Adam Mixson knows his Dazed and Confused trivia. When the singer/guitarist named his indie rock band Melba Toast back in 2004, he wasn't trying to pay tribute to dry crackers -- his band shares its name with Matthew McConaughey's trusty car in the cult classic. And Melba Toast does the name proud. Far from being an innocuous, bland snack, the group's folk-twinged, grunge-filled, rock-and-roll repertoire tastes much more like a sweet, sometimes rebellious wind blowing through a 1970 Chevelle window on an afternoon drive.

If you haven't heard Melba Toast yet, check out the sound on their Myspace. The band hails from a forgotten corner of the music world -- the rural, northeast Texas town of Greenville. No, they don't sound like contemporary country, death metal, or Fall Out Boy, as the region might suggest. Melba Toast adopted a DIY spirit and followed a different musical crowd. "Think for yourself, but not in an arrogant way," said Adam, regarding his band's message. And that's exactly what Adam, joined by his younger brother Alex on drums, Lee Hyatt on bass, and Brandon Barker on guitar, have done in creating Melba Toast.

Read more about the band's unique sound, their newest EP, and upcoming releases after the jump.

Melba Toast's last self-titled EP plays like an auditory road trip, driving the listener from tripping, easily relaxed indie pop tunes to more contemplative, darker, dirtier ballads. "Icy Sleep" creeps with the spidery bass lines and feedback guitar of classic Nirvana, a sound the band has perfected through touring with such grunge-era legends as Mudhoney. Electric guitar riffs in "Yellowbelly" jangle and twang with a subtle Creedence Clearwater Revival-inspired country lilt. Whimsical windings of melodies in "City Life" play like Tom Petty tunes done in a refreshingly modern style.

Adam's lyrics and voice shine in tunes like the Pavement-inspired "Screwball." Gentle and likably melancholic, the singer's quiet hums wrap around such affably belligerent words as, "Mess with my dog and I'll -- I'll mess your face up." So what gives Adam the inspiration to write such unique songs? According to his Myspace, it's "a good movie, a good book, and sometimes life."

Adam recently ended his project as a solo artist, which he pursued while continuing to play with Melba Toast. His solo songs incorporate the folksy, soft sounds of AA Bondy, and will all appear, with full band instrumentation, on Melba Toast's new 12-song LP. The band is still putting the finishing touches on the album, and getting ready to relocate to Austin in May, but they expect to release the LP by next fall. Indie music fans, Nirvana revivalists, and, of course, Dazed and Confused enthusiasts, rejoice! - AK