THURSDAY 7/21

JAWBREAKER TRIBUTE NIGHT: TOURIST, PATTERNS, THE LOOK, SIBERIAN
(El CorazĂłn) See Underage, page 59.

CIRCUS CONTRAPTION, REVEREND GLASSEYE
(Crocodile) See Border Radio, page 51.

WEIRD WAR, ANNA OXYGEN, EMMA ZUNZ
(Vera Project) Weird War leader Ian Svenonius keeps rolling along, even when it seems like he should've spontaneously combusted long ago from the sheer surplus of soul and passion contained in his frail body. Svenonius has shed so many layers of irony over the years that he's emerged as the most sincere entertainer working today. His current lineup—including bassist Michelle Mae, Trans Am drummer Sebastian Thomson, and Golden guitarist Alex Minoff—is the tightest of Weird War's career, finessing out serpentine garage-psych and pop-soul goodness with casual charm. Svenonius has muted his Make Up–style histrionics, seemingly to avoid spontaneously combusting. Hallelujah. DAVE SEGAL See also preview, page 37.

TRACING EIGHT, XENOPHILES, ROYAL T'S
(Central) If anyone is wondering what the freaks from Iron Composer do besides making screaming, hormone-drenched fools of themselves (gloriously) on a regular basis, here's a tip: The Xenophiles, a local spaz-pop band—punk in spirit, if not sound—whose music runs a theater-y stylistic gamut, features Andrea Netherwood, who IC regulars will recognize as one of the lascivious cheerleaders. The band's website (www.xenophiles.com) has a bunch of songs available for the curious. SEAN NELSON

FRIDAY 7/22

BRENDAN BENSON, CRYSTAL SKULLS
(Crocodile) See Stranger Suggests, page 23.

SUFJAN STEVENS, LIZ JANES
(Triple Door) See preview, page 34 and Stranger Suggests, page 23.

ROCK SCHOOL BAND SHOWCASE AND BENEFIT
(Vera Project) Tonight, students from Seattle's own Rock School (www.rock-school.org) get the chance to show off their talent in a free show at the Vera Project. Then at 8:00 p.m., after the showcase, Verona, Slender Means, and Biography of Ferns play, with proceeds from the show benefiting the local organization. MEGAN SELING

ISSA BAGAYOGO, NABY CAMARA AND KANE MATHIS, JON KERTZER
(Chop Suey) Issa Bagayogo is called "Techno Issa" in his home country of Mali, but his new album, Tassoumakan, sounds pretty lo-fi and organic to this techno fanatic, despite the sampled percussion. Whatever you call it, though, Bagayogo's music does have a hypnotic quality like much techno, but the beats are much gentler and the tempos much more sedate. The dominant instruments here are the six-string n'goni (looks like a guitar made out of a gourd and a bamboo pole) and the xylophone-like balafon, which mesmerizingly undulate under Issa's pleasantly weather-beaten voice (think a slightly deeper-pitched Bill Withers) and the beautiful, massed female backing vocals. This is trance-inducing soul music of the sort that hasn't been dulled by overexposure. DAVE SEGAL

DEEP DISH, DEAN COLEMAN, DJ CHRONUS
(Element) Deep Dish—Washington D.C.'s Sharam Tayebi and Ali "Dubfire" Shirazinia—are world-renowned DJs with two releases for Global Underground's lush mix series and remixes of tracks by the Rolling Stones, Madonna, Depeche Mode, and other multimillionaires. Their poised style encompasses slick, gleaming house that's understatedly melodramatic and tuneful but can also get gritty and funky. It's a shame they won't be playing live (only Sharam will be DJing), though, because their follow-up to 1998's Junk Science, George Is On, is full of widescreen, propulsive house with hooks galore (and Stevie Nicks singing on their sweet-ass cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams"). DAVE SEGAL

THE KNITTERS, HARD MONEY SAINTS
(Showbox) The last couple of X reunions have been hit or miss, what with Exene caterwauling off-key, and Billy Zoom looking like a Baptist vampire. But the Knitters, the cow-punk side project featuring members of X and their L.A. colleagues the Blasters, are a different proposition. Two decades after their 1985 debut, the quintet has finally delivered a follow-up, and while The Modern Sounds of the Knitters may not be as stellar as the recent solo offerings from members John Doe and Dave Alvin, these mellower, country-rock arrangements of vintage X songs, oddball covers ("Born to Be Wild"), and new material flatter John and Exene's hair-trigger harmonies nowadays better than the high-energy fare of X. If their stellar reunion gig at the Crocodile a few years back was any indication, this is one you shouldn't miss... unless you wish to risk waiting another 20 years for their third pass around the track. KURT B. REIGHLEY

SATURDAY 7/23

KINSKI (CD RELEASE), MASTER MUSICIANS OF BUKKAKE, CHARMING SNAKES
 (Crocodile) See preview, page 33.

SUFJAN STEVENS, LIZ JANES
(Triple Door) See Friday's preview.

NICOLAI DUNGER, TIM SEELY, JESSE SKYES AND PHIL WANDSCHER
(Tractor Tavern) See Border Radio, page 51.

NEW EDITION, CIARA, NAS,BONE THUGS-N-HARMONY, JON B, PRETTY RICKY, MIKE JONES, BROOKE VALENTINE
(Gorge Amphitheater) The first record my younger brother loved was New Edition's "Candy Girl." The year was 1983, my brother was 2 years old; and my sister and I bought the record for him because the local radio station wasn't playing it enough. We played it forever. These days my brother (age 23) doesn't listen to black music; he prefers white British pop, and I think the reason for this is "Candy Girl," which by the time he turned 3 had been played not only to its own death but the death of any sensitivity he had for soul, funk, and R&B. Musically, New Edition was a weak imitation of the Jackson 5; extra-musically, it is the boy band that gave the world Bobby Brown, and Whitney Houston her present husband. CHARLES MUDEDE

THE LASHES, THE CATCH, THE EMERGENCY
(Neumo's) Ignore their disheveled mop tops and drop-dead stares—judging from the polished gems on their forthcoming Columbia full-length, Get It, Seattle sextet the Lashes should be filed alongside classic power-pop à la Cheap Trick and the Records, not the latest wave of punk revivalists. With its heart-on-the-sleeve lyrics and sweet vocal harmonies, "Sometimes the Sun" promises to soundtrack many a back-to-school crush, but also boasts hooks strong enough to ensnare listeners over the age of 17. Sure, Ben Clark's vocals seem to be getting increasingly mannered, but aren't all great lead singers (cf. Morrissey, Bryan Ferry) a little—or a lot—affected? KURT B. REIGHLEY

SUNDAY 7/24

ALKALINE TRIO, RISE AGAINST, DEATH BY STEREO
(Showbox) With their latest release, Crimson, Alkaline Trio continue to delve even deeper into a dark world of death-obsessed lyrics and spooky imagery while weaving in an undeniable (and much appreciated) upbeat sound. On the album's first single, "Time to Waste," singer Matt Skiba (who's been a little too into the eyeliner lately), sings, "You had time to waste, and I'm not sorry/Such a basket case, hide the cutlery." While that could possibly make one worry about his mental health, instead you just smile and sing along. MEGAN SELING

MONDAY 7/25

SOUNDS OF THE UNDERGROUND—GWAR, LAMB OF GOD, MADBALL, UNEARTH, EVERY TIME I DIE, GUESTS
(Qwest Field) See Stranger Suggests, page 23.

SKY CRIES MARY CD RELEASE PARTY
(Rendezvous) The "hippie" label Sky Cries Mary have been saddled with has a lot more to do with their audience than the band themselves. Between the sensual nature of vocalist Anisa Romero's stage presence and the sheer volume and sprawl of their neo-psychedelia, they've always come across as a less debauched Jane's Addiction or a slightly happier, sexed-up Pink Floyd. Furthermore, they're quite the spectacle in a live setting, both aurally and visually, a strength that's been accurately documented with the release of Here and Now, an enhanced, double live CD that the band previews tonight. HANNAH LEVIN

RUINS ALONE, YOSHIDA/HORIST/MOWEN TRIO, DEGENERATE ART ENSEMBLE, BILL HORIST, GIRTH
(Chop Suey) Japan's Ruins are the foremost modern proponents of zeuhl, a bizarre strain of spasmodic, operatic prog rock originated in the '70s by the mighty French group Magma. Zeuhl is a tight bundle of paradoxical elements: brutal and ornate, frenetic and frou-frou, astoundingly macho and outrageously gay. It's, shall we say, an acquired taste. Typically a duo, Ruins tonight will consist of drummer/vocalist Yoshida Tatsuya playing along to bass samples. But if you can wield a mean four-string, you might want to proffer your services. It's a chance to play with a legendary madman, a veritable Buddy Rich on magic mushrooms. DAVE SEGAL

HIEROGLYPHICS, NONPHIXION, OC, BOOM BAP PROJECT
(Showbox) Boom Bap Project has three members (Karim, Destro, DJ Scene) who are connected with the society of producers, rappers, and DJs called Oldominion. Boom Bap Project's latest CD, Reprogram, is great because Karim and Destro only work with the best that not only Seattle has to offer, but the whole West Coast (Lifesavas, Gift of Gab, the Dilated Peoples' Rakaa Iriscience). Reprogram was released by Rhymesayers, and has several outstanding tracks (the bulk of which were produced by Jake One). If you want to know where local hiphop stands at the moment, and also where it must go, Boom Bap Project's record is indispensable. CHARLES MUDEDE

TUESDAY 7/26

PYRAMIDS, WOLF COUGAR, HONEY FOR THE BEAR
(Crocodile) It's recommended one keep an ear on certain local musicians and their various projects—for example, the ones populating this lineup. The duo Pyramids comprises members of the Lights (Craig Chambers) and the Factums/the Intelligence (Matthew Ford) while Wolf Cougar (another wolf name!) is an alternate outlet for the Lights' Jeff Albertson. All of which means this show is most likely a mix of garage-rock scrappiness, post-punk starkness, and some new shit you (and I) haven't heard before. JENNIFER MAERZ

WEDNESDAY 7/27

PARADISE ISLAND, DADA SWING, SIX FOOT SLOTH, EMMA ZUNZ
(Funhouse) As far as bedroom recording projects go, Jenny Hoyston, singer/trumpet bleater of Erase Errata, has captured some interesting moments under the moniker Paradise Island. Maddeningly simple toy-drum-machine beats, silly keyboard plinking, and delayed guitar playing make for some cool dub electro-stoner jams. Other moments come across as detached and vacant, but perhaps that's just the outsider misinterpreting her deep introspection. Still, the lack of focus leaves room for the occasional striking electric guitar progressions and earnest acoustic guitar playing with hushed singing. Much is left to chance and can therefore go either way. JAMES SQUEAKY See also preview, page 39.

THE HIGH DIALS
(Baltic Room) On their latest release, War of the Wakening Phantoms, Montreal's High Dials get lost in their own spaciousness. The band recalls the delicate days of early Brit pop and the twee side of shoegazer, crafting kaleidoscopic pop with effects that bend the melodies like rubber bands and elevate the songs with cotton-candy harmonies. But on that lovely spaceship out to planet dreamscape, the High Dials stay a little too strictly on course, their lush songs fading together into one vaporous, airy aesthetic that leaves too little room for delineation between tracks. JENNIFER MAERZ

MORE

MÖTLEY CRÜE, SUM 41, THE EXIES, SILVERTIDE: Sat July 30, White River Amphitheatre

HOT HOT HEAT, EISLEY: Wed Aug 3, Showbox

THE WHITE STRIPES, SLEATER-KINNEY, THE GREENHORNES: Sat Aug 6, Gorge Amphitheatre

RYAN ADAMS & THE CARDINALS: Wed–Thurs Aug 10–11, Moore

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: Thurs Aug 11, KeyArena

OZZFEST—BLACK SABBATH, IRON MAIDEN, MUDVAYNE, SHADOWS FALL, AND MANY MORE: Thurs Aug 11, White River Amphitheatre

COLDPLAY: Tues Aug 16, White River Amphitheatre

LIZ PHAIR: Tues Aug 16, Crocodile

CKY, FIREBALL MINISTRY, THE KNIVES: Wed Aug 17, El CorazĂłn

SUICIDE MACHINES, LOST CITY ANGELS, BULLETS TO BROADWAY: Thurs Aug 18, El CorazĂłn

DINOSAUR JR.: Sat Aug 20, Showbox

OASIS, JET, KASABIAN: Fri Sept 9, Everett Events Center

NINE INCH NAILS, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, AUTOLUX: Fri Sept 23, KeyArena

SIGUR ROS, AMINA: Wed Sept 28, Paramount

TRIAL (REUNION SHOW), THE WARRIORS, DEAD UNKNOWN, THIS TIME TOMORROW: Sun Oct 9, Neumo's