July 22-28, 2004

musicpicks

The Rosebuds

ROCK/POP

It's more than sad that The Rosebuds received a less than stellar showing the last time they came to town. It's just plain insulting. The duo's debut, The Rosebuds Make Out (Merge), was one of the most criminally overlooked indie-pop records of 2003. And not because of the cutesy married couple behind the music (backed by a turnstile of friends on drums). The record actually holds up thanks to a series of instantly infectious songs. The ballpark-organ whimsy of "Kicks in the Schoolyard" could score a skate 'round the roller rink or nostalgic hopscotch match, while the woah-woah-woah chorus of "Drunkards Worst Nightmare" could get even the most sexless indie rocker stirred up. It's not all upbeat, though. Closing couplet "Signature Drinks" and "Make Out Song" is a meditative coda to both burning and lost love. Taken together, it's one of the more promising debuts in recent memory.

Wed., July 28, 9 p.m., $10, with Camera Obscura and Menocu, The North Star, 27th and Poplar sts., 215-684-0808.

—Andrew Parks