If you were lucky enough to catch Ra Ra Riot's show at Castaways Thursday night (and so many people were! The place was packed to the gills) your head's probably still buzzing from the radiant indie-pop that was positively brimming from the venue. Hailing from Syracuse, they're easily one of the best bands to come out of the upstate area in recent memory, and they proved it with a passion at this show.

Following stellar and thoroughly groove-able sets from Princeton and Maps And Atlases, Ra Ra Riot took to the stage and treated the packed house to the soaring orchestral dance-pop that made their debut LP "The Rhumb Line" one of the best albums of 2008. Sawing away at their various instruments (violin and cello included) they energized that Thursday night like rocket engine strapped to a Buick, sounding something like a mix between the Arcade Fire, Passion Pit, and Vampire Weekend. The best part of the show, though, was that you could tell that the band was having just as fun a time as the audience. Singing along with the crowd to their own songs, it was a magical night for all involved.