IS RIFF RAFF THE ANDY KAUFMAN OF RAP?

(Showbox at the Market) Quick bit of context: You remember James Franco’s trashy, cornrowed drug dealer from Spring Breakers, yes? The one who called himself Alien and wore tacky white suits and had very bling teeth? Well, Riff Raff, a rapper from Texas, threatened to sue director Harmony Korine for ripping off his look and personality to create that character. So the next question is: Do you feel that Alien would’ve been even more of a badass if he had a lucrative rap career? And spit lines like “your girlfriend’s vagina smells like Bumblebee tuna?” If so, Riff Raff is the rapper for you. Stuck somewhere between brilliant performance art and the worst possible bullshit, Riff Raff has befuddled many rap fans, who often call him the weakest lyricist out. And yet there he is, on tracks with megastars like Chief Keef and Migos, spouting half nonsense and half hilarity. Recommended for people watching alone. With Grandtheft. KYLE FLECK
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Check out Trent Moorman's interview with RiFF here »


JACCO GARDNER'S LUSHLY ORCHESTRATED PSYCH POP

(Barboza) Jacco Gardner’s a Dutch multi-instrumentalist who was born about 20 years after the era of rock music he resurrects with exquisite attention to detail. On his 2013 debut album, Cabinet of Curiosities, Gardner weaves a gorgeous tapestry of baroque psych pop, every song swirling in a perfumed garden with the fey grace of Donovan’s scarf. Delicately arrayed harpsichord, strings, flute, and other largely non-rock instruments cohere into intricate, introverted gems of songcraft. On Cabinet, Gardner constructs a spot-on replication of a sound that existed on the periphery of the late ’60s pop carnival. Fans of cult acts like the Millennium, Left Banke, and Kaleidoscope should dig what Jacco’s laying down. With Killer Ghost and Brian Watkins. DAVE SEGAL
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THE TOUGH-AS-NAILS TWEE OF PEEPING TOMBOYS

(Lo-Fi) The three ladies of Peeping Tomboys have staked claim on the hilariously outdated phrase “tomboy” and shredded it into rock that mixes fierce Mia Zapata-esque vocals with the hardest incarnation of ’90s twee. Actually, their sound touches on the late-’80s/early-’90s alt-rock vibe so accurately, it reminds me of how I felt when I heard Nü Sensae for the first time (a band that fit so perfectly into the heavy Babes in Toyland/7 Year Bitch grunge vibes that I could totally imagine it as an undiscovered project of the era.) Peeping Tomboys seem like they could have pllayed shows with Marine Girls and Heavenly back in the day—the cool and catchy bass lines, tastefully spacious drumming, and meandering vocals offer perfectly unruffled detachment that instantly draws you in. Their aptly named new record, Levelheaded, is easily devoured in one sitting. With Hers, the Beach Boy and Tummy. BREE MCKENNA
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And here's all our recommended music events—tonight, tomorrow, and beyond!