National Eye/Pepi Ginsberg

Fri., Feb. 1, 8 p.m., $8, with the Sw!ms, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 Frankford Ave., 215-739-9684, johnnybrendas.com.

by John Vettese

rock/pop

Anna neighbor (CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)

No need for alarm, everyone. Vital signs are once again being detected from camp National Eye. It was a scary several months there for fans of the Philadelphia psych outfit. First they put out a great album, Roomful of Lions, on Park the Van Records. Then they toured with the Capitol Years. Then they just kinda vanished; their official, non-MySpace Web site was last updated sometime around September '06. Dispelling fears that Rick Flom was sucked into the indie dust bin by his wispy 'fro, the group is re-emerging Kenobi-style this Friday to play its first gig in quite some time. And, sweet Jaysus, it's doubled in size! Their lineup for this show is reportedly 10 strong, featuring Shai Halperin and Kyle Lloyd from the Capitol Years, Todd Starlin from Like Moving Insects, and other notables. The plan is to perform the forthcoming Farthest Shore in its entirety. Advance tracks are encouraging: "Pure Film" rocks a meaty bassline, lunar organs and a slick groove. Also on the bill is their newly inked labelmate Pepi Ginsberg. Progressing strongly from her early self-releases, Red, due on Park the Van in April, should gracefully usher Ginsberg into a long, healthy indie-pop life.

Fri., Feb. 1, 8 p.m., $8, with the Sw!ms, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 Frankford Ave., 215-739-9684, johnnybrendas.com.