VHS OR BETA, ANOTHER CYNTHIA, TIGERCITY
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) VHS or Beta have come a long way since the French-inflected instrumental disco of Le Funk; they’re now a full-fledged mainstream pop/rock band similar to the Stills or the Killers, and the Louisville, KY electro-popsters are returning for their third Doug Fir appearance since September. They’re still touring behind last year’s Bring on the Comets, a pleasant, ’80s-skewed pop album that’s equal parts Duran Duran and Simple Minds. Album highlights “Can’t Believe a Single Word” and “Bring on the Comets” are over-inflated but affirming anthems ready-made for the sports arena, and having just come off a Coachella performance, they’ll strive to make the Doug Fir seem larger than life. Sure, the formats of VHS and Betamax are both irrelevant now, but the band’s music is a harmless, danceable nostalgia trip. NL

MP3:
VHS or Beta - Night On Fire