Jotto

Sat., April 10, 9 p.m., $8, with Deadly Technologies, The M Room, 15 W. Girard Ave., 215-739-5577, themanhattanroom.com.

by John Vettese

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Published: Apr 7, 2010

They put up a decent facade of arty, antsy dance rock, but make no mistake: Jotto has always been keen on understatement. Their quartet's best songs — say, "The Girl Who's Seen Too Much (in II Acts)" from their self-titled debut EP, or "Against the Background" from 2008's Good Friend Electric — use simple, subtle narratives to study what a Bukowski-ish mess the post-collegiate/pre-adulthood crash can be. On the just-released New Century Courting, Jotto narrows its focus very specifically to love in your mid-20s. In "Lost Man," a young couple realizes they are complete strangers; by "Little Coyotes," they've parted ways and aren't really sure whether to cry or laugh. In the past, you'd have to listen through layers of hella interesting, innovative music to get these points; this time out, the music is also understated, bringing the substance into focus more quickly. Yeah, they live in Brooklyn now. Welcome them home anyway.

Over the Wall
Univox
tUnE-yArDs
Rocky Votolato/ Brooke Waggoner
Aloha
Paper Bird
Philly Gumbo
Baby Dee/David E. Williams