SUNDAY

Maybe Tom Vek was inevitable—the Talking Heads never seemed all that American, and today’s DFA aesthetic is geared more toward the pan-continental hipster class, rather than a cabal of strictly U.S. indie insiders (thank God). Vek, a beat-happy multi-instrumentalist Brit, serves it with an air of stylish detachment, because that’s what Brits are good at. Many of Vek’s songs coalesce around a melodic bass line and yelpy vocals (thus the Heads comparison), and he usually makes room for chikka-chikka guitar, clubby synth effects, and nonstop percussion (thus the DFA similitude). Chase down the dance fever of “I Ain’t Saying My Goodbyes” online if you don’t know what I’m sayin’. Mobius Band (pictured) got slapped with the “next Postal Service” tag from Day One, and there’s a bit of truth in that nagging comparison—the Brooklyn-by-way-of-small-town-Massachusetts trio likes its blips and bleeps, and its songs definitely embrace listeners. But where the Service was all Pixy Stix and efficiency from the get-go, the Band likes to shape-shift its hooks. Its debut disc, The Loving Sounds of Static, also has conspicuous stretches of rockish jangle, and maybe that’s why none of the tracks sound instantly ready for a TV commercial. The disc is an exercise in composite familiarity: Get comfy with one layer, and the next is never too far out of reach. Tom Vek and Mobius Band play at 9 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6, on the Black Cat’s Backstage, 1811 14th St. NW. $8. (202) 667-7960. (Joe Warminsky)