Nico Vega

Starlit and soot-covered in equal measure, electro-tinged raunch-rock trio Nico Vega derives much of its glammy grit from the dusky voice of Aja Volkman, whose lower register echoes the tousled, heavy styles of Janis Joplin and Patti Smith before unleashing a banshee scream that would have Karen O (the older, more fun version) seething with jealousy. The band treads an offbeat path flanked by hard soul, angular ’80s pop, honest-to-God rock, and even the occasional rustic folk song, grinding out a musical manifesto aimed to rouse the world-weary from whatever city-borne malaise they’ve caught. Faint praise alert: The group’s 2009 self-titled full-length debut is easily the first with any iota of gravity on the otherwise brainless MySpace Records label.

Updated 11/23/2009