August 7-13, 2003

musicpicks

Grandaddy

Rock/pop

Put yourself in their shoes. You're Grandaddy and you just released The Sophtware Slump, an atmospheric and ambitious album that didn't fully depart from your boisterous early work as much as it left it miles below on the ground. The album is widely embraced and you've got two choices: Keep flying or hover for now. While it's initially disappointing to hear that the Modesto spacy indie kids' new Sumday (V2) is little more than Sophtware redux, you can't really fault them for not wanting to mess with something that ain't broke. The repetitive "Now It's On" is taxing, but "Stray Dog and the Chocolate Shake" compensates by getting a surprising distance out of a twinkling major scale on the keys. "I'm On Standby" embellishes upon the band's geeky sci-fi fixation, telling things from the robot's point of view ("From the stories I've heard/ you humans require more words") over low bass, acoustic guitar and, um, robot noise. Even if it's all a bit safe on Grandaddy's part, the set is solid and eventually satisfying. Mixed with their trademark offbeat video footage on stage, it's bound to be even more so.

Mon., Aug. 11, 8 p.m. $13.75-$15, with Earlimart and Patrick Park, The TLA, 334 South St., 215-336-2000.

—John Vettese