Bishop Allen

Thu., March 12, 7:30 p.m., $12, all ages, with Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band and Sing Sing and Mar Mar, First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St., 866-468-7619, r5productions.com.

by Michael Pelusi

rock/pop

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So this indie duo nabbed a performance scene in last year's Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (a film I'm surely too damn old for). But for me, their true cinematic achievement will always be member Justin Rice's starring role in Andrew Bujalski's mumblecore masterwork Mutual Appreciation (2005). In a key scene near the end, the hipster signifiers, passive aggression and shambling dialogue, suddenly give way to a moment of pure longing. A similar thing happens on the band's new album Grrr... (Dead Oceans). On the surface, Rice and Christian Rudder are all about clean guitar lines and cute vocal hooks. But they show an intuitive way with expanding arrangements, effortlessly incorporating marimbas, strings and other accoutrements. Songs like "True or False" and "Oklahoma" are iPod jingle-ready, but heart-rending all the same. "South China Moon" starts out with a whisper, before swelling with an assured sense of drama, as Rice promises over and over again, "I'm coming back to you."

Thu., March 12, 7:30 p.m., $12, all ages, with Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band and Sing Sing and Mar Mar, First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St., 866-468-7619, r5productions.com.