Philadelphia Weekly

Dwele

If Dwele's velvety tenor--in his words "just like sex/ except you don't need no damned protection"--sounds familiar, it might be because he's upped the pheromone content in big hits like Common's "The People" and Kanye West's "Flashing Lights." He's also got four highly regarded solo albums to his credit. The just-released Sketches of a Man both updates and upends classic R&B with its pulsing slow-dance rhythms, lush singing and incisive lyrics. Highlight "I'm Cheatin'" is an interlocking puzzle of a song--on the surface another man-can't-help-it tale of infidelity, but underneath a story about reinventing long-term relationships. (Jennifer Kelly)

Violens

You might remember an enigmatic outfit from a few years ago called Lansing-Dreiden--like a musical version of Skull & Bones, the members' identities were kept secret. Calling themselves a "company" rather than a band, they'd send "ambassadors" to do interviews, and were even said to commission outside musicians to perform their new romantic sounds (like Roxy Music crossed with Spandau Ballet) on brief tours. Well, those L-D fellas must be craving the spotlight now, because they've reformed as Violens and have dropped all the mystery and conceit. Now the buzz primarily surrounds the music, and rightfully so--theirs is an intoxicating blend of well-coiffed '80s-style Britpop in the vein of Aztec Camera, the Housemartins and Trash Can Sinatras. (Michael Alan Goldberg)

Hippiefest With the Turtles

"Happy Together" might be the Turtles' only chart-topping hit, but the group is far from a one-hit wonder. Those kids--in particular Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman, known as Flo and Eddie--have worked with some of rock's legends, and they've done their share of contributing to some classic gems. Ray Davies of the Kinks produced their Village Green-inspired Turtle Soup, which remains the only non-Kinks album Davies ever produced. Kaylan, Volman and bandmate Jim Pons joined Frank Zappa's Mothers after the band broke up. And Kaylan and Volman contributed vocals to T. Rex's inescapable "Bang a Gong (Get It On)." Not to mention the Turtles wrote some fantastic songs of their own. (Katherine Silkaitis)

Ruder Than You

If it seems strange for a ska band to sound more streetwise than some hip-hop, consider that Ruder Than You have been around for nearly two decades, soldiering through the three-year incarceration of singer Freddie Weaver and the death of baritone-sax blurter Trish Johnson. The grizzled group has also navigated multiple waves of ska revival and the fickle attention of kids today, making it all seem easy on the new God's Ghetto EP, released on the African label Lulu Nyeusi and featuring Toasters drummer Larry Snell. Most crucial, though, are the five songs' rip-roaring good times, from the rap- and Rocky-inspired "You Go Girl" to the dub-alicious "Few Dollars More." (Doug Wallen)

Mark Knopfler

Naming one of your albums Sailing to Philadelphia like Mark Knopfler did back in 2000 is kinda like running full-speed into the center field wall at Citizens Bank Park after making a spectacular catch and breaking your nose--it ensures you'll always be beloved in our city, no matter what you do afterward. But the former Dire Straits frontman--he of the recognizably gravelly tenor, moody songs and that wonderfully evocative and signature (if perennially underrated) finger-picking guitar style--is well-admired around these parts and elsewhere for 30-some years of quality music. Lately he's been following the "elder rock statesman" trend toward low-key Americana compositions, though he's as likely to bust out smoldering solos as he is to dust off some Dire Straits gems to go along with his deep solo catalog. (M.A.G.)

Joe Magnarelli

To friends and admirers he's "Mags," a New York-based trumpeter who speaks the white-hot language of Clifford Brown, Lee Morgan and other post-bop masters. Well-represented as a leader on the Criss Cross label, Mags is also the consummate sideman, with a stack of big band credits and a priceless appearance on the Grammy-nominated Time Was-Time Is by late conga legend Ray Barretto. Check out Philly-New York Junction (and New York-Philly Junction), Mags' sparring dates with fellow trumpeter John Swana, for a good understanding of the ties that bind the cities' jazz scenes. That's the chemistry you'll hear when Mags sits in this week with the Ortlieb's Haus Band. (David R. Adler)

Tall Firs

It's an impressive feat for a band to be together 11 years before playing their first concert. Brooklyn trio Tall Firs not only held it together during that time, but they signed to Thurston Moore's Ecstatic Peace! label for their first album, 2006's Tall Firs. With their recent Too Old to Die Young they continue their combination of orchestral balladry, pensive lyricism and memorable minimalist melodies. Tall Firs play intensely and deliberately, with a moodiness that's both despairing and indifferent. Tunes like "So Messed Up" convey a rabid fatalism with undertones of optimism and nostalgia, making it quite an enjoyable and memorable tune. (K.S.)

Matt Costa

At one time an aspiring pro skateboarder from Southern California, 26-year-old Matt Costa traded in his decks for guitars after shattering his leg doing a 1080 nose grab or some such trickery eight years ago. From there he learned how to sing like a folksier Richard Ashcroft, and recorded some demos that caught the ear of No Doubt guitarist Tom Dumont, who helped Costa record a couple of self-released EPs. Those in turn found their way to the beachfront hut of Hawaiian surfer/singer Jack Johnson, and since then Costa has fallen in with that laid-back, feel-good acoustic-pop scene. But it's not all happy-happy-joy-joy on his latest album Unfamiliar Faces, which sports as much London rain and fog as it does California sunshine. (M.A.G.)

Surgeon

Set to tape earlier this year under the guidance of cantankerous indie god Steve Albini, Surgeon's Angry Guest EP is a cleaner, meaner affair than the Philly quartet's past work, including that under their previous name Bumrunner. The shadowy band still thrives on the tension between singer/bassist Sean Boltron's chirping, androgynous vocals and guitarist/songwriter Lydia Giordano's twisty, surreal leads. Surgeon's not afraid to dig for inspiration in mainstream classic and modern rock, and yet the players darken the corners considerably and sneak in prog-metal undertones. The EP's seven songs are as tight and crunchy as we've come to expect, their increasingly eerie vibe culminating in the standout closer "Walking Fire." (D.W.)