22

THURSDAY

Stuart David’s not fooling a soul. I don’t care how many influential indie-pop bands he plays with or how prim his Glaswegian accent is, the guy’s doing hiphop. Well, that’s what I thought at first. In addition to being the bassist for the critically slobbered-over Belle and Sebastian, David—with his wife, Karn— performs as Looper. The band’s name accurately describes its music: The first track on its debut album, Up a Tree, is one-and-a-half minutes of drum machinery laced with a loop of a child’s voice that any hiphop head would approvingly refer to as “ill.” There are oddball samples, thumping breakbeats, and turntable touches all over Up a Tree, but David’s quaint spoken words, romantic sentiments, and whimsical strumming overshadow the album’s grittier influences. When David sings, “I’m quite happy,” you realize he’s not trying to fool anyone—he’s a pop kid after all. Looper performs with Khan, Breedlove 500+, and Donatella V at 8:30 p.m. at the Black Cat, 1831 14th St. NW. $10. (202) 667-7960. (ND)