MONDAY

Fans of the Velvet Underground would have you believe the band is the root of all good rock music from punk onwards. Well, I’m a fan, but the evidence is pretty convincing. Even the Velvets’ most offhanded gestures seeded pop movements. Stuck on the end of their eponymous third album is a little ditty called “After Hours,” drummer Mo Tucker’s singing debut. While calling Mo’s vocal abilities “limited” is being generous, her childlike, off-key delivery perfectly suits the song’s vulnerable lyrics. (Lou Reed himself has suggested that no one would have bought the song’s sad, innocent words if they had come from his mouth.) Her unaffected style was largely unprecedented, but certain enclaves have openly embraced it. Punk, with its DIY philosophy, made a virtue of amateurishness, rendering it a sign of authenticity. And twee-pop groups like Talulah Gosh and the Pastels embraced childishness as an antidote to rock ‘n’ roll machismo and excess. Gainesville, Fla.,’s Brittle Stars carry on this anti-grand tradition. Their self-titled debut album is a modest, carefully crafted pop gem, with keyboards adding color to simple guitar, bass, and drum instrumentation. “This Trip” is particularly affecting, a delicate ode to love passed by. Vocalist Estelle (there are no last names in the Brittle Stars’ universe) has a voice that is “After Hours” wispy and fragile—but, unlike Tucker, she can carry a tune. The Brittle Stars play into the night with local outfit Barcelona at 9:30 p.m. Monday, March 6, at the Galaxy Hut, 2711 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. Free. (703) 525-8646. (Mark W. Sullivan)