Preview: the week ahead (7th-13th Feb)

Still recovering from CTM or up for more? We've got a laid back but mixed week ahead:

Monday

Rivulets + Aidan Baker instore at Bis Aufs Messer: Aidan Baker for the third time this year? It looks like the man has taken a liking to Berlin. This time he is performing an acoustic set. Rivulets is also one man, Nathan Amundson, who plays less experimental but not less pretty music with an acoustic guitar, in the vein of Songs:Ohia and similar. Unmissable. 

Again, remember to be on time at Bis Aufs Messer - gigs here start very punctual as they are a store in a residential area.

Gravenhurst at West Germany: You may as well take the U1 and head straight from Bis Aufs Messer over to West Germany, where you can listen to more beautiful mellow tunes by Warp signee Gravenhurst. Ideally, the event should be seated but I am not sure if this is going to be the case at West Germany. Perhaps consider brining your own seating. And some money - chances are that you will want to purchase a record for home listening.

Thursday

Twin Shadow at Comet Club: If there is one thing I'm not good at it's guessing how many people will attend an event. I would have thought Comet Club was a tad small for this one but then again, I might be totally off the mark. Twin Shadow is a one-man-pop-project from New York and plays 80s wavey pop, somewhere between The Human League and The Boomtown Rats, with a distinct lo-fi sound. Good for shoegazing but good for dancing, too. I prefer dancing.

The Replacements cover evening at Schokoladen: I love live cover evenings and Schokoladen is presenting two of these in one week. Yay! The first one is this one, with a mixed line up of local bands covering The Replacements songs. Sing along and go wild. moved to and merged with Saturday's Pixies cover night

Friday

La Sera at Monarch: Oooh, in-crowd listen up! Katy Goodman of Vivian Girls is playing with her solo project this Friday. It's pop and what else would you expect? Monarch is small, so show up early. This is going to be one of those gigs that people reference two years on in order to appear cool and "in the know". I earnestly also believe that this Friday night is going to be very cosy and sweet when we listen to pop music while overlooking Kottbusser Damm from steamy windows, a drink in hand.

Trip Fontaine and Blood Robots at Kastanie: Head over to Kastanie tonight to listen to some emo core à la early Jade Tree. Trip Fontaine please with very dancy poppy tunes nestled into a post HC setting. If this was 1996, you would meet a lot of guys with beaded necklaces, backpacks and baseball caps at this show. You get the picture. They are supported by Berlin locals Blood Robots, some sort of all-star HC rock band. Sweet.

Saturday

Pixies live cover night at Schokoladen: The second live cover evening installment this week. Hooray. Everybody loves the Pixies and let's hope some cover bands tonight have made an effort and eaten many donuts in preparation for their Frank Black impersonations.