Formed in early 2007 around the talents of Daniel Baer, James Craft, Brady Miller, Ted Lattis, and Devon Press, Brooklyn-based, global-folk outfit La Strada specializes in a genre-bending blend of chamber pop, European folk, Afro-pop, and indie rock. The self-described merchants of “raucous, foot-stomping shows” built a strong local following playing alongside acts like Bowerbirds, O’Death, and Takka Takka before inking a deal with Brooklyn independent label Ernest Jennings Record Co. The quintet, which has drawn comparisons to Beirut and Fanfarlo, released an eponymous EP for the label in 2009, followed by the full-length New Home in 2010. ~ James Christopher Monger