21
FRIDAY
With the abstract-beats thing nearly played out, electronic musicians are increasingly returning to more traditional song forms. While Fatboy Slim and the Chemical Brothers are smart in making their tunes catchy like rock songs, they generally don’t rely on too many lyrics that might trip up the beats. But the Long Beach trio Cirrus does. For their second album, Back on a Mission, the band’s rap- and rave-inspired beats and rock-inspired bleats are often served up with a full plate of lyrical cheese. “Get on my existential groove train” exhorts rapper and singer Rene Padilla on “The Answer,” and I say, “No, thank you, I do not like trainsgroove, existential, or otherwise.” But you can toot toot with Cirrus when it chugs into town to open for My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult at 10 p.m. at the 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. $15. (202) 393-0930. (Christopher Porter)