(MUSIC) There are too many frustrating occasions when an award-worthy record barely makes a blip on the indie-rock radar. Stairs and Elevators, the spit-shined gem produced by Dayton's Heartless Bastards, is a vivid example of this unjust phenomenon. The gravel-gargling vocals of frontwoman Erika Wennerstrom evoke Janis Joplin's most gut-wrenching moments, but with an endurance that makes me hope she keeps making records for the next 20 years. (Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave, 441-5611. 9 pm, $8, 21+.)