THURSDAY 10/12

UNEXPECTED ARRIVAL, D. BLACK, BYRDIE, GRYNCH, RUBIO, H.D.
(Chop Suey) Seattle's own Unexpected Arrival (AKA Neema Khorrami and company) is nothing if not prolific. With five records in six years, hosting honors at Method Man's Showbox date, and a two-night, headlining stint at Chop Suey (celebrating sales of 10,000-plus for Neema's latest, My Life for Sale), UA solidify their reign as one of the most popular, commercially viable acts in NW hiphop. Their very East Coast, radio-ready style provides fuel for the hateration, but serves well as coming-of-age music for legions of kids who grew up on Jay-Z. MA'CHELL DUMA LAVASSAR

JOSEPH ARTHUR, ANNIE STELA
(Crocodile) See Rocka Rolla, page 54.

THE KILLERS
(Paramount) There's no darkness on the edge of Sam's Town despite the Killers' best effort. Brandon Flowers simply lacks the lyrical chops to pull off the Boss's working-class narratives; where Springsteen universalized tales of unrealized industrial-age dreams, Flowers can only pepper his journal-entry generalities with the occasional "hurricane," "back road," or "thunder" in an attempt to signify dramatic, blue-collar grit. The group does an occasionally passable imitation of the E Street Band, such as on the sweeping choruses of "When You Were Young," but all the anthemic backing in the world can't lend gravity to Flowers's flimsy songwriting. ERIC GRANDY

HOMEROOM: NO-FI SOUL REBELLION, THE PHARMACY, PARIS SPLEEN
(Richard Hugo House) For about the past eight months, Homeroom (founded by Rusty Stuver and Frank "DJ Paco" Cardoza) has been bringing great monthly all-ages shows to Capitol Hill's Richard Hugo House. Some pretty impressive local talent has been booked in the past—including Mikaela's Fiend, the Abodox, White Gold, and Coconut Coolouts—and this month's installment is yet another triumph of awesome proportion with No-Fi Soul Rebellion, the Pharmacy, and Paris Spleen on the bill. MEGAN SELING

FRIDAY 10/13

THE BLOOD BROTHERS, MIKAELA'S FIEND
(Old Fire House) See preview, page 43.

UNEXPECTED ARRIVAL, PARKER BROTHERS, COOL NUTZ, MR D.O.G., FUTURISTIC, STRE LOC AND 51 OF UTI
(Chop Suey) See Thursday's preview.

THE TRIPWIRES, PRESS CORPS, YOUNG SPORTSMEN, THE NEAT
(Comet) See Rocka Rolla, page 54.

UNCLE EARL, CROOKED STILL, ABIGAIL WASHBURN, DJ TOM LG
(Tractor) See Border Radio, page 56.

CALIFONE, THE HEAVENLY STATES
(Triple Door) See preview, page 45.

BOB DYLAN
(KeyArena) I saw Bob in Texas last April with Merle Haggard opening. This stellar booking proved a study in the contradictions of the aging legends. Haggard delivered a people-pleasing, straightforward set of "as recorded" hits. Dylan played with his back to the mystified, hungry crowd, occupying the role of inconspicuous organ player (joint problems prevent him from playing guitar in live performance any more) in the tightest boogie-woogie band ever heard. XM Radio may be paying Dylan's mortgage as of late, but those seriously countrified renditions of back-catalog classics showcase the man's brilliant, career-long refusal to spoon-feed his art to the masses. MA'CHELL DUMA LAVASSAR

LADYTRON
(Showbox) I love Ladytron, don't get me wrong, but their live shows can be about as thrilling as watching grass grow. Perhaps they need to land themselves a Red Bull sponsorship—or at least start doing calisthenics before they take the stage. For a band of vixen electronic queens who purvey some of the genre's strongest offerings, they are simply far too sleepy. Look alive, ladies! HANNAH LEVIN

THE COPS, ICEAGE COBRA, THEE EMERGENCY, THE SLATS
(Sunset) See Rocka Rolla, page 54.

SATURDAY 10/14

THE INTELLIGENCE, PARTMAN PARTHORSE, THE FATIGUES
(Comet) If I had my way, I'd be in three places at once tonight: the Heavy Hearts show in Tacoma, Bobby Bare Jr. at Neumo's, and at the Comet for this sure-to-be-chaotic three-way of some of my favorite Seattle punk bands. The Fatigues play with plenty of old-school abandon and aggression, but with a pleasing spike of black-humored, antiwar sentiment. The Intelligence and Partman Parthorse are perfectly paired misfits who share petulant attitudes, unhinged delivery and spastic song structures that make it impossible to stand still. HANNAH LEVIN

THE DIVORCE, THE HEAVY HEARTS, ALLIGATORS, TEX
(Hell's Kitchen, early) I'll give you a little credit and assume you're familiar with the Divorce's catchy new wave—influenced rock and roll, but maybe the Heavy Hearts moniker on the bill is foreign to you? Well, the Heavy Hearts have been compared to Mclusky and the Pixies, and those claims aren't far off, what with their stabbing guitars and jarring compositions of urgent and loud post-punk. It's good, and though I haven't witnessed it myself, it's said to be even better live. And should you want to take a souvenir home after witnessing their sonic assault, Heavy Hearts have just released a self-titled EP on Swingline Records, which should fit nicely between your Mudhoney and HĂŒsker DĂŒ records. MEGAN SELING

MATH AND PHYSICS CLUB, BOAT, THE SEAWORTHIES
(Sunset) This week, Math and Physics Club release their debut full-length, a self-titled collection of songs that are blatantly wistful and romantic. Think Belle & Sebastian; think lyrics about croquet and rain; sure, it's sissy, but it's pretty, too. And there's plenty of opportunities to hear them this weekend—they're performing live on KEXP Friday afternoon, on Saturday they're at Sonic Boom in Ballard at 6:00 p.m., and later Saturday evening, they have a show at the Sunset with Boat (yay!) and the Seaworthies. Swoon away, my delicate, pop-loving children. MEGAN SELING

BOBBY BARE JR, TIM SEELY
(Neumo's) See CD review, page 51.

ICEAGE COBRA, MS. LED, SCARLET ROOM, BAD LOVE SESSIONS
(Paradox) See Rocka Rolla, page 54.

SUNDAY 10/15

ARCHIE BRONSON OUTFIT, THE BLAKES, THE HARBORRATS
(Crocodile) London trio Archie Bronson Outfit's sophomore disc, Derdang Derdang (Domino Records), bristles with tight, spiky postpunk salvos capped with Sam Windett's strained, sensitive bloke-ish vox. ABO's songs are clenched anthems that exert a tension between introversion and extroversion. It's as if the band's trying to rein in its explosive angst and the struggle to do so results in exhilaratingly slashing rock 'n' roll. Thankfully, ABO also possess a deft touch with ballads. They make one proud to be an Anglophile. DAVE SEGAL

3 INCHES OF BLOOD, EARLY MAN, GUESTS
(Hell's Kitchen, early) See Rocka Rolla, page 54.

SUFJAN STEVENS
(Paramount) The moment Sufjan Stevens released his album Illinois, the world went crazy for him. Everyone loved the motherfucker! The lushly orchestrated record (flaunting a banjo, chimes, an accordion, a glockenspiel, a church organ, a Wurlitzer, and many more noisy little toys) was like Bright Eyes, but happy and romantic. People couldn't get enough of him and his exhaustingly long song titles (the longest is somewhere around 50 words). He was even name-dropped in a new Snow Patrol song, "Hands Open"—"Put Sufjan Stevens on/and we'll play your favorite song..." Sometimes gimmicks work, and for Stevens, it absolutely did. MEGAN SELING

YO LA TENGO, WHY?
(Showbox) Aside from the childish thrill of its brilliant title, I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass may end up being the definitive Yo La Tengo album (rivaled only by I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One)—an oddly latent feat for a band that's been together 22 years. Returning to distinctly noisier territory, Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley, and James McNew approach their new material with a frightfully intelligent sense of discipline, but still allow room for the unpredictable detours for which their loyal fans love them. From grand orchestral accompaniments to more introspective, loop-driven drone, Hoboken's finest have embraced their honest eclecticisms with praiseworthy results. HANNAH LEVIN

MONDAY 10/16

JUDE, DOWNPILOT
(Tractor) If you haven't had the pleasure of catching Downpilot, tonight is an excellent opportunity to enjoy a low-key set (it is Monday, after all) from the band that released one of my favorite local records this year (Like You Believe It on Roslyn Recordings). Frontman Paul Hiraga is a delightfully committed performer, imbuing his songs with graceful zeal and visceral joy that echoes the finest moments of like-minded artists such as Matthew Sweet or Hiraga's pal Ian Moore. HANNAH LEVIN

KASABIAN, MEW, ONE THOUSAND PICTURES
(Neumo's) Danish band Mew craft dreamy shoegaze in the vein of M83 and My Bloody Valentine, with just a hint of Gibbardian vocals. They have one of the year's best hooks in the soaring, crystalline chorus of "The Zookeeper's Boy," and the rest of their album, And the Glass Handed Kites, nearly lives up to that track's promise, with songs full of delicate, fey pop and moments of unabashed orchestral grandeur. ERIC GRANDY

TUESDAY 10/17

BEIRUT, A HAWK AND A HACKSAW, ANIMAL HOSPITAL
(Crocodile) See preview, page 43.

SECRET MACHINES
(Showbox) See Stranger Suggests, page 31.

SSM, AUTOLITE STRIKE, OSCAR'S MAD
(Sunset) Avant-garage rock from Detroit—the phrase should cause tingles of excitement in those so over the White Stripes and the Black Keys. And that descriptor thoroughly applies to SSM, who have cut a self-titled debut album for Alive Records that juts out at weird angles and warps and wobbles in peculiar ways. These 13 nuggets would blow Lenny Kaye's mind and yours probably would stand a good chance of tilting off its axis, too. DAVE SEGAL

SLIM CESSNA'S AUTO CLUB, THE BAD THINGS, DJ TOM LG
(Tractor) See preview, page 47.

WEDNESDAY 10/18

ZION I WITH THE GROUCH (Living Legends), HANGAR 18 (def Jux), DEUCE ECLIPSE, BICASSO, DJ ICE WATER
(Chop Suey) After the bullshit beef between East and West Coast artists in the late '90s, it was the parallel indie-rap boom that brought a measure of real nationwide unity to hiphop, via the acts' tireless tour schedule. The Grouch's Living Legends crew, Minneapolis' Rhymesayers, and the NYC artists that would become the Definitive Jux roster built the rap underground of today that seems now to be hiphop's only remaining viable commercial model: online promotion, tour, slang merch, repeat. Come bless the show and play your part. LARRY MIZELL JR.

ELECTRIC SIX, ABERDEEN CITY, THE BLUE VAN
(Neumo's) When disco and metal collide, hilarity typically ensues. Detroit wise guys Electric Six have been proving this axiom for a decade. Now toiling for industrial label Metropolis—an aptly ludicrous situation for such an absurd group—Electric Six are touring in support of their third album, Switzerland. What little I've heard of the disc sounds like Ween covering Andrew W.K.—so no drastic change from previous E6 albums Fire and Señor Smoke. Ultimately, Electric Six make irony rock so hard that it collapses into painful sincerity. DAVE SEGAL

MICKEY AVALON, THE SATURDAY KNIGHTS, B-SHORTY
(High Dive) [Brrring, brrring] "Hello?" "Is this Barfly from the Saturday Knights?" "Who wants to know?" "It's Kelly O. Hey, what's new with you guys?" "Fresh outta rehab—ready to record our worst record yet." "You have a show next Wednesday?" "Yeah, at the High Dive with Mickey Avalon." "What's with that guy?" "Shiiit... take T. Rex's semen out of cold storage, hatch it outta one of Peaches' rotten eggs, read the little fucker Mötley CrĂŒe's The Dirt every night as a bedtime story, substitute Jim Carroll for Jesus as a role model, then tell him rap music is his calling." KELLY O

MORE

GHOSTLAND OBSERVATORY, GUESTS: Thurs Oct 19, Crocodile

THE HOLD STEADY, SEAN NA NA, NEUTRAL BOY: Sat Oct 21, Crocodile

CURSIVE, THE THERMALS, CHIN UP CHIN UP: Fri Oct 20, Neumo's

JELLO BIAFRA: Mon Oct 23, El CorazĂłn

REGINA SPEKTOR: Thurs Oct 26, Moore

BE YOUR OWN PET, AWESOME COLOR, TALL FIRS: Thurs Oct 26, El CorazĂłn

BOUNCING SOULS, STREET DOGS, WHOLE WHEAT BREAD, LEFT ALONE: Sat Oct 28, El CorazĂłn

OZMA, EVERYBODY ELSE: Mon Oct 30, Chop Suey

HAWTHORNE HEIGHTS, RELIENT K, EMERY, PLAIN WHITE T'S, THE SLEEPING: Tues Oct 31, Fenix

KMFDM, COMBICHRIST, BLACK JAPAN: Tues Oct 31, Neumo's

JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS, EAGLES OF DEATH METAL: Wed Nov 1, Showbox

BAND OF HORSES: Sat–Sun Nov 4–5, Showbox

PET SHOP BOYS: Sun Nov 5, Paramount

ALICE IN CHAINS, HURT: Fri Nov 24, Paramount

WOLFMOTHER: Sun Dec 3, Moore

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE, JENNY LEWIS WITH THE WATSON TWINS: Sat Dec 9, KeyArena