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Published: Jan 15, 2008

Philly's Fire Museum Records imports a pair of West Coast experimentalists with an ear for pop: MaryClare Brzytwa (pictured) makes noises spanning electronic blips to manipulated flute solos to sparse piano/vocal pieces that sound like the show tunes of the damned, conceived by someone chained up in Sondheim's basement. San Francisco-based Dominique Leone is a Pitchfork writer whose skewed electro-pop, or space disco, or prog surf dance — oh, I give up — seems to have learned a few lessons about how to apply just the right snarl to infectious hooks from the experience.

—Shaun Brady

Fri., Jan. 18, 8 p.m., $5, Highwire Gallery, 2040 Frankford Ave., 215-426-2685, museumfire.com.

Cute 'n' cuddly friendship rock could be this year's victim of genre overhype, but former Moldy Peach Kimya Dawson can stop 2008 from being the year antifolk broke. Kimya books basement shows alongside her Juno soundtrack in-store appearances, and brims with posi-punk ethos that only the misguided would call "twee." After the Church matinee, Kimya will head over to AKA Records and play another set for free. "Philly is one of my favorite cities in the world to play," she says, via harried MySpace message. "I am super excited to be heading back there."

—James Saul

Sat., Jan. 19, 1 p.m., $10, with Karl Blau and Angelo Spencer, First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St.,866-468-7619, r5productions.com.; 7 p.m., free, AKA Music, 27 N. Second St., 215-922-3855.

With a motto of "Eccentricity & Chaos & Humor," you wouldn't expect Nagasaki, Japan's mix of goofball garage metal and loud ska blues to be a pill. But the "Samurai Man" quintet (a nickname born of one of vocalist Mao Karisu's signature songs) is both visually and sonically hyper, with more high karate leaps and jujitsu jukes per second than a Sonny Chiba flick. Plus, they're packing light sabers.

—A.D. Amorosi

Thu., Jan. 17, 9 p.m., free., Millcreek Tavern, 4200 Chester Ave., 215-222-1255, millcreektavernphilly.com; Sun., Jan. 20, 8 p.m., $10, Manhattan Room, 15 W. Girard Ave., 215-739-5577, themanhattanroom.com.

Hunched over his keyboard to the point where he almost completely curves back into the piano itself, Misha Mengelberg seems almost oblivious to the fact that there are other musicians in the room when he plays, let alone an audience. But make no mistake, Mengelberg hears and reacts to all — he just lets his usual foil and ICP Orchestra co-founder, drummer Han Bennink, play the frontman. The Dutch duo will be joined by an experimenter with an equal if very different sense of playfulness, trumpeter Dave Douglas, and bassist Brad Jones.

—Shaun Brady

Fri., Jan. 18, 8 p.m., $25, International House, 3701 Chestnut St., 215-387-5125, arsnovaworkshop.com.

Sure, this cute band (once known as Jonathan Fire Eater) has gone beyond its jittery garage-pop past and its Brooklyn digs to become one of the finest purveyors of sharply defined shoe-gazing rock. But that doesn't mean the Philly-based (sorta) W-men can get around the fact that the best record they've ever done is a haunted remake of Harry Nilsson's Pussy Cats. Hurry and finish that new one.

—A.D. Amorosi

Wed., Jan. 23, 9 p.m., $15-$17, with White Rabbits and the Subjects, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 215-739-9684, johnnybrendas.com.

 

Still Out There
Pakistan
Little Women/Where From Here?
Philadelphia Chamber Music Society
Aderbat/Peasant