NAKED GODS These Boone deities turned in one of last year’s best regional spins with the superb No Jams, an ironic title only if you really believed you’d find 20-minute noodle-fests here. Instead, the tightly crafted Pavement-meets-Beachwood Sparks tracks offer appealingly meandering grooves and stoned musings that capture western N.C.’s mountain vibe without once resorting to granola and banjo clichés. Live, the band dials up the energy to suffuse the proceedings with suitable fire and pizzazz. Dare we say a band on the verge of greater realms? We do dare. (John Schacht)