THURSDAY 5/26

KIM HIORTHOY, MERCIR, FOSCIL, TALKDEMONIC

(Chop Suey) See Data Breaker, page 49.

BLACK HORSE, LEE RUDE AND THE TRAINWRECKS, J. TILLMAN, SERA CAHOONE

(Neumo's) See preview, page 39.

THE VALLEY, ALTA MAY, BEAUTIFUL MOTHERS

(Crocodile) On their debut self-titled record, local outfit the Valley make a lot of crunchy, heavy noise. It's like '90s punk rock heroes Face to Face with the unpolished, gritty feel of garage rock. Or like the dirty poppiness of Peter Parker (their more epic later stuff, anyways) but with a badass attitude. And on "Kiss, Hugs, and Prescription Drugs," they have a cowbell! Who doesn't love cowbell?! MEGAN SELING

LESBIAN, BONUS

(Rendezvous) Seattle duo Bonus (featuring Stranger intern Scott Goodwin) use primitive electronic gear to conjure a hypothetical alternative soundtrack to Eraserhead. The tracks on their Enronhubbard CD-R evoke the bleak, post-industrial wasteland and monochromatic sense of despair of David Lynch's 1977 masterpiece. These beatless pieces possess a burrowing intensity and subtly sinister aura that will appeal to heads seeking abstract, alienating tones that are totally radio unfriendly. I know you're out there. DAVE SEGAL

FRIDAY 5/27

OF MONTREAL, IQU, KANDA

(Chop Suey) See preview, page 36.

THE DEARS, THE SHOUT OUT LOUDS, MAJORIE FAIR

(Crocodile) Swedish noise popsters Shout Out Louds don't so much embark on an opening track as they explode, sending sugarcoated shrapnel and glittery instrumental confetti through the speakers like a blasted birthday-party piñata. "The Comeback," the first track on the band's full-length debut, Howl Howl Gaff Gaff, lifts the listener into a stratosphere of fluffy guitar buzz, sky-high melodies, and Moog hooks that launch the band far above the mundane relationship blues frontman Adam Olenius describes back down on Earth. From there, the band keep their heads in the clouds, using occasional strings and cymbal hits, rousing harmonies, and a fleet-footed pace to move through an impressive sound that touches on everything from girl-group confections (matching peers like the Concretes) to the full heart-popping energy of the Arcade Fire and the innocent wonderment of the Flaming Lips. It's an impressive feat for a first album, a record that's hermetically sealed with hits, every song soaring as grandly as the last. Howl Howl is a record for all the pop romantics out there (especially "Oh, Sweetheart")-a springtime respite from self-pity and a heart-first jump into love. Whether those feelings of adoration occur in a musical or physical plane is, of course, your choice. JENNIFER MAERZ See also Stranger Suggests, page 19.

THE CRYSTAL METHOD, SEAN MAJORS, SANDMAN

(Element) See Data Breaker, page 49.

DUBTRIBE SOUND SYSTEM

(Trinity) See Data Breaker, page 49.

LAHAR, SINKING SHIPS, MURDOCK, SHOOK ONES, WAIT IN VAIN

(Paradox) See All Ages Action, page 51.

SCHOOLYARD HEROES, THE RUBY DOE, AUTUMN POETRY, THE LONELY H

(Old Fire House) See All Ages Action, page 51.

IRON LUNG, ARABELLA, OHUZARU, SEAN

(Lobo Saloon) Iron Lung might be the loudest band in Seattle. While there's been no shortage of groups in the Northwest heavy music tradition to hold this title in the last 20 years, Iron Lung have a lot more to do with the California power violence sound typified by labels like 625 and Slap A Ham than most acts that arise out of the Seattle area organically. Indeed, these Reno transplants have been welcomed into the fold by throwing the fuck down with a pummeling presence that stops on a dime. Anytime a hardcore punk duo can physically shake the room around you with their music, it is worth it to take note. SCOTT GOODWIN

THE MAKERS, THE NICE BOYS, NO-FI SOUL REBELLION

(Neumo's) Before there was this whole MTV-coiffed "return to the rock" shtick, there were the Makers, bad boys from Spokane roughing it up retro style. Led by Prince's evil twin, Mike Maker, the band has run the gamut of garage styles over the years-from the fisticuffs-punk anthem to the sensitive-rebel ballad. Kill Rock Stars plans to release the next Makers sound incarnation in August-featuring the happy Maker family of Mike, Jamie, Donny, and Tim, plus new drummer Aaron Saye. The new record, Everybody Rise, is a little slower in its boogie rock/pop style than some of their past stuff, but the glam influence still shines strong. JENNIFER MAERZ

RACETRACK, SO MANY DYNAMOS, DUTCH ELMS, SURETOSS

(SS Marie Antoinette) It's so nice to discover that the catchy little Superchunky pop-punk record you liked so much when it came out has not only hung around the top of your CD stack, but revealed layer after layer of emotional depth in the seemingly simple constructions. I heard the title song, "City Lights," on a particularly fraught afternoon recently and had to wipe away tears. Maybe that's just my own fragile psyche talking, but I'm starting to think of Racetrack as the best band of its kind in the whole world. SEAN NELSON

SATURDAY 5/28

SASQUATCH: PIXIES, MODEST MOUSE, KANYE WEST, WILCO, THE ARCADE FIRE, U.S.E, THE FRAMES, AND MANY MORE

(The Gorge) See preview page 35.

DINO FELIPE, FINESSE & RUNWAY, SAMOS, GREG JASPAN

(CHAC Lower Level) See Data Breaker, page 49.

CARIBOU, JUNIOR BOYS, RUSSIAN FUTURISTS

(Chop Suey) See preview, page 38.

POST STARDOM DEPRESSION, KUMA, THE ROTTEN APPLES

(Crocodile) See Live Wire, page 41.

MAHJONGG, THE MOON RATS, BULLION BROTHERS

(Rendezvous) See Stranger Suggests, page 19.

SNOOP DOGG, THE GAME

(White River) See preview, page 35.

SUNDAY 5/29

TIM SEELY, PILLOWFIGHTER, JOHN GUILT

(Tractor) Tim Seely, late of local favorites Willis and too-well-kept secrets Actual Tigers, has been through more career frustrations than most musicians twice his age. Luckily, it hasn't dimmed the power of his songwriting, which keeps getting more open and beautiful. "John Guilt" is a New Yorker named Andy who writes and records spare, smart, indie-folkish songs that should fit nicely alongside Seely's work. I saw him play in Germany once. He was really good. SEAN NELSON

HIPSTERS & FAGS

(Chop Suey) Why they don't just call this night "Pike/Pine Corridor" escapes me. Isn't every new night on the Hill hipsters and fags (and featuring DJ Fucking in the Streets)? That said, though, this event promises more than your typical dance party (although FITS will be behind the turntables, along with Freddy King of Pants). H&S is a karaoke gong-show kinda thing, judged by the classic Capitol Hill comedian Kim Warnick and J Clark from Pretty Girls. White belts and jazz hands optional, but a sense of humor is definitely required. JENNIFER MAERZ

M-SET, THE BROADCAST DEBUT, DOPE SMOOTHIE, THE ROYAL BLISS

(Neumo's) Friends of skateboarder Daniel Johnson can help raise money for his medical bills at tonight's show. Johnson, 28, has survived a serious skateboarding accident, a resulting coma, and brain surgery, and has been in intense physical therapy over the past five months. He's still unable to work, so his sister and Neumo's joined together to hold this benefit in his honor. JENNIFER MAERZ

MONDAY 5/30

ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI, STILL FLYIN, ARGO

(Chop Suey) Are you as tired of all these Australian octets as I am? I kid, I kid. Bearing a name that's as unwieldy as their list of instruments (a flow chart to depict their usage is included on their new CD), Architecture in Helsinki are part of the new crop of ambitious indie rockers who have heeded the advice of Camera Obscura's Underachievers Please Try Harder. On In Case We Die (Bar/None), AIH craft effusive, ornate pop that possesses the multi-gendered melodic loop-de-loopiness of Fiery Furnaces, albeit with a more wacky, cutesy twist. So while AIH sometimes verge on grating tweeness like Of Montreal, they deserve respect for their willingness to transcend business-as-usual indie-rock conservatism. DAVE SEGAL

FINCH, VENDETTA RED, REEVE OLIVER, NURSES

(El Corazón) Local boys Vendetta Red completed a new record, Sisters of the Red Death, which should be out this summer. It's a big, glossily produced album of turbulent, radio-friendly rock, featuring the soft/loud dynamics and scream-to-a-sigh vocal style that keep these guys constantly on the road with bands like Finch and A Static Lullaby. JENNIFER MAERZ

RAIN CITY SHWILLERS, RAT CITY RUCKUS, EVERYTHING IN RUINS, BLANK ITS, THE FOXX, COMPASSION IN ACTION, GUESTS

(Fun House) The world's a moonage daydream for Albuquerque act the Foxx, who are studious followers of the Thin White Duke on their four-song debut. Listening to tracks like "Come to Japan," you can almost see the glitter flying off the drum kit with every star-strutting beat and imagine the eyeliner and platforms lining the dressing room. Male/female vocalists mix things up a bit, and there are plenty of pop hooks to be found in this band's garage aesthetic. They're playing the Funhouse on day three of the bar's annual Punklife fest (a play on the nearby Folklife); the fun starts at 1:00 p.m., featuring both local and touring bands. JENNIFER MAERZ

TUESDAY 5/31

SLEATER-KINNEY, MARY TIMONY

(Moore) See preview, page 29.

BOOM BIP, THE FOG, VELELLA VELELLA

(Chop Suey) Minnesota band the Fog record for rad UK hiphop label Lex, but their music is more like rickety-rhythmed indie pop than anything you'll hear on Def Jam or Def Jux. The off-key vocals and shambling instrumentation are damned annoying; it's a wonder they don't get laughed off every stage they darken. Much better is Boom Bip (Bryan Hollon), a producer in the RJD2/DJ Shadow vein who's threading psychedelic- and progressive-rock DNA into hiphop's genetic makeup. Señor Bip has issued three strong, strange albums since 2000, culminating in this year's incandescently beautiful Blue Eyed in the Red Room (Lex). Boom Bip has a massive record collection and he knows what to do with it, but he also excels at collaborating with live musicians on this opus, which was inspired by his move from Ohio to California. DAVE SEGAL

WEDNESDAY 6/1

OCS, ERIC LANDMARK & NATE DENVER, TRES FEROCIOUS

(Gallery 1412) See Stranger Suggests, page 19.

MORE

AQUALUNG: Fri June 3, Showbox

ENDFEST-SOCIAL DISTORTION, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, INTERPOL, HOT HOT HEAT, STEREOPHONICS, THE BRAVERY, ASH, KAISER CHIEFS, THE CAESARS, KASABIAN, TEGAN AND SARA, GUESTS: Sat June 4, White River Amphitheatre

TERROR, COMEBACK KID, MODERN LIFE IS WAR, SINAI BEACH: Wed June 8, El Corazón

THE DIVORCE, THE CATCH, DOLOUR, WHITE GOLD: Fri June 10, Crocodile

BUILT TO SPILL, CARS SCARS, APE SHAPE: Thurs June 16, Showbox

BUILT TO SPILL, SEAWORTHY: Fri June 17, Showbox

EELS: Fri June 17, Moore Theatre

BANE, EVERGREEN TERRACE, CURSED, VERSE: Sat June 25, El Corazón

BILLY IDOL: Mon July 11, the Paramount

SOUNDS OF THE UNDERGROUND-GWAR, LAMB OF GOD, MADBALL, UNEARTH, EVERY TIME I DIE, GUESTS: Mon July 25, Qwest Field

MÖTLEY CRÜE, SUM 41, THE EXIES, SILVERTIDE: Sat July 30, White River Amphitheatre

OASIS, JET, KASABIAN: Fri Sept 9, Everett Events Center