Jack "Drag" Dragonetti's production of the new Francine album, 28
Plastic Blue Versions of Endings Without You (Q Division), added enough electronic
embellishment that the band went out and hired Baby Ray's Paul Simonoff as a
full-time keyboardist. It's a great leap forward for the band, and not just
because of the keyboards: they've traded their sturdy Pavementisms for a broader
palette that encompasses 21st-century tropicália ("Inside Joke"),
bipolar bubblegum synth-pop ("NASCAR"), and fragile, reeling-twilight
bum-outs ("Novelty"). In short, it's their Revolver. Both contemporary
and artsy, it'll get a CD-release party tonight -- not in a dingy basement but
at the Institute of Contemporary Art, 955 Boylston Street. Hello Attack opens;
doors are at 8. Tickets are $12, and it's an all-ages show; call (617) 266-5152.