Also this issue: The Sound and Di Furia Photon Band art scholar hears colors, sees sound. -Brian Howard Heller High Water A Philly expat talks about the end of Philadelphia as he knows it. -A.D. Amorosi Fads Will Tear Us Apart NYC's Interpol swims against the next wave. -John Vettese Ours -A.D. Amorosi Marianne Nowottny -Patrick Rapa Aimee Mann -Nicole Pensiero Kool Keith -Elisa Ludwig Hail Social -Hillary Rea

December 5-11, 2002

musicpicks

Har Mar Superstar

Like the naughty lovechild of Ron Jeremy and Peaches, Har Mar Superstar is the music world's exhibitionist rage. Making the leap from the tiny Kill Rock Stars label, Har Mar's second album, You Can Feel Me, comes at you from the mighty Warner Brothers camp. Maybe it was touring with The Strokes that did the trick, though showing up at the MTV Video Music Awards as Kelly Osborne's date certainly didn't hurt. Regardless of the how and why, You Can Feel Me is an electro/white-boy-hip-hop sleaze-fest featuring the likes of Beth Ditto (The Gossip), The Busy Signals and members of The Faint. On "Power Lunch," Har Mar and Ditto play Peaches and Gonzalez, trading sex rhymes: "Deeper, deeper, I can feel your beeper" and "You'll be my lover, sweet baby mother." Later, "One Dirty Minute" features guest Dirty Preston dropping science like, "Ladies crave me like a p'zone, I shall make them moan." It's all raunchy and screwball and over-the-top and stupid. And it's so funny and so good.

Sat., Dec. 7, 9 p.m., $10 in advance, $12 at the door, with The Gossip, MC Paul Barman and Whirlwind Heat, The TLA, 334 South St., 215-336-2000.

—Brian Howard