Tissue, Preening, Lindseys, Stretchy

Consisting of local power couple Gabi Page-Fort (former saxophonist/vocalist with Stickers, now playing guitar) and Dean Whitmore (drummer/vocalist with Unnatural Helpers), Tissue write songs that blend both groups' stylistic traits— clamor and tunefulness playfully tussling with each other. But on their new album, A Pick of Twins with Matching Dogs, Tissue tilt more toward Stickers' side of things, deploying unusual dynamics, torqued rhythms, and Fort-Page's deep, wry, and swooping vocals to articulate a brooding, art-rock worldview. The 12 songs on Matching Dogs lightly allude to the Fall, Helium, Areski-Brigitte Fontaine, and Salem 66—all bands that take the serpentine route less traveled to reach interesting destinations.