(Chop Suey) Deep within the mystical redwood forests on the moody Eureka coastline live the ladies of the modern-day girl group the Lost Luvs. Although they mostly perform songs we associate with the genre, what sets them apart from being just a straight cover band is that unlike most singing groups, Lost Luvs’ five women play their instruments while harmonizing, allowing them to make unique arrangements that let the ideal amount of their punk influences from their other bands (such as guitarists/frontwomen Courtney Jaxon and Aimee Taylor’s other pop-rock project, the Monster Women) seep through. The perfect complementary opener is pop-punk goddess Lisa Prank, a newly transplanted Denver native who puts on a show that provides the aural equivalent of eating too much gas-station candy and getting box-wine drunk with your friends—minus the inevitable diabetic coma. And finally, the dance-party-pop treasures Pony Time! BREE MCKENNA
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Local DJs Sharlese (KEXP’s Audioasis) and Kate run False Prophet, a monthly devoted to minimal wave, industrial, and post punk. For tonight, they snagged one of America’s foremost analog-synth units, Brooklyn duo Xeno & Oaklander. For X&O, it’s perpetually 1981 and overcast, and the keys always minor. The vocals by French/Norwegian singer Miss Liz Wendelbo and Sean McBride glum, and the synthesizers swirl melodramatically, articulating a beautiful sadness. It’s not surprising Ghostly International signed X&O: They fit right in with its roster of expressive electronic artists who excel both in the studio and on the live circuit, and the new Par Avion is a sprightly and melancholy delight. If you enjoy dancing with tears in your eyes, Xeno & Oaklander can help you in this pursuit. With Soft Metals. Kremwerk, 9 pm, $10, 21+. DAVE SEGAL
(Barboza) If Kevin Morby's name doesn't ring a bell, you may know him from Woods, where he played bass, or the Babies, the scrappy pop outfit he formed with Vivian Girl Cassie Ramone. The Babies' debut took the shambolic thing too far, but the band hit their stride by their second full-length—just in time for Morby to move from Brooklyn to Los Angeles and reinvent himself as a singer-songwriter. Fortunately, he has the goods to hold his own within that overcrowded field. As with the Babies' initial effort, Harlem River is rough around the edges, but there's an ease that can't be faked. And in a sure sign that he lives in La-La Land: Actress Jena Malone appears in the video for the title track. KATHY FENESSY
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(Snoqualmie Casino) How strong is your Deep Purple lust? Do you want to venture out to Snoqualmie and gaze upon gray, wrinkly Brits (and relatively youngish American guitarist Steve Morse) burning through a grip of songs they’ve been playing for 40 years or longer? Well, when they’re some of the most exhilarating, ’ard, and ’eavy rock tunes ever to blow back your muttonchops, you probably can overlook the potential motions-going-through display and revel in the familiar heroics. Bassist Roger Glover, drummer Ian Paice, and vocalist Ian Gillan are still jamming from the classic ’70s days, when Deep Purple were flamboyant rock gods among mortals and tracks like “Fireball,” “Burn,” “Space Truckin’,” “Speed King,” and that one song every beginning guitarist by law has to play inspired wild-eyed devotion. It’s also cool as hell that they still do “Hush.” DAVE SEGAL
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(Triple Door) Malian singer/guitarist Vieux Farka Touré is the son of Ali Farka Touré, who is also a famous singer/guitarist. The music Vieux and especially his father play has been often compared to American blues. There is even this idea that the connection between the two forms is biological—blues being in the DNA of black cultures that are separated by a great amount of time and a whole ocean. But one thing is for sure: As with Zairean guitarists and South African singers, Malian musicians like the Tourés represent the cream of black African culture, which is why Vieux was invited to perform at the opening of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Vieux, who is signed to San Francisco's Six Degrees Records, is definitely a man—and a mind—of the world. CHARLES MUDEDE
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(Moore) What’s the sound of major-label compromise and competency? If you said “Broken Bells,” high 5 yourself. Brian “Danger Mouse” Burton and the Shins’ James Mercer are seasoned studio pros who write and produce a perfectly anodyne breed of pop music that finds the exact center of the middle of the road and then places a dull beige flower there. Whatever edge and funk Danger Mouse had in his hiphop productions have been smoothed to a radio-ready gleam and a soft toe-tap. Mercer has always possessed a keen ear for sly hooks and a high-flying yet milquetoast voice that lacks gravitas and grit. Together these obviously skillful craftsmen finesse out million-dollar blandnesses that surely cause mild dabs of moisture in Columbia Records’ execs’ underwear. DAVE SEGAL
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And here's all our recommended music events—tonight, tomorrow, and beyond!
