Earlimart

Southern California's lo-fi indie band Earlimart suffer the consequences of what may be best described as "critic malaise." It's what happens to people who listen to too much music and start falling into "They sound too much like _____" talk. But don't let these tepid characterizations stop you from going to check Earlimart out, because even if they do sound like ELLIOT SMITH and THE PIXIES and SILVERSUN PICKUPS and even sometimes THE WHITE STRIPES, well, they have their own thing going on, too. For one, these peeps have staying power. The recently released Hymn and Her is their sixth album. This time around they are ever so slightly tamer than they have been in the past. Another thing is that, as a male/female duo, they have this are-they-a-couple-or-aren't-they air about them. Go spend some time speculating. With the Wars of 1812 and Western Fifth. 21+.
Fri., July 25, 9 p.m., 2008