Music Shortlist: Seven shows to see this week (and the sounds to back it up)
![Le Butcherettes play Underground Arts on Friday.[Photo by Monica Lozano]](https://cdn10.phillymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/cropLeButcherettesMonicaLozano4366.jpg)
Le Butcherettes play Underground Arts on Friday.[Photo by Monica Lozano]
Look, I like Chvrches, but if there’s ever a Battle Royale situation for moody electro British pop bands, my tuppence is on Is Tropical. They’ve got darker things on their mind. Their synths are sharp, their beats are cold. Emotion only slows you down. The hell am I talking about?
Jaguar Wright @ South Jazz Parlor | Wednesday & Thursday 3/9 & 3/10
One of most singular, powerful voices to come out of the Black Lily scene (and that’s saying something), Jaguar Wright plays two in two nights at SJP. She doesn’t perform nearly as much as we’d like, but if you have to pick one night, go for Thursday: That’s when Wright will be dedicating the evening to the music of Nina Simone. Guaranteed unforgettable. I wish I had a Jag-does-Nina cover to embed here; but we’ll have to settle for this classic sultry, r&b track.
Nap Eyes @ Boot & Saddle | Thursday 3/10
Sensitive and introverted will only get you so far, so it’s good to roll with a crew. That’s how Nova Scotia’s Nap Eyes does it, with singer Nigel Chapman’s weary vocals surrounded by a peppy, supportive rock band who can supply drums and subtle grooves before things get too down. “Mixer,” from the new Thought Rock Fish Scale, is worth a listen:
Le Butcherettes @ Underground Arts | Friday 3/11
Gimme Mexican indie rock! Le Butcherettes are a loud, fighty garage rock from Guadalajara. Kind of a Nirvana/Hole thing going on, though I wouldn’t be surprised if singer Teri Gender Bender had a lot of Sleater-Kinney vinyl on her shelf. This show will be excellent.
Foxing @ Union Transfer | Friday 3/11
What is this — minimalist emo math rock? If, like me, you’re a sucker for singers singing their heads off, you might want to give this St. Louis band a moment of your time. Conor Murphy always sounds like he’s singing at the bottom of a well, hoping people will hear him when they walk by. But they don’t, so he has to keep doing it. It’s a sad situation, if that’s really what’s going on.
Mount Moriah @ Boot & Saddle | Saturday 3/12
Back in the day, the Boot & Saddle was a country/western bar. So this show with North Carolina alt-country darlings Mount Moriah is really about bringing the place back to its roots. (However, a show at Philly’s Mount Moriah Cemetery would have been pretty cool too; too bad it’s haunted by bees.) Mount Moriah, the band, just released a pretty rocking’ record full of urgent vocals and slidey guitars called How To Dance (Merge). This song makes me think of Rilo Kiley playing behind chicken wire.
Greg Dulli @ First Unitarian Church Sanctuary | Sunday 3/13
The Afghan Whigs/Twilight Singers frontman returns with an “an evening with” solo tour. Expect a setlist that spans his career, which I’m guessing includes stuff from Dulli’s bands, rarities and such — like this cover of David Bowie’s “Modern Love,” perhaps. The opening act is “literary stylist” (aka funny poet) Derrick Brown.