Our weekly concert picks: August 5–August 11

What we're seeing live this week!

Wednesday, August 5: The Thurston Moore Band

Thurston Moore is most known for his work with Sonic Youth, NYC noise-rock giants whose alternatively dissonant and dreamy experimentations inspired everyone from Nirvana to 100,000 obscure indie bands, and who are generally considered one of the coolest un-cool bands ever. As singer/guitarist and co-founder, it was Moore's unorthodox guitar tunings and shaggy blonde mop that most people remember (well, that and bassist/ex-wife Kim Gordon's floaty vocals and general bad-assery), and even now that Sonic Youth is no more, Moore holds a certain sway. In the past 10 years, I've seen him live at least a half-dozen times (not counting the time I was fortuitously seated next to him at Cantina), repping Sonic Youth at university concerts and headlining shows, and performing solo from a folding chair at the Philadelphian Latvian Society, all with varying degrees of sobriety (that's on both of our parts). And I would argue there are few people who can play guitar quite like Moore. These days, the shaggy haired rebel is performing with his eponymously named band, featuring Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley, plus My Bloody Valentine's Deb Googe, and James Sedwards — who together offer noisy thrashers and gorgeous slow-jams alike, and who are proof that rock'n roll never dies, it just gets older and reinvents itself. They play Union Transfer this Wednesday; come prepare to lose yourself in the chords.

8:30 at Union Transfer, 1026 Spring Garden St., $15. Tickets available here.

Thursday, August 6: Teen Men

Teen Men is the project of Spinto Band guitarists Nick Krill and Joe Hobson, plus visual artists Albert Birney and Catharine Maloney — who together craft zany, three-dimensional pop known to inspire glee. Formed 4 years back (but really invigorated in 2013) Teen Men came together as a laidback side project and a chance to make "music without consequences" — and have managed to hold on to that motto since. Taking their name from a vintage Playboy ad, and their attitude from teen men across America — the foursome take a spontaneous approach to songwriting, melding visual art and music to create something multi-faceted and fun. Live, they incorporate projections, shadow puppets, props, and more — plus Krill's trademark twee vocals, breezy guitars, and keys. Their debut, self-titled record dropped earlier this year to rave reviews (British blog GigSlutz [who have the best name ever] describe it as "youthful innocence in a shine of summer"); we call it music to escape to. And you can do just that when they headline Boot & Saddle this Thursday, alongside local faves LOUDS and Tinmouth. Come re-live your teen years, minus the horrible awkwardness and acne.

8:30 at Boot & Saddle, 1131 S. Broad St., $10. Tickets available here.

Thursday, August 6–Friday, August 7: Mad Decent Block Party

From humble beginnings as a block party on the 1200 block of Spring Garden Street, outside the label's original HQ (the same space that is now PhilaMOCA), the Mad Decent Block Party has evolved into one of the biggest, craziest, and um, twerking-est celebrations of the year, and one of our favorite ways to let off some late summer steam. This year, the traveling carnival hits 18 cities, including Philly, where Diplo and Co. will set up shop for two nights at Penn's Landing. More than a dozen artists will take the stage, including Thursday headliners Flosstradamus and ILoveMakonnen, plus Alison Wonderland and Diplo's Major Lazer on Friday — although we're probably most psyched for electronic musician/essential vibe maker Porter Robinson (whose 2014 single "Flicker" was prob the song of the summer), doing a DJ set on Thursday night — plus Skrillex/Diplo collaboration Jack Ü, whose debut record features guest vocals from AlunaGeorge/2 Chainz/Justin Beiber — the latter of whom surprised fans and incited hysteria when he jumped on stage unannounced in L.A. last week. (We're betting on the Beiber hologram for Philly.) Add booze, sunshine, and an afternoon start time, and you have every reason to cut off work early + soak up waterfront vibes.

3:00 Thursday and Friday at Festival Pier at Penn's Landing, Columbus Blvd. and Spring Garden Sts., $40 (for single day tickets); $70 for the weekend. Tickets available here.

Tuesday, August 11: Lithuania

Lithuania is Dom Angelella (DRGN King) plus Eric Slick (Dr. Dog), friends, musicians, and longtime collaborators, who first met a decade back their freshman year at University of the Arts, and immediately bonded over a love of quirky and experimental rock. "We were kind of the freaks of the jazz school," says Slick. Soon after, they started jamming together — just for fun — and soon after, formed Lithuania as a side project and outlet for experimentation. Over the next eight years, both remained busy — Angelella with Nouveau Riche (a collab with rapper Dice Raw plus vocalist Nikki Jean), then his own band, DRGN King — and Slick with Paper Cat then Dr. Dog. But they remained close, even releasing an EP in 2010 — and in 2013, following Slick's move to Asheville, N.C., the project took on greater weight. Separated by thousands of miles, the pair began emailing songs back and forth, and before they knew it, they had enough material for an album. That album became Hardcore Friends, their debut full-length, which they will celebrate this Tuesday, and which features tracks a decade in the making (check out the video for the title track below, featuring guest vocals from Philly punk it-girl Frances Quinlan of Hop Along, plus Field Mouse's Rachel Browne). Live, they're joined by Ricardo Lagomasino on drums — and have a tendency to rile crowds. We'd expect nothing less.

8:30 at Boot & Saddle, 1131 S. Broad St., $10. Tickets available here.

See also: Delta Spirit (Wednesday, August 5 at World Cafe Live), Meghan Trainor (Wednesday, August 5 at Penn's Landing), Yuck (Wednesday, August 5 at Johnny Brenda's), Restorations with DRGN King (Thursday, August 6 at Penn's Landing), Bondage & Discipline (Thursday, August 6 at The Troc), West Philadelphia Orchestra (Thursday, August 6 at Underground Arts), Desaparecidos (Friday, August 7 at Union Transfer), MitiS (Friday, August 7 at Soundgarden Hall), Hale (Friday, August 7 at Johnny Brenda's), PhillyBloco (Friday, August 7 at World Cafe Live), Walla Fest featuring Mannequin Pussy and Norwegian Arms (Saturday, August 8 and Sunday, August 9 at PhilaMOCA), The Tough Shits (Saturday, August 8 at Boot & Saddle), APE! (Saturday, August 8 at Kung Fu Necktie), Limp Wrist (Sunday, August 9 at First Unitarian Church) Glass Animals (Monday, August 10 at Union Transfer), Dick Dale (Tuesday, August 11 at North Star Bar)