What happens when boy-girl vocalists grow out of the courtship phase? Many keep playing at it, singing about adolescent fumbling long into adulthood, and we love them for it. But Tilly and the Wall take another tack. As Omaha upstarts, they were adorable and fierce, with tap-dance/hand-clap percussion, elastic guitar lines and playful harmonies. But then most left town, got married and had babies. Heavy Mood (Team Love), their first album in four years, is the best possible outcome: a sonic support system for bringing up adorable, fierce kids. The springy “Youth” was made for hip mamas and papas, while the womblike synths of “I Believe in You” suggest a negotiation between a woman and her child-to-be. But it’s “Defenders,” which incorporates jungle rhythms and an intergenerational call-and-response chant, that’s worthiest of carrying the babe into battle.
Wed., Oct. 10, 8 p.m., $12-$14, with Nicky Da B and Dangerous Ponies, First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St., 877-435-9849, r5productions.com.
