No matter what underground scene you happen to be dredging, it's an arduous search finding a band that lives up to the hype. Lansing-based rock outfit The Hat Madder have built a significant buzz in just over a year, which is enough to make any jaded music snob raise a skeptical eyebrow, but hopefully it's also enough to get them to see a show, because these guys are worth a listen. What has earned admiration for The Hat Madder is the band’s ability to get a crowd to uncross its arms and remember what makes music fun. The band plays exciting shows and writes songs that can simultaneously carry emotional weight and make you bounce around like an over-caffeinated crazy person. They're confident on stage, but not cocky self-promoters. The music, which touches on ‘70s psychedelia, ‘90s slacker rock and a dose of indie-electronics, is at once affecting and fun. In October 2008 the band released its first LP, "Friend of the Devil," a collection of 14 meaty songs that sound polished for an unsigned group presumably working on a modest budget. Between the record's swirling guitar and vocal effects, pop jams and riffage that conjures Seattle's heyday and Sonic Youth’s experimental punk, the band is obviously unafraid to try anything. Still, the songs are focused enough to give the impression the band is reining in its sound to play to its members’ strengths.