We know. What to do? What to do…this Halloween weekend? We love the all hallow-est of eves! And Philly does not have a shortage of diverse things to do. If you find the idea of swanky surroundings with the echo of groove-oriented experimental beats flowing through your ears and tarot card readings blowing your mind, Final Friday’s AfroFuturist Affair Costume Ball at the Philadelphia Art Museum this evening with locals Moor Mother, Sammus, and Fholston Paradigm is a no-brainer. And since things will be wrapping up relatively early, you still have plenty of time to catch Dark Thoughts at the LAVA Space benefit. On Saturday, the 8^th annual TJ Kong Halloween Murdershow will be doing debaucherous things in the below ground lair of Underground Arts. The familiar faces of Levee Drivers and Tutlie will be joined by sexified newcomers OOLALA and Shy Boyz. And if you don’t really feel like leaving the Fishtown/Kensington/NoLibs area, tomorrow will be a nice evening to take a buzzed walk to your favorite neighborhood DIY space Everybody Hits for Hurry’s 2^nd Annual Halloween Spooktacular, with pals Shannen Moser, Cave People, and Anomie. All proceeds will go to The Humane League of Philadelphia. For those who really haven’t had enough this Halloween weekend, you might need to chill out at Union Transfer, where Petal will be performing a solo set, opening for the always captivating Julien Baker and Half Waif. Wherever you find yourself, enjoy that you are there – cheers! – Alexis V.

More Halloween Weekend Fun…

Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill St.) FRI Hezekiah Jones, DeadFellow, Ali Wadsworth, SAT TJ Kong Halloween Murdershow VIII: TJ Kong & The Atomic Bomb, Tutlie, Levee Drivers, Shy Boyz, Red 40 and the Last Groovement, OOLALA

Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) SAT Minka, Thrills

Boot & Saddle (1131 S. Broad St.) FRI Street Stains, SAT Pink Slip Daddy, Dixy Blood, SUN Spent Flesh, Dumal, Mob Terror, Atomic Cretins

Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI Throbbing Chakra, Rubber/DJSC/Duffy’s Cut, SAT Black Urn/Fame Lust, SUN Deathmonger AD, Mota, Plot/Erik Kramer, Maggie Mae

Union Transfer (1026 Spring Garden St,) SUN Petal (Solo)

The Trocadero (1003 Arch St.) SAT Dead Milkmen, Green Meteor

TLA (334 South St.) SAT Tweed

The Fillmore Philadelphia (1100 Canal St.) SAT Baceface

The Foundry (1000 Frankford Ave.) FRI DJ Grotzy Versace

Electric Factory (421 N. 7^th St.) SAT Pluto Era

World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) FR I (Upstairs) Dirty Dozen Dance Band/(Downstairs) Greg Sover Band

Bourbon & Branch (705 N. 2^nd St.) FRI Tektonic, Muscle Tough, Darla, SAT My Son Bison, Rosali, Oldermost, SUN Shon Goner

The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) SUN The Old Souls, Chalk and The Beige Americans, Gringo Motel, The Sideshow Prophets

The Barbary (951 Frankford Ave.) FRI Apex Predator, Mesmeria, Ketosis, SAT Secret Nudist Friends, The Pretty Greens, SUN Bad Luck 13, Eaten Alive, Gloves Off/Dirty Purple, Moonroof, Vague Advice, It Makes Sounds

Century (1350 S. 29^th St.) FRI Conflict Theory, War Vomit

MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut St.) SAT Suburban Living (DJ Set)

Silk City (435 Spring Garden St.) FRI Francisco Collazo, SAT DJ Deejay

Fergie’s (1214 Sansom St.) SAT The Jersey Corn Pickers, SUN Rusty Cadillac

Connie’s Ric Rac (1132 S. 9^th St.) FRI Pravda, Endless Taile, Tantra, SAT Stinking Lizavetta, Thorazine, Workhorse III, The End AD, Thee Minks, Mojo Machine

Frankie Bradley’s (1320 Chancellor St.) SUN The Roddenberries

The Grape Room (105 Grape St.) FRI Slomo Sapiens, Local Smokes, SAT Duke Brothers, Bonehead

Ardmore Music Hall (23 E. Lancaster Ave.) FRI Philly Bloco, SUN Philly Loves Petty: Low Cut Connie, Ben Arnold, Mo Lowda & The Humble (with Joe Reinhart), Smash Palace, Travel Lanes, Hinton Bower Jones, Big Jangle, No Good Sister, Nik Greeley Ross Bellenoit

Philadelphia Museum of Art (2600 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy.) FRI Afrofuturistic Affair Costume Ball: Moor Mother, Sammus, Fhloston Paradigm

Everybody Hits (529 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Italoween SAT Hurry, Cave People, Shannen Moser, Anomie

The Pharmacy (1300 S. 18^th St.) SUN Matthew W. Charles, Side Pocket Louie, Everyone Except Me, Rasan Allbritton

LAVA Space (4134 Lancaster Ave.) FRI Dark Thoughts, Jenna and The Pups, Dialer

Sound Hole (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT LXV

Spank Banquet (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT Ceramic Animal, Attic Tapes, Sixteen Jackies, Chifa

The first impression and debut single from Philly trio Goldenaire, "No Memory," is a solid one. A buoyant psych-pop balloon dreamily drifts; however, the continuous, rhythmic push helps to ground the track, as swirls of guitar and vocals keep it afloat. A pleasant duality of focus comes to fruition.

A weary, ghostly element permeates throughout Dark Thoughts freshly released Halloween Tape. Meshing that cautiously, creepy aesthetic with the band’s infectious brand of exuberance, the four-song demo set is both befitting the season and a preview of what’s to come from the Philly punk crew. Dark Thoughts are scheduled to perform at the LAVA Space tonight, as part of a benefit for the venue that also includes Jenna and the Pups, Dialer, and a Germs cover set, before heading out on a Midwest Halloween run.

It’s been way too long since we’ve heard from CBMC (Cyberbully Mom Club). So somewhat naturally, a double take was in order when a new song, “.000125,” popped up on our radar. Delicately splicing and unraveling warm guitar with a simple drum machine backdrop, the soothing, solution-oriented lyrics seem to tip the instinctual scales, in whimsical bedroom-pop fashion. Hopefully this is an indication that more will be on the way from Shari Heck.

Ahead of its official release date, you can now stream and purchase Slaughter Beach, Dog‘s new full-length album Birdie (Lame-O Records). Jake Ewald reinforces his ability to write songs that have an inherent, familiar, folk ease, crafting detail-rich, animated scenes. One naturally transplants himself/herself into the self-evaluating, melancholy-tinged moments, finding a new place of refuge. Next week, Slaughter Beach, Dog will be heading out on a November-spanning tour with Shannen Moser and Walter Etc.

Earlier this month, hardcore outfit Body Party released a new album, Who Is Cool, which is available on cassette via Ranch Records. As if shot out of a cannon, its lead track, “Ready Set Rock,” immediately bombards. That sonic storm sets the tone for an all-out expulsion of emotion. Establishing a barrier, the band digs its heels in, and dares anyone to push back.

Movie Was Bad, the debut EP from Sixteen Jackies, has recently found its way out into the world. Reassuring vocal warmth is countered by an eerily haunting element, lurking in the distance. However, there is an elegance in the band’s songwriting that collides with a sense of audaciousness, calling to mind such artists as Of Montreal and Ziggy Stardust-era Bowie. The quartet is slated to stir things up this Saturday, October 28 at Spank Banquet’s Halloween Party, with Ceramic Animal, Attic Tapes, and Chifa.

Get ready to swoon for Sheer Mag‘s Christina Halladay and Dirty Fences new collaboration! "One More Step" brings on the old-timey feels, transporting us to the days when people excitedly sat by their radios or diner jukeboxes to hear the latest and greatest tunes. You can find the heartfelt rock ballad on Dirty Fences forthcoming album, Goodbye Love, due out this Friday via Greenway Records. Enjoy!

Philly’s own Honey Radar and Bloomington, Indiana’s Mike Adams at His Honest Weight share musical territory on their new split release, Frogman / Weather On, co-issued via Third Uncle Records and Flannelgraph Records. For their part, Honey Radar meshes coarse rough-n-tumble rock with an alluring psych invitation, while their counterpart contrasts with a clairvoyant polish. You can catch Jason Henn and company next Thursday, November 2 at Kung Fu Necktie, as part of a locals-only bill that also includes Dark Web, Andrew Jeffrey Wright, Telepathic, and Soft Crime.

Released via Box Theory Records, "Stop the Sunrise" is the new single from the Justin Geller-led electro-rock project Remote Places. Co-produced with Jeff Zeigler, the song wax and wanes from mysterious wafts of keys to palpitating kick-drum action, courtesy of Pissed Jeans‘ Sean McGuinness. Guitar flourishes are also provided by former Pink Skull partner-in-crime Julian Grefe, with Mikele Edwards (Myrrias) on piano and vocal harmony, contributing to the track’s danceable AM haze.

100% of the proceeds from Pill Friends‘ new compilation, Let’s Be Nice – B-sides, Covers & Demos (Out of Breath Records), will go to a trust for Ryan Wilson’s daughter, Laurel. Weaving a communicable blend of lo-fi fragility and enthusiasm, this collection continues to exhibit bedroom-door-ajar, personal narratives. Drenched in vocal sensitivity and sparse, into-the-void instrumental accompaniment, the songs take hold. Orchestrating an inherent sadness with cathartic ends, one is reminded of Wilson’s brilliant vulnerability.

Stripped-down strings and piano instrumentation cast cathedral-style closeness on the recently issued EP, We Were Babies & We Were Dirtbags (Polyvinyl Records), from Beach Slang‘s James Alex, under the moniker Quiet Slang. Coupling a pair of originals, "Future Mixtape For the Art Kids" and "Bad Art & Weirdo Ideas," with a tandem of covers in The Replacements’ "Androgynous" and Big Star’s “Thirteen,” Alex temporarily trades his unabashed fury for a more subdued, still-spirited sound. Shifting one’s perspective and expectations, this Quiet Slang scenario appears to be the start of something rather than merely a standalone. Currently on the road as part of an extensive touring schedule, Beach Slang will be back in town on Saturday, December 2 at the TLA, supported by Dave Hause & The Mermaid and The Homeless Gospel Choir.