Critical 5 Concerts in NYC this week: dance yourself clean, Nov 29 - Dec 2

Okay, okay, so LCD Soundsystem isn't on the list this week, but with a title that fitting to this weeks lineup, we couldn't resist.

Borrowing is what art is all about, is it not? And this week's bands are all about focusing inwardly, inspecting all those small details you maybe wish you could change, and then sweating away your problems cathartically in some seriously rousing music.

Tanlines, 11/29, 6pm at Webster Hall

Critical Mob favorite and Brooklyn duo Tanlines, consisting of Jesse Cohen and Eric Emm, tend to stray from your typical indie rock band venturing a bit more into a synth-pop sound. Their debut album, Mixed Emotions, was just released earlier this year, but they’re already making a name for themselves on both the electronic and the indie circuits. The band has opened several times for The Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas as well as played with Vampire Weekend, The xx, and Yeasayer. They manage to intersperse dance floor pop with simple, contemplative ballads made even more infectious and rousing by Emm’s nasally vocals.

Men Without Hats followed by The Michael Jackson Live Project, 11/30, 6pm and 11pm at Brooklyn Bowl

You can dance if you want to, or you can leave your friends behind, because Men Without Hats is making their way to Brooklyn Bowl this Friday in a spectacular back-to-back show that is followed by the Michael Jackson Live Project. Paired with drinks, fried chicken, and bowling we’re going to bet you won’t need any more friends than that. Always a fan of a throw-back and a good impersonation, we feel a night of bowling that turns into an 80’s dance party is exactly the direction every night should take.  

BK Funk Fest, 11/28 – 12/2, 7pm at Paper Box

Held at the Paper Box in Williamsburg, the first annual BK Funk Fest is a carnival of funk, soul, and sunny vibes spanning four days. Some highlights to check out will be the Connecticut trio The Stepkids with their lush psychedelic funk on Friday and the music legend (and Bronx native) DJ Afrika Bambaataa who pioneered hip hop, and perhaps segments of electro, with his techno-tinged rap on Saturday. Plus check out the horn accomapnied ZoZo Afrobeat, the innovative rap of Sophistafunk.

Moon Taxi, 12/1, 8pm at Bowery Ballroom

Moon Taxi has slowly been coagulating a loyal fan base, selling out clubs and developing a strong grassroots following. They’re a curious blend of ingenuity, lyrical introspection, and wildly stimulating performances, the result is nothing less than evocative. Drawing influence from everyone from Quentin Tarintino and The Beatles to Radiohead and Tom Robbins, their sound encapsulates the layered, torn perspective that lies somewhere beyond those black and white ideas of youth and mortality.

Titus Andronicus, 12/1, 10pm at Maxwell’s or 12/2, 7pm at Webster Hall

As part of their nation-wide tour to promote their third album, Local Business, the Glen Rock, New Jersey indie punk rockers Titus Andronicus will be making another stop in New York City after their record release party in Brooklyn last month. Always attempting to reinvent and expand the breadth of what they are capable of, their show this year is less about flair and more focused on the raw intensity of their performance, and a quality of music that is much more mature than their previous releases. For a band which revolves around lyrical concepts, this new album spins on the axis of despising your own inner workings, whether that is consumerism or addiction, it’s all extremely self-aware. Their live shows tend to exude an intensity and passion behind this melodramatic angst, with Springsteen-like peaks and sing-along choruses.