Monotonix taking minimalist to max

As Sacha Baron Cohen in his Borat character might say, the backstory on Tel Aviv's Monotonix is "very nize." American indie-rock act Silver Jews discovered them while touring Israel and steered the garage-rockers to their home label, Drag City. Mono's just-released debut album,

Where Were You When It Happened?

, ensued. Mazel.

The sweaty reality, however, of this very hairy, shirtless Israeli trio in concert - as they were Sunday night at the First Unitarian Church - is far more sublime. Justifiably hailed as a top live band, Monotonix's ultra-minimalist approach allows maximum audience engagement. Drummer Haggai Fershtman (who indeed resembles a longer-haired Baron Cohen) lets the frenzied crowd move his kit around the floor every few songs; guitarist Yonatan Gat keeps spilling Blue Cheer/Deep Purple riffage; and charismatic fortysomething Ami Shalev parades around on mike, howling, chatting, inciting.

It was freewheeling, near-improv rock until late in the 40-minute set, when Shalev spontaneously launched into Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog" in accented English. Beautiful.

Nashville rock-and-roll power trio Turbo Fruits turned in an invigorating 10-tune blast of vocal hooks and blues-bruised chops. Fronted by singer-guitarist Jonas Stein (formerly of Tennessee teen buzz-band Be Your Own Pet), TF (featured in the new movie Whip It!) highlighted their Echo Kid album, including the irresistible single "Mama's Mad Cos I Fried My Brain." They closed with a zippy Southern-spun take on "Teenage Kicks," the deathless 1978 proto-pop-punk classic by Northern Ireland's Undertones.

U.S. Girls, featuring West Philly's microphone-wielding Megan Remy kneeling onstage over her red suitcase full of electro-gear, produced a compelling quarter-hour of purposeful noise. She vocalized quite melodically under the manipulated sonic layers, particularly on covers of a 1966 B.J. Thomas track, "I Don't Have a Mind of My Own" and 1961 Dick and Dee Dee hit "The Mountain's High," both on her forthcoming second album for internationally revered Philly imprint Siltbreeze.

The promising My Mind, another Philadelphia band on a local label (Badmaster), opened with some fine Kinks-influenced fare (their five-night Philly mini-tour concludes tonight at the M Room). Their satisfying dozen-minute stint offered sharp, short songs and the multi-part finale "De Gustibus Non Est Disputandum" - a Latin maxim meaning, essentially, one's tastes are subjective, beyond dispute. Veritas, truly.