Modern Baseball hits it out of the park - or at least The Barbary

The last time we caught Modern Baseball - fresh-faced pop/hardcore advocates from Drexel University - in April, they opened a six-hour show headlined by fellow Philadelphians the Wonder Years at the cavernous Electric Factory. That team made getting to a gig at 5 p.m. worthwhile with its hard, fast, sweet songs and yearning, semi-snarky lyrics.

Fast-forward to Sunday, and Modern Baseball headlined two sold-out shows at the far more intimate Barbary with Tiny Moving Parts, the Hotelier, and Sorority Noise.

What's changed about Modern Baseball since? Well, guitarist/vocalist Jake Ewald grew a beard, and brought his dad ("the only guy whaling around Fishtown in a sports jacket"). Ewald's strumming/singing partner Brendan Lukens shaved his hair and played through a bout of pneumonia. This time, drummer Sean Huber was keen to crowd-surf, while bassist Ian Farmer was more apt to add red-faced "oi" choruses.

What hasn't changed - what has stayed steady since Modern Baseball's 2012 album Sports, and this year's You're Gonna Miss It All - is their blunt forcefulness, their determinedly charming quirkiness, and their contagious melodies.

From Ewald and Lukens' co-sung, ticktocking "Broken Cash Machine" to the breezy "Your Graduation," Modern Baseball borrows from emo-pop's godfathers (e.g. Gaslight Anthem) without aping them, or even coming across as particularly sad. This second look, so soon, brought out some elements, such as how the flanged guitars and Ewald's nervous yelp are reminiscent of the Cure's Robert Smith, but never in a grating fashion (Smith should learn that trick). In that regard, Ewald and Lukens, on the likes of "Hours Outside in the Snow," made their emo-tions known - expressed but seldom too indulgent. That's cool reserve. In tunes such as "It's Cold Out Here," "Two Good Things," and "The Weekend," subjects included eating at McDonald's, devising plans for the future, and making sure their objects of affection know they feel the same.

Smashing.