Hem

There’s no good reason why New York’s Hem isn’t the biggest band in America. Last year’s Eveningland — with Gary Maurer’s and Dan Messé’s heartbreakingly beautiful songs, Sally Ellyson’s vulnerable-yet-vibrant crooning and a sound so lush you could sink right into it — is still stuck stubbornly in the CD player. Harking back to the late-’60s and early-’70s Nashville sound known as Countrypolitan, the band plays honest, rootsy folk pop with just the slightest twang. It’s perfect for an awkward makeout session with that beautifully sad girl you met while thumbing through old Tammy Wynette records. In a better world, this stunning American act would be on a major label and filling stadiums. For now, we’re lucky to be able to catch Hem in a more intimate setting.