JEFF The Brotherhood

If JEFF The Brotherhood is good at anything, it might just be selling records. Already, Jake and Jamin Orrall, the pair of 20-something brothers who comprise JEFF, have amassed at least 15 sold-out titles (probably more by the time you read this). This includes three full-length albums, plus splits with notable rockers like Ty Segall, Screaming Females and Best Coast (that single, by the way, now goes for up to $40 on eBay). Granted, most were pressed in limited quantities, but isn't it hard to pawn most anything in this economy?

Listening to the band, it's easy to see why their music is such an easy sell: JEFF The Brotherhood is an audible reminder why "play" is the appropriate verb to apply when describing the act of making music.

The Orrals (both of whom pulled separate stints in the petulant but promising—and ultimately doomed—Be Your Own Pet) have staked their reputation on a go-anywhere, do-anything attitude. That approach finds JEFF playing rooftops and basements and backyards and concert halls and anywhere else they can assemble an audience. They're prone to denying the existence of any stage, wandering into the crowd for optimal interactivity. But this is no act of confrontation committed by a grungy and abrasive act; it's part of JEFF's wide-smile approach to rock 'n' roll.

The approach is best captured on this year's We Are The Champions, which finds the duo's nonchalant humor and buoyant power-pop at its best, even as JEFF takes every available off-ramp, pulling the sound into jangly beach-pop ("Diamond Way") and even black metal ("Cool Out") like it ain't no thang. Their playful spirit is refreshing and infectious. It's little surprise their records sell faster than hotcakes; they're better. —Bryan Reed