Music Shortlist: Seven Shows To See This Week

Metric, Dr. Dog, Yung Lean and more.

Metric [photo credit: Norman Wong]

Metric [photo credit: Norman Wong]

Metric @ Fillmore Philly | Tuesday, March 15
Metric’s recent Pagans In Vegas doesn’t kickstart your heart like some of the band’s earlier work (or pull on the soul like Emily Haines’ solo stuff), but it’s still inventive, catchy and sometimes glorious pop rock. Listen to “The Shade,” wherein Haines insists “I want it all, I want it all” with a tone that suggests, entitlement instead of defiance, declaration instead of desperation. It’s intentional. After all, what does she want? “A blade of grass, a grain of sand / the moonlit sea, to hold your hand.” Simple things. She deserves it all, doesn’t she? Now, about those 8-bit blips: Am I supposed to be thinking of Super-Mario jumping around? Because I am, you know.

Lady Valore/Jamie Cornelia/Yani Mo @ Silk City | Tuesday, March 15
“The Let’s Hang Out Tour” boasts three women MCs from Georgia. Valore has a funky, spoken word vibe. Dancey in a Deee-Liteful kinda way. This song is a trip.

Curtis Cooper @ Johnny Brenda’s | Tuesday, March 15
It’s a busy night, isn’t it? This is the record release night for Curtis Cooper’s Laughing in Line, a record of full-band acoustic folk/punk (/rock/soul/blues?). It’s a textured, unpredictable sound, actually, and Cooper impresses with his dexterous guitar work and urgent vocals. I wanna embed two from this record, one featuring guest singer Ganou.

Yung Lean @ Union Transfer | Wednesday, March 16
Swedish rapper Yung Lean doesn’t give a fuck, but in a “life is pointless,” me_irl kinda way. He’s really sad, you guys. In his new video — why’s it’s called “Miami Ultras”? don’t pick on Yung Lean, that’s why — he’s mumbling, bleeding and self medicating. Laying around like a DVD extra from Melancholia. “Hey Yung, want to do some practice shoveling before we start filming?” “No man, how hard can it be?” Is he the Conor Oberst of hip-hop? The Linkin Park of music? Too early to say. He’s an interesting personality, at least.

Dr. Dog @ Fillmore Philly | Thursday, March 17
If you don’t know these guys by this point, well, that’s weird. Friday’s show — also featuring the great and powerful Hop Along — celebrates Dr. Dog’s Psychedelic Swamp, released last month. I really like the softly defiant rock song, “Bring My Baby Back,” a little bit pleading and little bit like the “I will find you” speech from Taken.

Mike Pays Heats @ Everybody Hits | Friday, March 18
This is a solid night of rock ’n’ roll — also on the bill: The Obsessives, Semiotics, Broken Beak — but let’s focus on Philly band Mike Pays Heat right now. These Drexel kids released Tape 1 Play in January, and it hits me in a weird way: a little Wolf Parade, some Adam Arcuragi, kinda folky, kinda punky. See what you think:

3rd Planet Festival @ World Café Live | Saturday, March 19

In March of last year, a young Drexel grad named Emily Selke died in a plane crash, along with her mother Yvonne. Emily was a planner for the Pittsburgh Fringe Fest, and planning music festivals was one of her dreams. Which brings us to the 3rd Planet Festival, celebrating Emily and Yvonne’s lives with a full day of music starting at 2 p.m. Here’s a few tracks to pique your interest: