THURSDAY 1/19

INXS, LOVEHAMMERS
(Paramount) Okay, so let's imagine for a terrible minute that Mick Jagger kills himself. The Rolling Stones and all their fans are devastated. Could you imagine the band doing a nationwide search—on a reality TV show—for a new singer years and years later, and then taking that new dude on tour? INXS are no Rolling Stones—they're a band that made some great hits 20 some years ago—who are now repeating on you like some bad indigestion. JENNIFER MAERZ

AMBER PACIFIC, THE LASHES, PARAMORE
(Neumo's) The Lashes signed to Columbia over a year ago, and they've had to wait, wait, and wait to release their full-length record. In the meantime they've been touring (most recently down the West Coast with the Divorce) and playing local shows with just the one release, The Stupid Stupid EP, under their belts. The wait is finally over soon, though, as a February 21 date has been set for the full-length debut release. Titled Get It, the album is dripping with keyboard-heavy power pop and catchy hooks, which should be in ample supply for tonight's show at Neumo's. MEGAN SELING

LICK W/DJS NICE JEWISH BOY, MASTER STAN, FAGOLIS, SAPPHO, LISA ORTH, MATHMATIX
(Chop Suey) The lusty and debauched ambience of Lick is always a dirty pleasure, but this month's installment has a few added incentives. The Gossip's Master Stan is returning to the decks after a long absence and the freakishly creative Lisa Orth will also be on hand to lubricate the lascivious dance moves of the hard-drinking crowd. The evening also marks the Lick debut of newcomer DJ Mathmatix, a recent East Coast transplant who has already attracted a following, thanks to her stellar sets at Fascinator and Cherry earlier this month. HANNAH LEVIN

FRIDAY 1/20

DAYLIGHT BASEMENT, THE PALE PACIFIC, THE ELEPHANTS, STARS OF TRACK & FIELD
(Neumo's) The illuminating and fabulous Three Imaginary Girls (www.threeimaginarygirls.com) marked the end of 2005 by conducting their annual poll of the Northwest's best new releases. Thousands of votes poured in, hundreds of bands received nods, and tonight's show is a winners' showcase featuring some of the favorites, including the Elephants, Stars of Track & Field, the Pale Pacific (formerly the Pale), and Daylight Basement. The full list of the top 100 can be viewed at TIGs' website, complete with links to buy the records in case your personal collection is lacking. MEGAN SELING

THE GRAVES, THE STARES, THE SEA NAVY
(SS Marie Antoinette) Many modern purveyors of orchestral pop tend to get bitten by the kitsch bug or get drunk off the bombastic power of a fully armed string section. Not so with the Stares, whose admirable self-restraint and deep satchel of influences accumulate into music as subtle as it is beautiful. Their album, Spine to Sea, released earlier this year on the esoteric Mimicry label, is a luscious affair that conjures images of an imaginary summit between Low and the High Llamas. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but I couldn't picture a better soundtrack for a hazy winter's night. JOSH BLANCHARD

LAKE TROUT, BENZOS, VIVA K
(Crocodile) While their impressive evolution has taken them to the far reaches of the jam-band atmosphere, Lake Trout remain tethered to that scene's essential aphorism: "You gotta see 'em live." Not that their studio efforts lack inspiration: Last year's Not Them, You memorably merged organic jazz with out-there atmospherics. But this virtuosic rhythm section (Michael Lowry and James Griffith on drum and bass) must be witnessed in person. Otherwise, unbelieving ears automatically attribute their unreal grooves to electronic enhancements. Ed Harris's chiming guitar leads (like the Edge, if U2 abandoned pop-chart pretensions) also benefit from the stage's free-range dynamics. ANDREW MILLER

INVISIBLE EYES, LOVE DRUNKS, APE CITY R&B
(Funhouse) Bomp/Alive has recently released some of the most crazed garage wreckers out there. Invisible Eyes pound out a similar swill to labelmates the Black Lips—if slightly less destructo, slightly more psych-out. Echoed vocals and relentless Farfisa organ cavort atop punk-slop architecture. Though laying no new foundation, they do add some sleazy slink and short instrumentals to quake the base. Georgia's Love Drunks' silly name begets a seriously raw blues stomp 'n' howl—à la the Bassholes and/or all the others—and their music adds a worthy shovelful to the pile. ERIC DAVIDSON

SATURDAY 1/21

JAZZANOVA
(Baltic Room) See preview, page 33.

THE DIVORCE, SUPERDELUXE, THE CONVERSATION HEART, YOUNG SPORTSMEN
(Kirkland Teen Center) See All Ages Action, page 49.

TRANSMISSIONARY 6
(Georgetown Records) See Border Radio, page 41.

THE RETURN OF E, CRACKERBASH, RAZREZ, WORMS
(Crocodile) Rock History 101 will forever romanticize Seattle's grunge explosion, but less discussed is how that particular big bang triggered a chain reaction of smaller bangs in cities throughout the country, including neighboring Portland. Crackerbash, while more overlooked in the grand scheme of things than P-Town scene-mates like Hazel or the dreaded Everclear, were certainly just as vital, crackling with staggered riffs and vein-popping fervor. Well guess what, they're back! Not for long though, so if you feel like waxing nostalgic or simply checking out a great punk band, your window of opportunity is now. JOSH BLANCHARD

LESBIAN UTOPIA: JD OF LE TIGRE (DJ SET), DJ FUCKING IN THE STREETS, DJ FAGOLAS, SPECIAL GUEST
(Chop Suey) In 2006, lesbian utopias include men. Or at least that's the vibe at this show, which includes a dude on the decks (DJ FITS) opening for JD, she of the electrifying live act Le Tigre. Tonight, JD shows where her inspiration comes from as she spins the lusty ladies of Seattle onto the dance floor from behind the turntables. JENNIFER MAERZ

SOUND TRIBE SECTOR 9
(Showbox) Jam bands that dabble in electronic music—be it drum 'n' bass, hiphop, house, etc.—are a growing industry. Despite being ignored by major labels and most radio/press outlets, they play massive venues, help to pack festivals like Bonnaroo, and capture the minds of progressive Deadheads looking for the next trip-enhancing sonic thrill. Sound Tribe Sector 9 have benefited from this development. Their epic instrumentals sound like a blissed-out amalgam of early Orb atmospheres and Phish-meets-Pat-Metheny guitar peregrinations. It's a lush, green, synaesthetic soundtrack for dreadlocked herbalizers for whom the number 420 triggers Pavlovian love buzzes. DAVE SEGAL

SUNDAY 1/22

CLUB POP W/ROMANCE, JOEY CASIO, DJS COLBY B, FUCKING IN THE STREETS, PACO
(Chop Suey) Seattle band Romance erupt on their debut full-length, When Things Are Better, sputtering and grinding their way through an all-out dance-indie-post-punk extravaganza. The album is as dark as it is insistent; frontman Drew Jackson's unrelenting stream of near-apocalyptic vocals harks back to the era of the delightfully lurid dance floor like nothing since "Temple of Love." DANA BOS

MONDAY 1/23

NILE, HYPOCRISY, SOILENT GREEN, RAGING SPEEDHORN, WITH PASSION
(El Corazón) Like most metal outfits, Soilent Green obsess about mortality, but their history gives their songs a gravity few groups can match. In 2001, Soilent Green survived a van wreck that left two members with broken bones. A few months later, another accident occurred, after which singer Benjamin Falgoust II required several surgeries. The New Orleans–based band emerged with a triumphant album, 2005's Confrontation, only to see Hurricane Katrina devastate their hometown during their comeback tour. Soilent Green alternate swamp-sludge grooves with intense blast-beat sprints, conjuring the entirely apt image of a resilient animal plodding through tar-thick territory and emerging undaunted. ANDREW MILLER

THE ABODOX
(Bad Juju Lounge) Continuing the string of free shows in the Bad Juju Lounge, Neumo's is presenting the brutal sonic havoc of the Abodox tonight. This trio turn metal, grind, and punk into one bruised-black-and-blue combination, and there's plenty of joy in witnessing them perform this fete live. JENNIFER MAERZ

TUESDAY 1/24

THE ELECTED, FUTURE PIGEON
(Crocodile) The late Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes angrily challenged her TLC bandmates to issue simultaneous solo records. That showdown never materialized, but without apparent animosity, Rilo Kiley singer/songwriters Jenny Lewis and Blake Sennett have revived the concept with a shared January 24 release date. Sennett's group the Elected score the best single with "Would You Come with Me," a pop tune so timeless in its perfection that when its hooks inevitably surface in listeners' heads hours after initial exposure, they'll dismiss the possibility of the irresistible melody being a recent discovery and start scanning their memories for oldies-station favorites. ANDREW MILLER

HEAD AUTOMATICA, MORNINGWOOD, ROCK KILLS KID
(El Corazón) Cute girl singer, musician vets (including a former Wallflower), flown to London to record their debut—Brooklyn band Morningwood loudly smack of connections and contrivance. But they also scream unapologetic pop from the first song: "C'mon get over it, c'mon get into it!" Like some post–Karen O Primitives, it's all gumball riffs, semi-successful straddling of the campy/dummy line, with disco chrome accents, and occasional AC/DC certitude. No doubt $3 bin fodder three years from now (as their great video recognizes), but a good shot of power pop before you go back to slogging your indie-accredited Pabst. ERIC DAVIDSON

WEDNESDAY 1/25

low budget
(War Room) See preview, page 33.

MAD PROFESSOR AND THE ARIWA POSSE, NUFFSED
(Chop Suey) See preview, page 35.

COLDPLAY, FIONA APPLE
(KeyArena) Bless me Father, for I have sinned. I like the band Coldplay. I know they're a very safe band beloved by both mothers and frat boys alike, and I know some have even classified them as (sigh) adult contemporary, but Chris Martin has a very pretty voice and he plays the piano. I like boys who play the piano. The lyrics are sorta typical, yes, but the band stands up for good causes (like www.maketradefair.com) and they put on a tight, impressive live show (while Martin hops around the stage like a whacked out little elf, it's hilarious!). Please, Father, have mercy on my soul, have mercy on me, the sinner. MEGAN SELING