Soundadvice

Get Out!

Like recent Philly Rock Shootout champs Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer, the kids in Spoons for Adam hail from Bucks County and have a predilection for synthesizer-driven rock. But rather than dumpster diving for spazzy punk grit, this quintet courts the mainstream with pretty girl-group harmonies and a glossy pop polish; think of them as Zolof's bubblegum cousins.

—John Vettese

Sat., April 12, 9 p.m., $8, with Planes Over Paris, Quick Step John and Dazzlejob, Khyber, 56 S. Second St., 215-238-5888, thekhyber.com.

Adam Levey

China Forbes is, like, totally cool: She has a cool name, she's the lead singer in a really cool band, Pink Martini, and now she's put out a solo album, '78, where her voice is often cool and breezy. Unlike the Pink Martini multi-culti mini-orchestra sound, here she's digging into her singer-songwriter self. So expect the girl to get personal at her World Café gig, where, if the new album is any indication, she'll be pouring her heart out while playing assorted instruments, including, guitar, Wurlitzer and harmonium.

—Deni Kasrel

Wed., April 16, 8 p.m., $25-$35, World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400, worldcafelive.com.

So loud that they move past distortion and static and right back to melody, the UK's Duke Spirit evoke mid-era Lush in their cheery tunes scored to buzzing amps. Their new Neptune (You Are Here), released Tuesday, has plenty of jangly pianos, propulsive basslines and ghostly harmonies for singer Liela Moss to get her strut on to when the band headlines The North Star tomorrow.

—John Vettese

Fri., April 11, 9 p.m., $10, with Christopher Tucker, The North Star Bar, 2639 Poplar St., northstarbar.com.

Nobody gets off easy in Kathleen Edwards' songs. The poor saps on her third album, Asking for Flowers, are dogged by bad families and bad reputations, crushed by bad dreams and bad jobs, and killed by bad men and bad weather. About the best they can hope for is to make the papers when they die. So why's it sound so good?

—M.J. Fine

Sat., April 12, 9 p.m., $15, with Dan Wilson, Fillmore at the TLA, 334 South St., livenation.com.

Earlier this season, Network for New Music produced an unusually stimulating program pairing new music with fresh, contemporary poetry. The Chamber Music Now! concert series concludes with a similar theme of paring words and music, which is really an ancient and inexhaustible source of art. CMN composer-writer pairings, which will also feature various multi-media effects, includes Richard Belcastro/Carla Spataro, Gene Coleman/Tom Teti, Paul Epstein/Toby Olsen and Stratis Minakas/Sandy Crimmins.

—Peter Burwasser

Fri., April 11, 12, 8 p.m., $10-$15, Ethical Society, 1906 Rittenhouse Sq., 800-595-4TIX, chambermusicnow.org.