Pearl and the Beard, ’40K’ – Free MP3 Download

Family Records' Pearl and the Beard put a fresh spin on indie pop with a tri-vocal approach and the use of often-neglected instruments like cello, glockenspiel, melodica and accordion -- and that approach seems to be working well.

In just the last two years, the group has garnered praise from outlets like the Boston Globe, Filter Magazine and the Wall Street Journal, and in 2011, they staged an extremely well attended U.K. tour. Their acoustic single '40K' conjures up memories of Malvina Reynolds' 'Little Boxes' and sees the trio exploring their folkier side.

"'40K' is a plea," group member Jeremy Styles tells Diffuser.fm. "To us, its driving rhythm embodies the restlessness that occurs when trying to communicate with an un-listening ear. We wrote it entirely collaboratively, with each of us adding an integral moving part to the song's machinery."