Fruit Bats

Sat., Sept. 12, 7 p.m., $10, with Pronto and Kevin Barker, Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., 215-291-4919, kungfunecktie.com.

by Brian Howard

rock/pop

Eric Johnson is, for our purposes, Fruit Bats; each time out, Johnson assembles a new lineup around his overcast picnic sensibility. So it makes an odd sort of sense that he's become a member of The Shins, James Mercer's constant-flux ensemble. Johnson's brought a touch of Mercer's complixipop feel to The Ruminant Band (Sub Pop), the fourth official Fruit Bats offering. The title track plays like a classic Steely Dan offering while "Tegucigalpa," an ode of sorts to the Honduran capital, feels like midday midtown Central American traffic. Mercer's influence on Johnson is palpable on the new record, which makes it kind of imperative that you catch them.

Fruit Bats

Comments

We have coverage of the Philly show at Phrequency.com right here: http://www.phrequency.com/blog/Fruit_Bats_Summer_Session.html

by Phrequency.com on September 14th 2009 11:22 AM