Music in the Mid-Week

Those of you who enjoy the experimental side of music, the next few days will surely feed your need. One of the biggest instrumental bands out there, Mogwai is playing two shows in the area with fellow British Islanders Fuck Buttons. Get to the 9:30 Club tonight and the Starlight Ballroom in Philly Friday for one great show.

mp3: Mogwai - The Sun Smells Too Loud
mp3: Fuck Buttons - Sweet Love For Plant Earth

More experimentation can be found tonight at Johnny Brenda's with Texas-based This Will Destroy You supporting their eponymous new album. Philly's Cloud Minder joins them for this show. Thursday, TWDY travels down to DC9 for another great show with Lymbyc Systym, who also has a forthcoming new album.

mp3: This Will Destroy You - Quiet
mp3: Cloud Minder - Casimir Effect
mp3: Lymbyc Systym - Carved By Glaciers

If folk-pop is more your thing, there's a couple of shows to check out. Canadian songstress Basia Bulat is playing tonight at DC9, then Thursday at the Tin Angel. DC's own Vandaveer is opening the District show.

mp3: Basia Bulat - In The Night
mp3: Vandaveer - The Streets Is Full of Creeps (live)

Death Vessel, whose soon to be released album may be on the best of 2008, is doing the DC to Philly shuffle, playing tonight at Black Cat with Micah Blue Smaldone tonight and at Johnny Brenda's with Doylestown troubador Peasant on Thursday.

mp3: Death Vessel - Brunos Torso
mp3: Peasant - We're Good

Finally, something that doesn't really fit into either category. Sunset Rubdown is on tour with Parenthetical Girls. Catch then Thursday at First Unitarian Church in Philly and Black Cat Friday.

mp3: Sunset Rubdown - Up On Your Leopard, Upon the End of Your Feral Days
mp3: Parenthetical Girls - Love Connection Pt II

photo credit

The Local Weekend

It's the weekend again. You know what that means, a ton of shows to choose from.


If you aren't going to either of The Black shows (Kids or Keys) Friday, there are plenty of other options. A few shows are pulling back-to-back nights, starting in DC Friday and landing in Philly on Saturday. Back in September, Local H was on tour with a set full of B-Sides and unreleased music. Now with a new album just released, they are back in the area supported by Lions from Austin. Local act in DC is CTC and Twelve-Twenty in Philly.

5/16: DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel
5/17: Philly @ The Khyber

Local H - Toxic

Looking for bouncy pop? Then check out Los Campesinos! At the DC show, they are joined by The Aquarium and Pash.

5/16: DC @ Black Cat
5/17: Philly @ Johnny Brendas

Los Campesinos! - We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives
Pash - Palindrome

Finally at the bigger venues, there is DeVotchka with the folkish stylings of Basia Bulat.

5/16: DC @ 9:30 Club
5/17: Philly @ TLA

DeVotchka - How It Ends
Basia Bulat - In The Night

For the one city shows, there are plenty, mostly in the DC area.

Friday

Wye Oak/Pattern Is Movement/Engine @ Metro Gallery, Baltimore

Wye Oak - Warning
Pattern Is Movement - It's The Wine

Saturday

The Alphabetical Order @ IOTA, Arlington (FINAL SHOW FOR TAO EVER!)
The Long Blondes/Drug Rug @ Rock & Roll Hotel, DC
Junior League/John Bustine/Garland of Hours @ Black Cat, DC
Bell X1 @ Rams Head Tavern, Annapolis

The Alphabetical Order - Submarines

Sunday

Cotton Jones Basket Ride/Rarebirds/Bellman Barker/Astral Lounge @ M Room, Philly
Bishop Allen/War On Drugs/Deleted Scenes @ Black Cat, DC

Bishop Allen - Click Click Click Click
The Cotton Jones Basket Ride - Had Not A Body

Basia Bulat

Basia Bulat is out on tour in support of her new disc, Oh, My Darling. Regionally, you have a couple of chances to see her this week.

2/27/08: Jammin' Java, Vienna, VA
2/28/08: Tin Angel, Philadelphia, PA

In The Night

This Week's Releases

This week's release list keeps the good music coming. There are not as many big name releases this week, but we have three albums dropping from DC artists and several other good releases from a mixture of veterans and new favorites. I don't have a specific pick for this week, but I have listened to almost all of the albums for varying amounts of time and there is a lot of quality to be had.

Bob Mould (DC)

District Line - "The Silence Between Us" & Full Album Stream

Shortstack (DC)

The Covers EP - "Her Eyes Are A Blue Million Miles" (Captain Beefheart cover)

The Jet Age (DC)

What Did You Do During The War, Daddy? - "O, Calendar" & Full Album Stream

Nada Surf

Lucky - "See These Bones"

Dead Meadow

Old Growth - "What Needs Must Be"

Sons and Daughters

This Gift - "Guilt Complex"

Lightspeed Champion

Falling Off The Lavender Bridge - "Dry Lips"

Basia Bulat

Oh, My Darling - "In the Night"

Say Hi

The Wishes and the Glitch - "Zero to Love"

Hot Chip

Made In The Dark - "Out At The Pictures" & Full Album Stream

School of Language

Sea from Shore - "This Is No Fun"

The Crystal Method

Drive (Physical release with 4 extra songs)