New Discoveries: Passion Pit, Weyerbacher Pumpkin Ale and Freaks & Geeks

My new discoveries from the past week include a band from Cambridge, a perfect fall beer and an old TV show that I should have checked out a long time ago.

Band: Passion Pit
These kids from Cambridge, Mass., were the talk of CMJ this year—including among the folks from Paste who went. For fans of Postal Service and the Incredible Moses Leroy, the space-y beats and Casio keyboard riffs are just so darn catchy.



Beer: Weyerbacher Pumpkin Ale
Apologies to Delaware's Dogfish Head, but this year's best American pumpkin ale is up the road in Pennsylvania. Weyerbacher, whose stout beat out contenders from Belgium, Canada and England in our Beer Olympics, also wins best pumpkin ale.



DVD: Freaks & Geeks
From the Department of Late to the Party: OK, I’m sure you watched it during its short-lived run on NBC in 1999 and 2000, but I finally got around to adding it to my Netflix que and watching the first three episodes last week. As he does in his films that followed, creator Judd Apatow brings the funny without sacrificing the underlying sweetness—making you care about all those who don’t quite fit in at McKinley High in 1980. "Freak" Lindsay Weir (Linda Cardellini) tries to figure out who she wants to be. And it’s great watching young Seth Rogen and Jason Segal. But the best moments are provided by the geeks—Lindsay's younger brother Sam (John Francis Daley) and his pals Neal Schweiber (Samm Levine) and Bill Haverchuck (Martin Starr).