Metro - Philadelphia Music

US – Sunday, March 21

The week's releases

Metro staff reviews the latest CDs, DVDs and books for your reading pleasure.

SXSW: Day three

I couldn't wait to share this photo. They are a band from Chicago called Banana and the Woman, which my friend so keenly observed might have just as easily been called Sleeping Bag and the Rainbow Wig if the costume section at their Five and Dime had different options.

Taking on a blockbuster

If the name Stieg Larsson isn’t familiar, the cover of his globally best-selling book may provide instant recognition, considering the novel is reaching Harry Potter-level ubiquity. The film adaptation follows suit, blowing box office records all over Europe for its roundly praised, faithful rendition of the story of two detectives (of sorts) who uncover family scandals in search of a woman who has been missing for 40 years. We sat down with director Niels Arden Oplev to chat about his version of the tale.

Photo: STEVE GULLICKSilversun Pickups: ‘We’re the weird kids at the prom’

Silversun Pickups picked up a lot of steam in 2009. The Los Angeles-based shoegaze quartet’s second album, “Swoon,” swooped into the Billboard Top 10 last spring and gained them a Grammy nomination.

Photo: KATHY PETERSON

Philly Music

Taking the jam to a whole new level

Combined, Larry Toft and Daniel Peterson play in at least a half-dozen bands — two together, plus four other projects each. That’s actually pretty typical of serious musicians in Philadelphia’s tight-knit, hard working, experimental jazz scene. But Toft and Peterson were craving even more, and so last year, Avant Ascension was born.

Philly Music

Fixing a broken record

Over the last decade, Philadelphia has seen the emergence of small nonprofits — think Ars Nova Workshop and Bowerbird — that continue to develop emerging classical, experimental and jazz musicians. But until now, artists working in popular mediums had one, maybe two options: Do it yourself or … be Dr. Dog? That’s just one of the reasons Brian McTear launched Weathervane Music, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the careers of independent popular musicians.

Music

It's a sisters thing

Anna Christie first appeared in the these pages back in 2006, when she was among the frequent street performers in Suburban Station.

Philly Music

Amanda Blank is ‘Philly to the bone’

When it comes to other dirty-lyric-writing, genre-bending, female-driven musicians, most tend to compare Amanda Blank’s rapid fire raunch-rap with Canadian electronic dance floor queen Peaches.

Philly Music

Short and sweet, but deserving of exclamation point

Alpert back on the road

French revolution

The Folk Festival plugs in

The Windows treatment

Fashion statement

All that prog-metal-jazz

Angie Stone kicks off Welcome party

Bishop gets his ‘Freak’ on

Philly Music

Living the Dream

Back to their Roots

Rapper Lif told you so

Peaches and ‘Cream’

Out of hibernation

Still so Damned good

Now that’s ‘Entertainment’

War not healthy for Living Things

The March MMMpod features conversation and music from Surfer Blood and The Allman Brothers Band (There's a double-bill you're not too likely to see. However, Gregg Allman does mention Hannah Montana!). We also speak with Vampire Weekend and the Dropkick Murphys.