Heading back west across Main, I and two friends headed to The Brewhouse to catch Head Cabinets. Having heard nothing about them at all, I was immediately glad that we stopped in. The married duo features a guy on guitar and a girl on cello, with vocals from both. The duo’s acoustic-based songs are similar to old-school Mountain Goats, if John Darnielle and Rachel Ware had the effervescent pop charm of Mates of State and the enthusiasm of Matt and Kim. The considerable rough edges of the guy’s vocals and guitar playing were rounded off by the cello and sweet female vocals, creating an endearing sound that’s hard to dislike.

One of my friends also noted how good their music sounded in The Brewhouse, which was a tribute to the soundman as well as a good band/venue pairing by whoever does that sort of thing for NMF. The cello was a bit quiet occasionally, but that’s the only complaint.

Amidst the clapping, tambourine shaking, singing and smiling, it was easy to miss the lyrics, which were about all sorts of great things: vampires, zombies, religious topics and more. Even though there are only two members, this band is the full package. Head Cabinets is a real-deal, do-not-miss band.

Look forward to more coverage of Thursday (including a triumphant set from The Neighborhood), Friday and Saturday’s NMF events on Monday.