Sound Bites

Wednesday

The Modern Society — Since noticing American Hi-Fi sitting pretty in the number two spot of The Modern Society’s top friends — and The Modern Society inhabiting the top spot on American Hi-Fi’s page — it’s been hard to shake a comparison between the two bands. Both the early-’00s modern rock staples (recall “Flavor of the Weak”) and the young quartet from Atlanta burn through power-pop jams like Cheap Trick distilled through Nirvana, blended with Weezer and served with Elvis Costello via early Sugarcult. And if there’s anything we’ve learned from these sonic touchstones, it’s that well-placed palm-muting and a vamp into the chorus will never, ever get old — at least not for a while. B. Reed
New Brookland Tavern: 7 p.m., $5 ($7 under 21); 791-4413, newbrooklandtavern.com.

Friday

The Unawares

The Unawares — From the sound of it, The Unawares are anything but. The trio’s blend of wiry Polvo-isms, Replacements-grit and jittery and Minutemen-esque flashbombs of nervous energy shows more than ample awareness of indie rock’s sonic successes. John Watkins yelps and spits, his voice dodging divebombing, warped-chord-bent-string guitar lines. Drummer Rhett Berger drives the ship with the careening force of a semi with its brakes cut while bassist James Wallace navigates the minefield with uncanny precision. If ever a band seemed to be hanging precariously on the precipice of spontaneous combustion, this is it. And with such volatile inspirations, it seems The Unawares wouldn’t have it any other way. Atlanta Latin-garage-rock ensemble Batata Doce opens. B. Reed
Hunter Gatherer: 11 p.m., $5; 748-0540, myspace.com/huntergathererbrewery.

Sunday

Seabird

Seabird — Clearly, the four men of Seabird are devoted students in the post-Beatles school of pop-rock. There’re the latter-day U2 swells and the pre-Eno Coldplay pianos and heart-on-sleeve vocals for starters. But then there’s the Killers-born dance-rock drums or the uncanny Chris Cornell croon that Aaron Morgan’s otherwise Chris Martin-taught voice can dive into. Where then does that leave Seabird? Well, avoiding lame critic words like “pastiche” and “derivative,” we’ll settle on saying that the quartet will appeal to fans of any of the aforementioned bands, as elements of many styles are combined, rather smoothly, into Seabird’s pleasant-at-worst concoction. B. Reed
New Brookland Tavern: 7 p.m., $7; 791-4413, newbrooklandtavern.com.

Free Times, 10/1/08