THE SHOWDOWN: Fantastical in sound

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THE SHOWDOWN: Fantastical in sound

POSTED: Monday, May 3, 2010, 9:41 PM

Filed Under: Music The Showdown

A concert a day keeps the doctor away.

Monday: The Dangerous Maybes unite the pulsing riffs of good ol' rock and the spastic wildness of experimental. The vocals are unsteady and nervous while the drums, guitar and synth push the songs to a catchy, dancy level. It's a jittery, too-much-coffee kinda sound, but danceable nonetheless. At 9:30 p.m., $5, Tritone, 1508 South St., 215-545-0475. Tuesday: Thrash around with strangers tonight to the abrasive sounds of All Leather. They're peculiar because they pair almost-metal vocals — the obnoxious, unintelligible bark — with pounding guitars and jolting electro force. It's metal, minus the cheese, plus crazy keys. With Extra Tongue and Pony Pants, 8 p.m., $5 - $10, Danger Danger Gallery, 5013 Baltimore Ave. Wednesday: Paper Raincoat's first EP is wildly ambitious. The Brooklyn duo created a whimsical concept album that is fantastical in sound, but accessible in its human nature theme. It's pretty pop, light and airy, and it's also decent folk storytelling. With Raining Jane, 9 p.m., $13, World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400. Thursday: Hair Rocket take the garage rock super beast that stalks the music scene and tames it, but only slightly. So that means the fuzz is at a minimum, but the guitar licks are still there. And the lyrics? Simple and surprisingly audible. With The Danvilles, 9 p.m., $8, The Khyber, 56 S. 2nd St., 215-238-5888. Friday: Gang Green has a song titled "LDSB" — meaning let's drink some beer. And those are the only lyrics to the song that clocks in under 90 seconds. And that's really a fair introduction to the speedy hardcore punk they make (which comes with an angry, nasally yelp that's practically predictable at this point, but still way enjoyable). With Loafass, Bucket Flush and Hate and War, 9 p.m., $10, The Manhattan Room, 15 W. Girard Ave., 215-739-5577. Saturday: Get an earful of gentle, melodic pop with Aqualung. It's totally radio-friendly, but that doesn't mean it should be dismissed, either. The California-by-way-of-London singer Matt Hales sings about the difficulties of grown up relationships while secretly holding on to a naive immaturity. At 8 p.m., $8 - $25, World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400. Sunday: Psychedelic indie rockers Caribou will bring their hypnotic tunes to the Church tonight. Ambient sounds abound (with Toro Y Moi, 7:30 p.m., $13, First Unitarian Church, 1225 Chestnut St., 215-563-3980). If that's not really your scene, check out Kimya Dawson (Adam Green's better half in the Moldy Peaches) at Space 1026. She's the queen of quirk with her adorable and sometimes heartbreaking ditties (with Your Heart Breaks and Dave End, 8 p.m., $10, Space 1026, 1026 Arch St., 215-574-7630).

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Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

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