“I see new signs almost every day that rock music, played by humans with guitars, drums and voices, is having a fresh flowering amongst the youth of the nation, which does my old rock ‘n’ roll heart good. Latest evidence, Otis Shanty.” That’s Michael Chabon on the ascending Somerville-based indie band, and we agree with him. College bands are hardly scarce, but every so often one forges a path for itself beyond Weezer covers. Such was the case for Sadye Bobbette, Ryan DiLello, Julian Snyder, and Jono Quinn, as their musical identity formed on the woodland campus of Hamilton College, in upstate New York. The quartet has elements of the Cocteau Twins, Mazzy Star, and also, as Chabon notes, Fleetwood Mac. Its sophomore album, Up On The Hill, is easy and rewarding listening. If you ever find yourself in the surrounding Boston area, keep a look out for Otis Shanty—they’re never far from a grassroots gig. —Jack Sullivan