Erie Choir

Eric Roehrig is best known to indie fans as the singer and guitarist of Sorry About Dresden, a North Carolina band that never quite broke out despite having a record deal with Omaha's Saddle Creek Records. While Sorry About Dresden still performs occasionally, Roehrig is keeping busy with his new project, Erie Choir. By relying on simple acoustic guitar strums and budget pop arrangements from Roehrig's unobtrusive band (which features former White Octave drummer Robert Biggers), Erie Choir's debut, Slighter Awake, stays fairly down-tempo and ruminative — though at its best the band comes off like Sloan unplugged, courtesy of catchy choruses and building harmonies. "Picture=Proof" is the closest thing to a rock song on the album, though; its loping, piano-driven melody could be mistaken for an outtake from Elliott Smith's XO.