A capsule look at Pittsburgh bands making news.

AYDIN

Band members: Shannon "Pete" Mominee, guitar and vocals; Mark Russell, accordion, vocals; Karen Brooks, drums and vocals.

Sound: Post-shoegazer psychedelic rock with elements of prog, this indie power trio features lead accordion, plenty of E-bow and no bassist. "Our sound is sort of a mish-mash of all these different influences and different instruments," says Brooks.

Band history: Having grown up in Toledo together without ever meeting each other, Mominee and Russell wind up working at the same job here in Pittsburgh, the talk turns to music, and after bonding over shows they'd both attended in Detroit (My Bloody Valentine, Swervedriver, etc.), they start playing music together in July 2001. Before the year is out, they've added Brooks, whose approach is more rooted in punk and bands like Superchunk and Pavement.

The key to accordion rock: "Mark started off playing somewhat traditional style," says Brooks, "but as we've progressed, he's gotten more effects pedals and gotten more into a droning feedback sound."

The band name: Aydin is Turkish for morning light, or enlightenment.

The album: "Space Affects the Spectator" could get a lot of mileage out that accordion. And it probably will. But once the novelty wears off, the music has no trouble standing on its own, an atmospheric wall of sound the band itself describes as "what is thought about while driving 80 mph on the highway with the windows down and the sun warming your body." Either way, you won't confuse it for a Weird Al record.

How breaking bones is all about the timing: Mominee broke his wrist last year when a motorist hit him on his bike the day before he was supposed to lay down his guitar tracks. He's all better now, but Brooks has had to rewrite all her drum parts for the band's release show, having crashed her mountain bike a couple weeks ago. "I kind of broke my leg a little bit," she says.

The release show: 8 p.m. Saturday, Modern Formations, Garfield, with Black Crash and Autumn Thieves.

THIS SIDE OF EVE

Members: Alyssa Creasy, the voice of a honky-tonk angel, piano and organ, beats; John Creasy, lead guitar, lap steel and digital programming; Bill Adams, guitar, some vocals, mandolin and Bluebelles-esque harmonica on "May"; Chris Hilf, bass; and Ian White, drums and programming.

The sound: Despite occasional forays into what's sure to be referred to as folktronica, This Side of Eve is all about Americana, from country to folk, and blessed with gorgeous female vocals perfect for this kind of music.

Checkered past: The Creasys were once part of Pittsburgh's ska-revival scene with The Toniks.

The album: "Can't Make Out the Stars," a sophomore effort you wouldn't believe was recorded at home on a Powerbook laptop. Their previous effort, "Aching From Wanting More," was a favorite of WYEP, where it made the list of Top 10 local efforts of 2003. And several of the highlights here -- from the alt-country pop of the opener, "May," to the melancholy ache of "These Streets Alone" (the folktronica song) -- sound ripe for airplay on stations like WYEP from here to, well, just about anywhere.

The release party: Tonight at 8 p.m. at Garfield Artworks, 4931 Penn Ave, with Sweden's Cake on Cake and The Leonard Cohen Ensemble One, a local band that does not feature Leonard Cohen. All ages welcome. Admission $6.