Below is the latest edition of Weathervane Music & WXPN’s Shaking Through with Sweet Lights, which is the moniker of Shai Halperin’s current solo project. He was formerly the lead singer and songwriter of The Capitol Years as well as an early member of the War on Drugs. Sweet Lights recorded the song, “You Let Me Down,” over the course of a two-day session in late June at Miner Street Recordings. This is the first episode curated by Brian McTear, Weathervane Music co-founder, since the January 2010 episode featuring Brooklyn songstress Sharon Van Etten.

Shaking Through Vol 2 Ep 7: Sweet Lights from Weathervane Music

The Plastic Traps are a brother duo comprised of Andy and Gary Ellison. Hailing from the northwest suburbs of Philadelphia, the two share duties switching off on lead vocals/guitar and drums. Their sound blends lo-fi indie rock with plenty of classic rock riffs and melodies to make a concoction that you just want to ingest and let pour all over yourself. On their debut album Find a Home, you’ll discover understated hidden gems that are a testament to what’s still so rad about the saturated indie movement. You simply no longer have to figure out a way to make it into an expensive studio to get your music out there. All you need are your instruments (sometimes not even that), good ideas, something to record with and upload to the interweb, and let people decide if they like it for themselves. Well, I dig it. If you do too, they’ll be performing tonight at Kung Fu Necktie alongside French garage-pop outfit The Liminanas (who have releases on Chicago’s HoZac Records and Trouble in Mind Records), the venue’s alt rock neighbors Shortbread, pop punkers Marathon Girls, and Gaz Gaz. Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., 8pm, $8, 21+ – Q.D. Tran

If nothing else, Slave Ambient is deeply personal. Dropping tomorrow via Secretly Canadian, the War on Drugs‘ second proper full-length was, for outfit mastermind Adam Granduciel, a chance to prove his worth, talent and musical acumen as one of the most prolific and experimental artists to come out of Philadelphia. It’s a record of layered complexity, of intense brevity, of changing hearts, and even in it stark, woven landscape, this record, four years in the making, is voluminously grand. The War on Drugs will be celebrating the release of their highly-anticipated album this Thursday at Johnny Brenda’s with Caveman and Tin Horses. We had a chance to chat with Granduciel about his unconventional approach to creating Slave Ambient, his upcoming tour in support of the album, and why cassettes blow mp3s out of the water HERE.

The press folks at ANTI- Records just shared the dates for Dr. Dog’s upcoming North American Tour. They’ll be performing next in Philly for FREE on Saturday, September 3 at the WHYY Connections Festival at Penn’s Landing. You can check out their tour schedule below.

Krautrock revivalists Music For Headphones are performing a FREE show tonight at Teri’s Diner, the much-needed latest addition to the local music scene in South Philly. Mastermind Jonathan Allen has also started putting together shows as Fuzz Factory Bookings so get in touch. Music For Headphones recently signed to XD Records, a label owned by producer/musician Slade Templeton and Dean Garcia (formerly of Curve and the Eurythmics). Allen will be hosting old friends from his days living in Portland, Oregon, The Prids, who are doing their last U.S. tour for awhile as they focus their efforts on Europe. Jay Laughlin from Like A Fox/Lenola will also be taking the stage this evening and opening. Teri’s DinerBar, 1126 S. 9th St., 7pm, FREE, 21+ – Alexis V.

Local rock five-piece Restorations’ layered instrumentals show great patience while never being afraid to hit you with sonic blasts giving a youthful reminder of how fun letting loose can be even though we’ve matured a bit walking that fine line of holding on to the past and happily remaining in the present. Blending comforting melodies and reflective lyrics around Jon Loudon’s raspy, life-filled vocals, the band has evolved a little older and wiser from their punk rock roots. You can find out what they’ve learned from their experiences on their latest self-titled LP which was recorded by Algernon Cadwallader’s Joe Reinhart and mixed by Jonathon Low (who has previously worked with Dr. Dog and mewithoutYou), and was released earlier this year via Tiny Engines, or just brave the miserable weather and head on over to Kung Fu Necktie this evening where they’ll be opening for Denton self-described “stonegaze” trio True Widow. Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., 7pm, $10, 21+ – Alexis V.

Restorations: "When You’re Older" from Punknews.org

It’s beautiful out so everyone should be gearing up for some fun tonight. Where will you find it? Well, we think that the local lineup at Kung Fu Necktie has fun written all over it. Even though this evening will be on the cooler side of what we’ve been used to lately, Sweatheart will heat things up by getting your pulse racing and those beads of perspiration uncontrollably pouring down with their “Approachable Stadium Pop, Man Jams (with Women) or Community College Rock.” (Sorry, we love when bands make up humorous genres to describe themselves.) But we promise that they’ll hilariously deliver a raunchy set that will release some pheromones that might just get you laid this evening (or at least someone to touch IT ;o). And they’ll have the smooth electro stylings of Robai a.k.a. Mike Robinson (King Gog, Holland Boys) to help warm things up. His creepy, weirdo Robert Palmer-like aura will hopefully have some panties dropping before his set is done, but you’ll most likely see his top come off first. Add in the beautiful synth-pop of Instamatic (check out what we’ve said about them before HERE) and Lifeline (the side project from members of Blood Rhythm), and you’ve got an evening of entertainment that is sure to please (or should we say “pleasure”). Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 Front St., 8pm, $8, 21+

Lantern is a mess. Led by Montreal native Zachary Fairbrother, the Philly three-piece is a kind of good, awful mess that breeds beautiful, insane chaos. Just listen to their last two EPs – Lantern Summer EP 2011 and Stranger I Come. Stranger I Leave. – and you’ll get what I mean. It’s a jagged fireworks show of fuzzbox guitars, pounding drums and snotty vocals that crash together to produce sparks of sped-up psych, sickening blues-garage, and vintage punk-rock. We’re not sure how Johnny Brenda’s stage will be able to contain Lantern’s exploding sound, but you can see first-hand tonight when they perform at the venue with Cali’s bluesy throwback White Fence and Brooklyn’s folk-jam hybrid Woods. While you’re at it, throw a few bucks Lantern’s way for their North American Tour Kickstarter campaign because, seriously, their music can’t–and shouldn’t–be confined. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 8PM, $12, 21+ – Annamarya Scaccia