Artist The Big Strong Men

Minneapolis band The Big Strong Men possesses such poise and talent that it can incidentally make the music come across as stripped of soul and overly showy. Christopher “Philly” Williams’ death-defying honky-tonk keyboard antics on “Don’t Go Too Far”—off the debut EP of the same name—scream “Hey, check this out,” but in a landscape that’s often dominated by young bands getting by on style over substance, Big Strong Men stand out. And if you can’t admire the band’s chops, at least you can sit back and stew over the fact that these guys are probably much better musicians than you.

Updated 01/05/2011