After all of this year’s terrible Popped! misfortunes, this Saturday the event takes place as the ‘2nd St. Festival,’ with a strong local lineup, and the festival is FREE! Highlights will be Benjy Ferree, Rock Plaza Central, Arc in Round, and the Chimeras (more on some of these artists later this week). There will be plenty more than music to see and do along 2nd street, so don’t miss. More info about performers and vendors at poppedphiladelphia.org.

Thursday evening is night two of the series, this time with friends at Bag of Songs, Teenage Kicks, and PopWreckoning battling it out. Bag of Songs presents a local band that has been catching my attention of late - Lima Research Society. The music is a bit spacey, yet, at times it is undeniably catchy and so indie-friendly. They list (among many) of their influences to be Animal Collective or the Beatles, and I have to say, I think they fit perfectly right in the middle. I’ve really been enjoying the album, and you can download my favorite track, ‘Newt Life,’ below, it is from their debut LP Don’t Give Up Don’t Get Down released just this spring.

Also playing at Thursday’s Battle of the Blogs is Splash1 (presented by Teenage Kicks), and The Victor Victor Band (presented by PopWreckoning). What a fun evening to see some of our choice local acts and meet up with these awesome fellow-bloggers.

Thursday, June 18
Battle of the Blogs featuring The Victor Victor Band, Splash1, Lima Research Society
@ the North Star, 8pm, $8

Bag of Songs
PopWreckoning
Teenage Kicks

Lima Research Society on Myspace

Download : Lima Research Society - ‘Newt Life’

This should be a good one, RSVP to reserve a spot at the show at XPN.org.

Friday, 19 June
Elvis Perkins in Dearland
@ WCL, Noon, FREE

I heard Telekinesis on the radio on my drive home from work this afternoon. And this reminded me that the (one man) band is stopping in Philly tonight at Kungfu Necktie. Download one of my favorite tracks below from the debut album released in April. Plenty of fun indie-pop, good summer music. An Horse is opening. I’ve written about them before, check it out here to learn more about them and grab an mp3.

Tuesday, June 16
Telekinesis, An Horse
@ Kungfu Necktie, 8pm, $10

Download: Telekinesis - ‘Coast of Carolina’

It was written down on a Post-It affixed to my desk that I should write-up something about the band Clues. So it must be for good reason, though I couldn’t immediately remember why, or what  I was intending to write. Let’s just say my wall is covered with sticky-notes, that is the ONLY way I get anything done - it must be written down.

And so today I bring you Clues, who play tomorrow night at the Barbary with local favorites Drink Up Buttercup and Conversations With Enemies. And upon further investigating this Post-It note clue about Clues, I find that it is a collaboration between members of Arcade Fire and Unicorns; in fact, I think this is likely what caught my attention in the first place. They got together back in 2007 but just released their self-titled debut album on May 19th. You can download one of my favorite tracks, ‘Remember Severed Head,’ below. It is dark with swirling synthesizers and with driving guitar hooks. Probably just about what you might expect from a Unicorns/Arcade Fire group.  Trying to learn anymore about the band, however, proves difficult - they have only a minimalist myspace (lists only upcoming shows), no website, no facebook. So be sure to check out the track, below, or download more songs here, and consider checking them tomorrow night at the Barbary.

Tuesday, 15 June
Clues, Drink Up Buttercup, Conversations with Enemies
@ the Barbary, 7pm, $10

Download: Clues - ‘Remember Severed Head’

Your weekly weekend listings:

Thursday

Camp Dracula, The Jolly What, Honah Lee, Mr Marbles, Josh & Pete Band
@ the Fire, 9pm, $7

John Vanderslice, The Tallest Man on Earth
@ Johnny Brenda’s, 9pm, $12

Piroutte, Hawkard, Algernon Cadwallader
@ the Fire, 6pm, $7

Friday

The Brakes, The Bridge
@ WCL, 8pm, $15-$18

The Easy Tease, St. God’s Hospital, The Goodnight Lights
@ Millcreek Tavern, 9pm, $8

Saturday

Philadelphia Slick, Jason Ager Band, Stretch Lefty, Cassoria
@ North Starr, 9pm, $8

Sunset Rubdown, Elfin Saddle
@ Johnny Brenda’s, 9pm, $13

Sunday

Motel Motel, A Brief Smile, Jubel Jenkins, The Call us the Wayfairs
@ the Fire, 9pm, $7

It has been only about a year since Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band band played their first show ever together. They started out as a bit of a family affair, fronted by Benjamin Verdoes, his ‘multi-instrumentalist’ wife, and his 14 year old adopted brother on drums. It turned out the band were pretty good, so they stuck with it, added a few more members, and had quite a following by the end of last year. Their self-titled debut album hit the streets back in March when they were on tour with Bishop Allen. They caught on pretty quick, no? And on Tuesday the band, from Seattle, are stopping in at the M Room. Check out one of my favorite tracks from their debut, ‘Anchors Dropped’ - guitar hooks a-plenty.

Tuesday, June 9
Music For Headphones, Thunders, Mt St Helens Vietnam Band, The Chimeras
@ M Room, $8

Mt St Helens Vietnam Band on Myspace

Download: Mt St Helens Vietnam Band - ‘Anchors Dropped’

Thursday

Disappears, Sunshine Recorder, Faux Slang
@ Kungfu Necktie, 8pm, $8

Friday

Denali, Autocue, Robes
@ First Unitarian Church, 8pm, $12

The Spinning Leaves, Chris Kasper, Frontier Ruckus & J Quentin
@ WCL, 8pm, $8

Doves, Wild Light
@ the Trocadero, 9pm, $25

White Rabbits, The Subjects, Busses
@ Johnny Brenda’s, 9:30pm, $12

Adrien Reju, Kevin Hanson, Dante Bucci
@ Tin Angel, 10:30, $10

Saturday

Art Brut, Cymbals Eat Guitar
@ Johnny Brenda’s, 9pm, $15

Sunday

Mondo Topless, The Black Hollies, The Midnight Beat
@ Johnny Brenda’s, 9pm, $10

Matador announced their most recent signing on Friday, and though speculation pointed to this, it is now official.  They had some really nice stuff to say about one of Philly’s own:

We tend to start new signings entries to the Matablog with lines like “Matador Records is pleased to announce….”, but could we possibly be more redundant? Of COURSE we’re pleased to announce blah fucking blah, are we gonna say ”Matador Records reluctantly admits….” or “we’re obliged to tell you…”?

So with that in mind, we’re REALLY pleased to announce — perhaps more than ever before in label history — an addition to the label roster we currently consider to be one of the more important figures in American music circa 2009. Philadelphia guitarist/vocalist Kurt Vile first came to our attention (and possibly yours as well) with the release of the 2008 CD ‘Constant Hitmaker’ on the Gulcher imprint ( a label whose paw prints extend to dusty genius recordings by the Gizmos and MX80-Sound and contemporary stuff from Home Blitz and Magik Markers). What the homemade ‘Hitmaker’ (recently reissued on vinyl by Woodsist) lacked in fidelity it more than made for in scope —– to dub the album “psych pop” barely scratches the surface of a work that’s as impossibly catchy as it is wildly experimental.

Subsequent exposure to Kurt’s live shows in a variety of settings, both on his own and with crack ensemble The Violators, made it abundantly clear that we’d either have to sign this guy or find someone else who sounded exactly like him. Since the latter task proved impossible, here we are. Having signed a worldwide, multi-album pact with Matador, Kurt Vile’s first full-length for the label, ‘Childish Prodigy’ will be released on LP/CD and digital formats in Autumn 2009. Watch this space for more news & music to follow

Read the full news story on Matador’s blog.