October 22nd, 2009
Tonight In Shows
Mum
8pm, $15-$18. First Unitarian Church.
Icelandic septet Mum broke through in 2002 with Finally We Are No One, an album that earned comparisons to Bjork and Sigur Ros (although, doesn’t every Icelandic indie band get that?) for its stately, sometimes playful mix of glitchtronica, girlish vocals, and indie-pop. Though traditional instrumentation like piano and strings, and the occasional presence of toy instruments, has always been present to provide warmth to Mum’s quirky creations, new album Sing Along to Songs You Don’t Know has a far more organic sound than anything they’ve done previously. It jettisons virtually all the electronics for a more indie-folk feel that remains charming and bright as always, even if it was written with Iceland’s recent economic/political meltdown in mind. (Michael Alan Goldberg)
Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele
8pm, $8. Kung Fu Necktie.
The crooner-gone-to-seed thing has been done before, but few comers have shown as much loving attention to the necessary details as Mississippi singer/strummer Dent May. The man’s gently whimsical lyrics and easy way with a ukulele were enough to get him and band signed to Animal Collective’s Paw Tracks label for last February’s The Good Feeling Music Of. Over horns, pedal steel, and barbershop harmonies, May sings about Paris, the delicate nature of dance parties, and college grads languishing in townie bars. As the album winds down, he turns inward for “I’m An Alcoholic,” a deadpan lament culminating in the declaration “I’m over being sober.” (Doug Wallen)
Also, metal vets Queensryche and Lita Ford take over the TLA [9pm/$30]; the North Star hosts a four-band bill featuring National Eye, Floating Action, High Strung, and Giant Cloud [8pm/$10]; Rodrigo y Gabriela plays Electric Factory along with Rocco Deluca [8:30pm/$35-37]; and Teenage Bottlerocket, Cobra Skulls, and Higher Giant team up for a show at the Barbary [6:30pm/$10].
