Intro | Friday | Sunday
1:45 PM Real Estate Over the past year or so this New Jersey combo (relocated to Brooklyn, as so many do) has staked out prized territory in many an indie record geek’s heart with a succession of great singles—sweet little bits of bubblegum, lightly played and sunk into waves of vintage-style reverb and treble-heavy twang, all tossed off so casually they seem effortless. Late in 2009 they were collected into a self-titled album released by the hot-shit Woodsist label. Also Fri 7/16 at Beauty Bar (DJ set), 21+, and Sun 7/18 at Subterranean, 17+. Connector —MR
3:20 PM Titus Andronicus Titus Andronicus‘s self-titled 2008 debut was a sprawling mess that tried to crossbreed nervy, nihilistic hardcore and the more epic moments of Born to Run, and though most of the songs ended up flaming out before they reached their potential, they did so spectacularly. The band’s recent follow-up, The Monitor (XL), only tweaks the formula, but they’ve got a better grip on the wheel, and this time their punk/Boss hybrids cohere into something more coherent and compelling but no less volatile. Also Friday 7/16 at Subterranean, 17+. Connector —MR
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4:15 PM Raekwon Raekwon is probably the member of Wu-Tang with the least interest in the group’s metaphysical vibe, preferring grimy cinematic depictions of drug slinging and the criminal life. His 1995 solo debut, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx . . . , set the template for more than a decade of verite trap-rap narratives, and last year’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx . . . Pt. II was a welcome return to form after some less-than-stellar efforts. The recent mix tape Cocainism: Vol. 2—a tense, dizzying block of beats stuffed full of Raekwon’s typically complex lyrics—suggests that he’s back to stay. Aluminum —MR
5:45 PM Why? Balance
8:30 PM LCD Soundsystem I imagine the question James Murphy gets asked most often is whether he’s serious or joking, and the answer is probably yes. Even on LCD Soundsystem‘s relatively mature albums, Sound of Silver and This Is Happening, there are traces of the smart-ass who broke out a decade ago via the hilarious quasi-novelty song “Losing My Edge,” but Murphy’s self-conscious hybrid dance music—which combines disco, house, pop, indie rock, punk, postpunk, and an assortment of other subgenres worthy of a record geek who shouts out Suicide, Larry Levan, David Axelrod, and the Sonics in the same song—couldn’t be any more lovingly crafted, or any more wickedly addictive. Aluminum —MR
