29

sunday

Brooklyn is getting crowded these days, not just with hipster hopefuls but also with gratuitous instrumentation. It seems you can’t make a record in New York any more without cramming a vibraphone, a singing saw, and a set of tubular bells onto every spare ProTools track. At least Rahim has the decency to respect the sound of silence. On its latest record, Ideal Lives, the New York trio sticks up for the virtues of economy, allowing the holes in between its music to speak as loudly as the instruments themselves. On songs such as “Shut Off the Lights,” the band isn’t afraid to strip all the way down, making a tense, convincing musical statement with only drums and vocals. Not that the members of Rahim are austere disciplinarians—they just understand the value in leaving their listeners a little room to move around. Rahim performs with Judah Johnson at 8:30 p.m. at Iota Club & Cafe, 2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. $10. (703) 522-8340. (Aaron Leitko)