Thursday 7/15
Pigeonhed, Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground
(Neumos) See preview.
Yes
(Snoqualmie Casino) Yes receive a lot of derision from people harboring knee-jerk anti-prog-rock biases. Different strokes and all, but I know a lot of heads with very refined, out-there tastes who love the hell out of them. Yes, Jon Anderson's pretentious, portentous lyrics often ring hollow and it sounds as if he huffed some dodgy helium before stepping to the mic and, yes, the band's frequently long-winded. But! Bassist Chris Squire and guitarist Steve Howe are motherfuckers on their instruments (Squarepusher worships the former), and their rococo excesses are often worth the demands to your beleaguered attention span. Amid the hydra-headed suites, Yes pen some sublime melodies and often execute furiously intricate passages that are the envy of some of your fave underground rockers. And no matter how many times you've heard "Roundabout" on teh classic raydeeoh station, its serpentine grandeurâespecially Squire's monstrously churning riffsânever diminishes. Yes! DAVE SEGAL
Maps & Atlases, Drink Up Buttercup, the Globes
(Vera) Earlier today, I was making fun of bad music writing by referring to it as "lush soundscape" writing. Those two words always seemed to say nothing at all while handily filling up word counts on crappy record reviews. Here's the thing, though: I'm sitting here listening to Maps & Atlases, and I'll be goddamned if the word "soundscape" doesn't apply. There are layers of soundsâguitar loops and drums over buzzes and unidentifiable droning soundsâand they all work together to make something really dense and... well, lush. I can't seem to listen to these songs without those words rolling around in my head over and over again. Lush. Soundscapes. So sue me: I never claimed to be a good music writer. PAUL CONSTANT
Cataldo, Loch Lomond, Ghost of Kyle Bradford
(Crocodile) The last update in the "news" section of Cataldo's website is from March 2009, and it's mostly spent singing the praises of Tullamore Dew Irish whiskey ("Tastier than Jameson, but inexplicably no more or less expensive"). That particularly rich well must've dried up around April of this year, signaled by a relative flurry of activity on MySpace and Facebook and the promise from bandleader Eric Anderson, "We're recording. It sounds really good. I'm excited about it. Probably finished sometime this summer." Good news for fans of playful yet heartstring-tugging folk and acoustic rock. Cataldo's 2008 album Signal Flare is a minor gem, full of simple guitar ballads, deft orchestral touches (the easy banjo picking and Sufjan-lite chorus on "Black and Milds," for instance), and patiently insistent songs. He's due for a new batch. Portland sextet Loch Lomond's songs incorporate wispy, soft symphonic folk and Decemberists-style old-timey rock operatics into impressive arrangements long on both craft and character. ERIC GRANDY
Friday 7/16
Yelawolf, Project Lionheart, DJ Nphared
(Nectar) See preview.
E. Spleece
(Electric Tea Garden) See Data Breaker.
Hallways, Absolute Monarchs, King Dude, Love Sick, the Knast, My Goodness, Strong Killings
(Neumos) Tonight is a showcase of bands that practice at Crybaby Studios (a practice space one block away from Neumos, not to be confused with Chophouse, another practice space one block away from Neumos), and the $5 cover gets you a copy of a compilation CD featuring them and other bands that rehearse there. Absolute Monarchs deal in heavy, agitated post-punk that should get them snatched up by a label any minute now. King Dude is a dark, enthralling folk project from Book of Black Earth's T. J. Cowgill. Drums-and-guitar duo Love Sick recall a less-pissed PJ Harvey, while My Goodness pummel blues rock with punk-rock bpms. And Strong Killings pummel punk rock with their instruments. Summarily, this is a damn fine collection of Seattle up-and-coming acts. GRANT BRISSEY
Wet Paint, Tan Dollar, Weed Diamond, Dash Jacket
(Cairo) Denver's Weed Diamond are dyed-in-the-wool sun worshippers, pulling from the same well as many DIY contemporaries near and abroad (one could liken them to bands as big as Golden Triangle or as small as California's Norse Horse). Their sound is chipper and bright, and fuses phantom traces of Link Wray guitar, vintage Spector-isms, and muffled shoegaze vocals into one ambrosial tonic. Tourmates Dash Jacket have a similarly effervescent thing going on, with poppy, thrashy garage instrumentation juxtaposed against decidedly low-key vocals. Likewise for Tan Dollar's etherealized basement popâyou'd think these guys were sharing notes or something. The folks at Cairo Gallery were wise to pair these visitors with some of our most gifted local underground talent, Wet Paint. Spark 'em if you got 'em. JASON BAXTER
River City Tanlines, the Leaders, P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S.
(Comet) Crack open a Rand McNally road atlas, and you'll find Memphis labeled in the same large font as New York and Los Angeles. After all, Memphis was a vibrant cultural center for a good chunk of the 20th centuryâhome of Sun Records, arguably the birthplace of rock 'n' roll. Memphis may be a tertiary market these days, but River City Tanlines are proof that the city still has a raging rock pulse. Guitarist Alicja Trout (formerly of synth punks Lost Sounds) and rhythm section Bubba and T Money (formerly R. L. Burnside's backing band) combine the feminine energy of the Runaways with the classic swagger of early Stones, effectively maintaining the lineage of top-notch garage acts from that bold-typefaced Southern city. BRIAN COOK
Saturday 7/17
Brite Futures, Sap'N, Motopony
(Neumos) Some band-name changes are good. This one, for instance, in which the local electro-pop outfit formerly known asâugh, one last timeâNatalie Portman's Shaved Head become Brite Futures. Not only is the name less of a frozen-in-time mouthful, it's also fairly fitting for these energetic youngsters. The misspelling of Brite implies a kind of cheapo disco agendaânite music, maybeâwhile also recalling '80s kids' stuff ephemera (as is the big band-name craze these days), like Lite-Brite, without being all Rainbow Brite's Side Pontytail about it. And, you know, with their pupal name shedded, these guys and gal really should have bright futures ahead of them: They have a knack for silly, snappy, weird-flavored bubblegum pop songs; they're enthusiastic performers; and, as the video announcing their name change proves, they're clever kids with a good handle on making new media work for them. They're gonna have to wear shades. ERIC GRANDY
Bronze Fawn, Rosetta, City of Ships
(Rendezvous) Initially, I avoided listening to Rosetta because they were once described to me as "psychedelic, atmospheric metal," and that made them sound awful. Turns out, Rosetta are fucking amazing. Their songs are sonic storms, all at least five minutes long, and very often twice that. They're true tests of will and determinationâdetermination to not get gulped into the utterly depressing hole of introspective thoughts that overcome you while listening to songs like the dark, chilling "Revolve" and the will to not go completely deaf. The best, most succinct way to describe the band to the uninformed and/or naysayers is the way the band does it on its MySpace page: "Metal for astronauts." I'd add: doomed, depressed, lonely astronauts. MEGAN SELING
Minus the Bear, Everest, Mini Mansions
(Showbox at the Market) Seattle's Minus the Bear refuse to remain a monolithic entity. Supremely adept players whose records are always exquisitely produced, MTB have moved from dynamic, new-wave-inspired indie rock to calculus-lovin' prog rock to deft dabbling with electronic music. With their latest album, Omni, Minus the Bear went with producer Joe Chiccarelli (My Morning Jacket, the White Stripes), and the result is a slick collection of funk-inflected rock. The prospect of white Northwest dudes tinkering with funk generally isn't promising, but Minus the Bear equip themselves fairly well: The album is more Ohio Players than Red Hot Chili Peppers (thank Clinton). You have to respect a band that's been going this long to keep experimenting with different approaches. DAVE SEGAL
Black Cobra, Howl
(Comet) Lots of great people come in pairs: Barbie and Ken, Lewis and Clark, Beavis and Butthead... and, if you ask me, San Francisco duo Black Cobra belong on that list, too. Jason Landrian (guitar, ex-Cavity) and Rafael Martinez (drums, also of Acid King) make waaaaay too much thunderous noise for only being a two-piece. Fresh off a five-week tour opening for fellow Bay Area heavies High on Fire, the Cobras are now headlining a tour of their own. And though their super-sludgey, riff-heavy sound isn't necessarily anything new in the metal world, these two do it with such precision and raw energy, you can hardly believe your ears. Their intensity reminds me of old-guard Bay Area metal kings Exodus. There must be something in the water there. KELLY O
The Luna Moth, Tied to the Branches, Big Spider's Back, Merol Muspi
(Josephine) Seattle post-rock movers and shakers the Luna Moth have mastered the patient husbanding of exquisite tension and glorious release in their grandiloquent compositions. Their stoic, wide-scale rock somehow manages to maintain an alluring intimacy, all of it uncluttered by vocals. Very nice. San Francisco duo Tied to the Branches craft easygoing, lo-fi shoegazey psychedelia that brings to mind former Kranky Records bright lights Bowery Electric. Local producer Big Spider's Back (aka Yair Rubinstein) is on the rise with his ebullient yet poignant chillgazetronica (sorry). His songs attractively meld minimalist repetition with muted sunshine-pop melodiousness. Rubinstein's followed Jonathan Richman's sage advice and is not letting his youth go to waste. DAVE SEGAL
Sunday 7/18
The Avett Brothers, Thao with the Get Down Stay Down
(Paramount) The Avett Brothers' songs are earnest as all fucking get-out. They're knitted, tattered, almost-rock hymns that gather warmly under blankets of dusty piano, banjo, and picked acoustic patterns. The slow, rounded hills of their North Carolina homeland can be heard in their folk and bluegrass leanings. The earnestness is what stops the bullet, though. They can actually sing, "I will stay here with you, my love," and you won't roll or blink an eye or gag. You listen through because it's just that pretty and worn. And it holds up over time because it has meaning. Scott and Seth Avett harmonize in flare effect, pulling up well-water tones that rouse memories you didn't know you remembered: making mud pies, putting pennies on train tracks, looking at an eclipse through a pencil hole in a shoe box. The Avetts are making new memories now with every live performance. TRENT MOORMAN
Monday 7/19
Admiral Radley, Herman Jolly
(Crocodile) On their website, Admiral Radley have released a karaoke video for their new song "I Heart California," and it's not a stretch to picture a drunken singer, struggling to stand up, mangling the song at a karaoke bar in, say, Milwaukee. Which is a compliment: Everything about the song is durable and memorable enough to withstand the assaults of a thousand heartsick drunks (the little personality tics on display hereâthe "fake tits" lyric; the way the singers accent the state name, "Califor-KNEE-a," the way Bugs Bunny used to say itâdefinitely help). And pretty much everything Admiral Radley do is like that: Even their most ethereal work has a certain unforgettable character. PAUL CONSTANT
Tuesday 7/20
Antibalas, the Sway Machinery
(Neumos) See Stranger Suggests.
Stop Biting: Broken Figures, Harbour, Absolute Madman, Introcut, Sean Cee, Hideki
(Lo-Fi) See Data Breaker.
Neil Young
(Paramount) Between "staged reading" performances of his rock opera Greendale to the full-band live shows that provided fodder for his twoâTWO!âfull-length concert films of the past four years, Neil Young is such a regular of the road it's easy to take his tour dates for granted. Do not make that mistake with this year's "Twisted Road" tour, which features Young alone onstage with piano and guitar and a readiness to revisit his classics. On the set list of earlier stops: "Tell Me Why," "After the Gold Rush," "My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)," "Ohio," "Cinnamon Girl," "Cortez the Killer," and "Down by the River," along with a half-dozen new songs that reportedly hold their own. DAVID SCHMADER
Sick of It All, 50 Lions, Alpha & Omega
(Chop Suey) Sick of It All may not have been the first hardcore band to rise from the boroughs of New York City, but they're sure as hell one of the most prolific. In the past 20 years, they've released nine full-lengths, toured practically nonstop, and established a die-hard following from Tokyo to Melbourne. Their most recent effort, Based on a True Story, shows no signs of fatigue. Over the years, they've become an increasingly tighter unit, sharply honing their time-tested formula for short, pissed-off anthems with almost annoyingly catchy choruses. Show up early for Trash Talk or miss out on several 30-second blasts of pure sonic chaos. KEVIN DIERS
Wednesday 7/21
The Need, Bangs, C Average, Thrones
(Crocodile) See Stranger Suggests.
Miniature Tigers, the Spinto Band
(High Dive) I mean this as one of the highest compliments I can give a band: A Miniature Tigers song would not be at all out of place in a Muppet movie. "Mansion of Misery," the opening number on their album Fortress, has a kind of rambunctious "Movin' Right Along" quality to it, while "Gold Skull," with its faint dance-pop ambitions, is begging for an exploding penguin or two. They have a loose sound with a certain kind of showmanship to it. They're not just great, enthusiastic pop songs, they're entertainingâand also sensational, inspirational, celebrational, and Muppetationalâat the same time. PAUL CONSTANT
