July 9th, 2009
Tonight In Shows
Handsome Furs
9pm, $12. Johnny Brenda’s
Just when you thought the whole zombie thing was entirely played out, along comes Montreal duo Handsome Furs’ “I’m Confused” video to inject new life into the trend. In the clip, the band’s singer-guitarist dude gets “infected” by an undead hipster house-party crasher, then chases the comely blond keyboard chick to a park, where they wind up snowballing black zombie blood. Why doesn’t she try instead to kill him with vinyl LPs, à la Shaun of the Dead? Because they’re really husband-and-wife duo Alexei Perry and Dan Boeckner (of Wolf Parade). The twosome is also injecting new life into both synth-rock and married-duo pop—bleakness and paranoia merge with dance-y hooks, making them more akin to Adult. than Mates of State. (Michael Alan Goldberg)
Blank Dogs
8pm, $7. Kung Fu Necktie.
Ever tried cramming Joy Division and the Cure into a thrift-store suitcase? Brooklyn mystery man Blank Dogs does it rather well on his new In the Red disc, Under and Under. Following a mountain of obscure releases, the album pins down an enduring knack for primitive hooks, heat-seeking bass lines and belt-sander distortion. Vivian Girls even sing backup. Then there’s Silk Flowers, a New York drone-pop trio whose vaguely goth self-titled debut just came out on PPM, the label of No Age’s Dean Spunt. It’s nowhere near as bracing as Blank Dogs but does share a certain curmudgeonly vibe. P.S. Five bands for $7? Sweetness. (Doug Wallen)
Also, the Troc hosts the “10 for $10 Tour,” featuring punk/hardcore/metalcore bands Poison the Well, Madball, Terror, Vision, War of Ages, This Is Hell, Death Before Dishonor, Trapped Under Ice, Crime in Stereo, and the Ghost Inside [3pm/$10]; a couple of local tribute bands take over the North Star — Ritual: A Jane’s Addiction Tribute and Undertow: A Tool Tribute [8pm/$8]; Philly industrial/dark metal lords T.O.M.B. headline a bill over at the Khyber [9pm/$8]; and Roseanne Cash drops by the Keswick Theatre [8pm/$35].
