Hallelujah the Hills arose from the ashes of Boston's late lamented the Stairs. When the Stairs collapsed at the end of 2005, lead singer/songwriter Ryan Walsh and drummer Eric Meyer announced the formation of their new band. Named after Adolphus Mekas' 1963 cult comedy, Hallelujah the Hills settled on an initial lineup of Walsh and Meyer, David Bentley (cello, guitar), Joe Marrett (bass), and Matt Brown (synth, samples, guitar, melodica). Trumpeter Brian Rutledge joined a few months later, and Elio DeLuca replaced Brown on keyboards in early 2007. Incorporating elements of Guided by Voices' lo-fi power pop, the woozy marching band music of Neutral Milk Hotel, and the off-kilter warblings of David Byrne, Hallelujah the Hills' live shows quickly won accolades from The Boston Phoenix and Salon.com. That ramshackle democracy can be heard on the band's debut album, Collective Psychosis Begone, released on Misra Records in June 2007.