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Next: The Henry Millers
Every week, World Cafe recommends a new artist on the rise.

December 17, 2012
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Naturally, the New York band The Henry Millers takes its name from the author, who was famous for creating his own genre of literature out of an assortment of preexisting ones. Miller was also notorious for his books' often-explicit sexual content, which was deemed illicit enough for his work to be banned in the U.S. While The Henry Millers' bright, buoyant songs aren't likely to cause a scandal, the band does share Miller's penchant for drawing from different styles — its debut album, Daisies, is equal parts indie-rock, folk and synth-pop.

Although The Henry Millers' influences may come from all over, the songs on Daisies are tight and focused, never feeling like they're stretching too far or trying too hard to pile on too many different sounds at once. What anchors the disparate influences is singer-guitarist John McCallum's concise songwriting; no matter how many different sounds he incorporates, it's always clear what he's trying to say.

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