else you've heard from the tiny Bohemian musical hotbed.

As you may have guessed, Call and Response are at least a bastard branch of the Elephant 6 collective. While the band themselves are not members (at least to the best of my knowledge), their debut was produced by the infamous and notorious Bill Doss and Of Montrealer/all around nice guy Derek Almsted. It also features a host of cameo appearances from the likes of Heather McIntosh, Kevin Barnes, Jamey Huggins and the Athens Insect Orchestra. However, as I said before, this album sounds like nothing you’d expect to hear from those fine folks. Instead, in just over 40 minutes, Call and Response manage to sound a little bit like every band you’ve loved in the last 30 years.

Opener "Blowin’ Bubbles" rides a synthetic Kool & the Gang groove over a wall of frothy pop and delicious boy-girl vocals that invite you to "listen to their bubble go pop". "Nightlife" sounds, rather implausibly, like the Bay City Rollers dosed on Xanax and fronted by Sarah Cracknell. The country-tinged "California Floating in Space", on the other hand, is simply beautiful, combining swells of fat brass with delicate drumming and Simone Rubi’s positively Sadier-like vocals. Other gems in this mystical treasure trove include the sugarcoated funk of "The Fool," the gangland harmonies of "Map" and the Parliament inspired boogie of "Lightbulb".

Call and Response are unique in their ability to take the cheese of the seventies and filter it through positively forward-looking eyes. That rare ability, coupled with the wealth of talent on display here, makes this group one to watch in the coming years. And remember, you heard it here first.