The Shondes

Fri., June 25, 9:30 p.m., $7, with Post Post, Filmstar, Rachel Tension and DJ Lil Sis, Tritone, 1508 South St., 215-545-0475, tritonebar.com.

by M.J. Fine

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Published: Jun 23, 2010

rock/pop

When heartbreak hits, you can crumple to the floor or you can work through it. Guess which path The Shondes chose after their original guitar player left abruptly? The Brooklyn quartet's 2008 debut, The Red Sea, was startlingly original. Steeped in Jewish ethics and aesthetics, it seamlessly blended Louisa Rachel Solomon's riot grrrl moodiness with Elijah Oberman's incendiary violin for an integrated take on love and social justice. Their follow-up, My Dear One (Fanatic), came out last month, and there's no doubt what's driving them this time. Though new guitarist Fureigh ably plugs the musical gap, Solomon's voice and lyrics reveal a romantic rift that hasn't been healed. She lays out the whole sorry tale in the album's centerpiece, "Miami," and strikes a defensive tone on "Lines and Hooks," one of the set's standouts. There's strength in her anger and comfort in Oberman's violin, but it'll take more than a lover's tears to fix a world on fire.

Too Much Beauty
Who's The Boss
Islands
The Crossing
Carolyn Leonhart and Wayne Escoffery
Men
Floor
Holy Ghost!
Rufus Reid Trio
Tim Berne's Los Totopos
Sun Airway
Sage Francis