If you’ve ever seen/heard John Pfeffer perform solo or with his band Capillary Action, then you should know that he is a very unique songwriter. Below is an avant-garde new track called "Bodega" that features his collaborative work with some of Philly’s finest such as Ricardo Lagomasino (Many Arms) on SPD-SX, Eric Slick (Dr. Dog) on acoustic drum kit, YIKES the ZERO & Lushlife on vocals, and Jeff Zeigler (Arc In Round) with support from the American Composers Forum. Go ahead, and try to wrap your head around this one.

Time Hitler and the Assholes From Space certainly have one of the most original band names around town. Below is a bluesy, guitar-driven new track called "The Clap Song" off their latest LP Wild & Willing. You can catch the local area psych-rock five-piece live tonight when they open for Brooklyn’s VietNam (Mexican Summer) at MilkBoy Philly.

Tonight proto-punk trio Lantern will be celebrating the release of their first full-length album Rock ‘N’ Roll Rorschach, whose title was inspired by the vigilante character from Alan Moore’s graphic novel, Watchmen. The LP officially comes out this Tuesday, July 9 via Louisville indie label Sophomore Lounge, but you’ll be able to grab your vinyl copy this evening at Johnny Brenda’s. Led by the raunchy, searing guitar work of Zachary Fairbrother with its backbone held together by bassist Emily Robb and new(ish) drummer Christian Simmons, Lantern will live up to their name as a beacon of light for rock ‘n’ roll lovers by setting the stage ablaze. You should expect saxophonist David Fishkin (Extreme Fishkin) adding plenty of sonic blasts to their set. They’ll also be joined on the bill by Chris Forsyth & the Solar Motel Band, who are freshly off their residency at Ortlieb’s so I have no doubt that their jams will be tight, and Ivory Tuskk, the project from The War on Drugs’ Robbie Bennett. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 9pm, $10, 21+ – Alexis V.

It looks like Boston’s Pretty & Nice have dropped off tonight’s bill at Kung Fu Necktie due to a family emergency. So now this evening will be locals only. Taking over the headlining slot will be Break It Up, who are performing out for the first time since the release of their long-awaited self-titled debut LP. (So if you were hoping for them to have a release party, then you can come out and pretend like this is a belated one.) Just added to the lineup is pop-psych project The Fantastic Imagination, which features members of A Sunny Day in Glasgow and Arc In Round. And kicking off the post-Independence Day festivities will be audacious four-piece Idle Idols, who happen to have one of my favorite new band names. Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., 8pm, $5, 21+ – H.M. Kauffman

Hope that you are enjoying plenty of grillin’ and drinkin’ today. Well, if your still looking for a spot to hang, swing on by Jamaican Jerk Hut where Toy Soldiers will be celebrating their 7” release with buddies Levee Drivers, The Lawsuits, TJ Kong and Joe Fletcher (happening from 12pm – 4pm, $10 admission, BYOB). It’ll certainly be over in time for you to catch rising Philly emcees Chill Moody and Gliss throwing down at the ?uestlove stage on the Parkway. And obviously, The Roots and fireworks will also be going on if you’re still standing by then (which would be quite impressive if you’ve been going hard since noon). Of course, to quote one of the classics on this day, “Don’t forget what you’re celebrating, and that’s the fact that a bunch of slave-owning, aristocratic, white males didn’t want to pay their taxes.” Cheers!

Lantern shared their new album Rock ‘N’ Roll Rorschach earlier today with Ad Hoc, which you can also stream below. It officially comes out July 9 via Sophomore Lounge, but you can probably grab your copy from the band this Friday, July 5 when they celebrate its release at Johnny Brenda’s.

Nicos Gun’s Barney Cortez and Nick Bockrath’s latest project Rich Mystics popped up towards the end of last year with its debut EP LOVERDOSE, a trip back to 60’s acid-filled psych rock and Ziggy Stardust-era Bowie. The 7-song release features contributions from former bandmates Harry Zelnick and Andrew Black, Eric Slick (Dr. Dog), and Nina Willbach. The duo made their debut live performance in May at The Barbary, and they’ll be continuing their journey tonight at The Fire where they’ll be joined by funky rock outfit You Do You. The Fire, 412 W. Girard Ave., 8pm, $7, 21+ (Photo by Brian Ferguson) – H.M. Kauffman  

Sorry if we are slow on the draw with this, but last night, we found this video for Hop Along‘s new track "Sister Cities" from their Shaking Through episode via YouTube. (BTW: We know that Vimeo is Shaking Through‘s preferred video site to use, but we really can’t stand how long it takes for their videos to load up. Anyone else feelin’ us?) What caught our attention is that the Shaking Through crew tracked the song with footage from the session to make a music video, which was the first time we’d ever seen them do that with one of their featured artists. We’re more used to their videos containing part of the song from during recording and mostly interview segments. Twas a nice surprise – enjoy!

Gothic post-punk trio Psychic Teens just made their new full-length album COME available for streaming and purchase, which you can do so below. The LP officially comes out on CD/vinyl/cassette on August 13, but you can pre-order it now via SRA Records. They’ll be celebrating its release on Friday, August 9 with a free all-ages show at Long in the Tooth. You can also check out their new music video for the track "BUG" HERE.

Brooklyn transplants The City and Horses recently dropped their third album Strange Range via Paper Garden Records. Below is a pleasingly, syrupy sweet tune called "Pretty Pretty" that may send you to the dentist this morning.