September 30-October 6, 2004

music

soundadvice

by Mary Armstrong, Deesha Dyer, M.J. Fine and John Vettese

HIP-HOP

Return To The Source II

North Philadelphia's Black Opz is setting its sights on stale Old City. The gritty nine-man crew released their latest, Cold War Chronicles, in late August. Although each member is heavy involved in individual projects, they remain a solid unit.
— Deesha Dyer
Sat., Oct. 2, 10 p.m., $5, ladies free before 11 p.m., with Ahkcigen, Fowl Mowf, and B.N.O., hosted by Fatnice, La Tazza, 108 Chestnut St., 215-922-7322.

Tracy Shedd

Just when you've pegged Tracy Shedd as a wistful singer-songwriter, she brings out a wall of feedback. Her third album, Louder Than You Can Hear, is vulnerable and melodic even in its noisiest moments, with healthy proportions of hush and fuzz.
— M.J. Fine
Wed., Oct. 6, 9 p.m., $6, with One Star Hotel and Robyn Harris, The Fire, 412 W. Girard Ave., 267-671-9298.

GoGoGo Airheart

How does that old saying go? "Brevity is the soul of dance-punk?" Something like that. San Diego noisemakers GoGoGo Airheart rock that very knack for succinctness, knowing when to go nuts with drum machines, synths, congas, guitars and yes, even violins, yet knowing just as well when to step back and leave the experimentation be. Usually that falls somewhere under three-minutes time. Up against protracted tourmates Explosions In The Sky, Airheart's set should zip by with no fuss but lots of fervor.
— John Vettese
Tue., Oct. 5, 7:30 p.m., $10, with Explosions In The Sky and Year Future, First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St., 800-594-TIXX.

Robbie Fulks

"She lacked the natural ear for colloquial language that is an entry-level requirement for country songwriters," writes Robbie Fulks in one of the many shrewdly observant stories on his self-titled Web site. Fulks has no problem keeping his songs accessible, saving the 50-cent words for the Web. In song or in prose, Robbie Fulks magnetically moves us, a sea of heads bobbing up and down, nodding vigorously in agreement.
— Mary Armstrong
Fri., Oct. 1, 8:30 p.m., $12, with Chris Mills, Tin Angel, 20 S. Second St., 215-928-0770.

Prince Paul

SCION continues to represent for broke folks who love to party. This month they bring us world-famous hip-hop producer Prince Paul. Going on his 23rd year in music, Paul uses his latest effort, Politics of the Business as a template to expose the trials of surviving in the industry.
— Deesha Dyer
Wed., Oct. 6, 10 p.m., free with R.S.V.P., 21+, with Max Glazer, Jay Ski and DJ Hier, The Five Spot, 5 S. Bank St., www.scion.com/metro.

Wheat

The uber-catchy "I Met a Girl" bears decidedly little resemblance to Wheat's Britpop-derivative roots and, really, neither does the rest of last year's Per Second, Per Second, Per Second Every Second. The good news is its lush indie-on-a-Sony-budget production and power pop hooks make the album hold up well beyond that flash-in-the-pan single. They might sound more like Wheatus than Wheat anymore, but the change is welcome.
— John Vettese
Tue., Oct. 5, 9 p.m., $10, with Cordalene and Mt. Egypt, The Khyber, 52 S. Second St., 215-238-5888.

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