Wednesday 11/6
Of Montreal, La Luz
(Neumos) See Underage.
Thursday 11/7
Barsuk Records Anniversary: Nada Surf, Mates of State, the Prom
(Showbox at the Market) See Stranger Suggests and preview.
Circuit Vine, Lightning Kills Eagle, Acionyx, Two Heads Is Twice as Many Teeth
(Blue Moon Tavern) Seattle duo Two Heads Is Twice as Many Teeth might be the area's only "8-bit thrash metal" band. Marshall McLaughlin and Ryan Olson have hit on a fresh, exciting approach to heavy music, infusing their songs with brutal, jagged dynamics and those zany video-game noises that will never stop charming folks of a certain age and nerdy disposition. (I imagine their fans throwing devil horns while holding NES consoles.) That the two decided to start the project after Olson's stormy karaoke rendition of the Sweet's "Ballroom Blitz" makes their story all the more adorable. You should check out their cyclonic chaos at soundcloud.com/firebreathinghorses. Start with "Pink Penguin" or "Centaurantula" for maximum WTFness. DAVE SEGAL
Deerhoof, LXMP, Jarv Dee
(Vera Project) I love this kind of show like I love ordering the two most opposite items on the menu. Do I want a pizza appetizer before my pizza comes? NO, I'll take an ice-cream sundae to start off with, duh. So then, tonight we have Deerhoof, the Bay Area's patternless pop experiment—since 1994, they've put out 11 very different albums (nine of them on Kill Rock Stars, making them the longest-running KRS band), zigzagging away from an identifiable sound like manic elven children throwing genres and instruments at the wall with glee. Then we have the talented Seattle/Kingdom Crumbs/Cloud Nice/Moor Gang rapper Jarv Dee, bringing his brand of high-voiced, laid-back, smoky dopamine to balance out the headliners' ADHD. With the synthesizer meltdown that is Warsaw duo LXMP. EMILY NOKES
Friday 11/8
Iska Dhaaf, You Are Plural
(Fremont Abbey Arts Center) See Underage.
Tim Hecker, Christopher Bissonnette
(Chapel Performance Space) See Data Breaker.
Slow Year, Chants, Cock & Swan, DJAO, Little Weather
(Electric Tea Garden) See Data Breaker.
Swagfest 4 Charity: DJ Swervewon
(Neumos) See My Philosophy.
Barsuk Anniversary Celebration: Minor Alps, the Long Winters
(Neptune) Minor Alps—indie-pop goddess Juliana Hatfield (Blake Babies, Some Girls) and Nada Surf guitarist/vocalist Matthew Caws—signed to Seattle's Barsuk Records in a move that makes all kinds of sense for all involved parties. Those familiar with both musicians' pedigrees won't be surprised by the dulcet tunefulness abounding on their new debut full-length, Get There. Hatfield and Caws's breezy, soft voices mesh incredibly well, and their melodies cruise and bubble with insouciance. Minor Alps create instantly catchy, quality songs and execute them deftly, with few frills. It's nothing new, but it's as reliably satisfying as shopping at your favorite vintage clothing shop. DAVE SEGAL See also preview.
Mad Professor, General Levy, Joe Ariwa
(Nectar) How do we get to Burial's dubstep? We must begin with three important Jamaicans: the electrician King Tubby, the eccentric Lee "Scratch" Perry, and the genius Scientist. The period these three dominated, the golden age of dub, lasted between the late '60s and early '80s. The next important moment leading to Burial is defined by the UK-based and Guyana-born Mad Professor, the founder and builder of the world-famous Ariwa studio. In the third moment (early '90s to early '00s), dub goes global. (Mad Professor also plays a leading role in this period—check out his version of Massive Attack's Protection, No Protection.) At the end of all that, Burial, the king of dubstep (one of Jamaican dub's descendants), appears and rules the world. It is no accident that Massive Attack planned for Burial to do a version one of their albums—they wanted to echo Mad Professor's dazzling version of Protection. CHARLES MUDEDE
Combichrist, the Break Up, Savok, V.O.M., Omega Brai
(Highline) The first time I heard Combichrist was three years ago when the Norwegian industrial band opened for the spectacle that is a Rammstein live performance. And even after the foam semen had dried off the fans' faces, the fireworks had exploded all around me, and every single "Du Hast" had been chanted, the pulsating beat, intense visuals, and catchy yet dark choruses of the opening band were enough for me to remember to make it a point to catch Combichrist whenever they came back through town. Luckily for the Highline, this time around there won't be any messy fake jizz. KEVIN DIERS
Weed, Vats, Thee Samedi
(Heartland) If I were to compare the band Weed to a drug more suited to their moniker (my editor hates that word, and I have never, ever used it, so let me get it out of my system: monikermonikermoniker), I'd say the Vancouver foursome's tense sound is more Adderall, whiskey, and carving your name into a detention-room desk. Fine, those aren't really all drugs, but my point is their abrasive garage tactics might make hippies pout, but would probably please J Mascis. That's my roundabout way of saying they are awesome. With Thee Samedi, the musical equivalent of a snakeskin jacket decorated with Gories, Gun Club, and Cramps patches (see also: Charlie Manson samples), and danceable, moderately paced punk band Vats. EMILY NOKES
Saturday 11/9
King of the Dot Rap Battle: Mic Phenom, ILLxChris, Brainstorm
(Nectar) See My Philosophy.
Morton Subotnick and Lillevan
(Town Hall) This is awesome. Morton Subotnick is an electronic-music legend, the codeveloper of the original Buchla synthesizer, and the writer of the 1967 classic Silver Apples of the Moon. Berlin-based video artist Lillevan is cofounder of the visual/audio group Rechenzentrum. Together, in a program called From Silver Apples of the Moon to a Sky of Cloudless Sulphur, they'll span 50 years of Subotnick's experiments, analog to digital and back and forth again, electronica-time collapsing in on itself in loops. JEN GRAVES See also Stranger Suggests and Data Breaker.
Tender Forever, Slashed Tires, Everybody Weekend, Half-Breed, Wynne Greenwood
(Heartland) Wynne Greenwood is the artist/mad scientist behind the 3-in-one conceptual-art band Tracy and the Plastics, in which she performed as frontwoman Tracy (and also via video projection as her "bandmates" Nikki and Cola), and her shows and music videos came off like a twisted, modernized take on Jem and the Holograms. Since the "group" disbanded in 2006, Greenwood pulled the plug on the projector and released an album last year under her name called A Fire to Keep You Warm. I am excited to see what she has been concocting since retiring Tracy and company. Also joining the bill are the trombone-friendly Slashed Tires' celebration of freaks that may very well be the most underrated DIY band in Seattle, and everyone loves the NW dreamboat-pop of Half-Breed and the sincerely lovelorn indie rock of Portland's Tender Forever. BREE MCKENNA
The Lonely Forest, Cumulus, BellaMaine
(Neptune) I have listened to the new Lonely Forest record, Adding Up the Wasted Hours, dozens of times over the last several weeks, and I can confidently say that it is the best Lonely Forest record to date. We Sing the Body Electric is hard to beat—it was a huge-sounding and wonderful mess of noises and layers (claustrophobic is a characteristic I often like when it comes to pop music), while their last release, Arrows, was on the opposite end of that spectrum. It was lighter and more nuanced. Adding Up the Wasted Hours, though, has found a balance of the two—experimental sounds and Karl Blau's saxophone make songs like "Left Hand Man" and "Warm/Happy" sound lush without feeling cluttered. One more reason to make sure you get the Neptune tonight: Thanks to a production snafu, for now this show is the only place you can grab a physical copy of the record. MEGAN SELING
Sunday 11/10
A$AP FERG, Joey Fatts & Aston Matthew, 100s
(Neumos) A$AP Ferg, along with Rocky and the rest of the A$AP Mob, are some of the most popular "alt/internet-rappers" today, but it's mostly because of their colossal levels of swagger-jackin'. From their appropriation of the word "trill" (which Houston's UGK first popularized in like 1992) and basically every other aspect of Texas rap despite hailing from Harlem, New York, to their recycling of Lil B "The BasedGod's" signature cadence, repetitive hooks, and beat selections (if the first time you heard a Clams Casino beat was on Live.Love.A$AP, you have some homework to do, son), to titling his overhyped debut album Trap Lord when Gucci Mane had previously released Trap God and Trap God 2 within the last two years, there isn't one original aspect of A$AP Ferg's music or style. That won't stop this show from being packed full of Pyrex shorts and $80 Hood By Air T-shirt wearing hypebeasts who think they're "supporting underground rap" because they don't listen to Rick Ross. MIKE RAMOS See also My Philosophy.
Barsuk Anniversary Celebration: Ra Ra Riot, Aqueduct
(Sunset) You guys! Look! [Wildly waves arms around in the air like wacky wavy inflatable arm guy] It's Aqueduct! The electronically inclined, self-loathing, hook-filled pop band was once a beloved fixture of the local music scene—playing with U.S.E, Modest Mouse, the Lashes, and more—but over the last few years, their presence has been as frustratingly unreliable as AT&T's cell phone service during SXSW. The last record Aqueduct released was Or Give Me Death in 2007, for chrissakes! The band is coming out of hiding, though, to help Barsuk celebrate its 15th anniversary with labelmates Ra Ra Riot. Hooray! You won't find a better party on a Sunday night. For more Barsuk love, see my interview with label co-founder Josh Rosenfield and Stranger Suggests. MEGAN SELING
Monday 11/11
Crystal Antlers, This Blinding Light, Kingdom of the Holy Sun
(Lo-Fi) Back in those dark years when I dwelled in Orange County (2007–2008), Crystal Antlers were one of the best live acts in the area. The Long Beach troupe whipped up a ferocious yet tuneful frenzy onstage; every gig was an imperfect Sonics/Stooges storm of garage-rock bedlam. But their latest album, Nothing Is Real, finds Crystal Antlers down to three members (they used to sport six) and presenting a more tamed, college-rock-ready sound. Let's hope they still retain some of their earlier wildness onstage tonight. Locals This Blinding Light take rock on a mystical, trance-inducing trip with a throbbing, relentless attack that will have Hawkwind and Spacemen 3 fans freaking. Seattle's Kingdom of the Holy Sun ply a more blissful, snaky strain of psychedelia that's akin to a soundtrack for an opium-den orgy. DAVE SEGAL
Tuesday 11/12
Toro Y Moi, Classixx
(Showbox at the Market) The dubiously named Chazwick Bundick, the man behind Toro y Moi, emerged from the equally dubious-sounding "chillwave" scene a few years ago. Characterized by lo-fi production, foggy electronics, and a general vibe of "sweatpants," chillwave didn't really lift off as a genre. On his latest records, though, Chaz has taken a favorable turn into immaculate-sounding disco and R&B. Gooey bass lines, slinky keyboards, and pleasantly awkward falsetto: It's make-out music for stoned programmers and nostalgic nerds. Opening tonight are LA duo Classixx, who alternate between sunny dance funk and a few gorgeous '80s throwback synth ballads. Cop the track "I'll Get You" and hear why they may just steal the show. KYLE FLECK
Selena Gomez
(KeyArena) I'm not going to bother to try and sell you on the generous attributes of Ms. Gomez—if you're not already a fan, you're hopeless. "Come & Get It" is a goddamn masterpiece. I dare you to listen to "Love You like a Love Song" without hitting re-peat-peat-peat-peat-peat-peat. "Slow Down" is anything but slow—it'll make your booty bounce so hard you'll be sore for days. If anything, Gomez's only flaw is loving that hack, the Biebs, who's turned into a full-throated shithead now that his testicles have fully dropped. BUT: If he's the magic ingredient needed to keep sweet Selena stocked with heartbreak pop-song fodder for the next 20 years, so be it. CIENNA MADRID
The Besnard Lakes, Elephant Stone
(Crocodile) The Besnard Lakes are one of many seemingly interchangeable, quasi-psychedelic pop bands in the Secretly Canadian/Jagjaguwar/Dead Oceans family of labels. On their 2010 album, The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night, the Montreal band evokes the forlorn dignity of Low, but with a greater propensity for shoegaze guitar textures. Their new full-length, Until in Excess, Imperceptible UFO, is shrouded in more reverb and features more grandiose song structures. Its best song, "Colour Yr Lights In," sounds like an end-credits lighter-raiser for a Hollywood romance flick. Overall, though, UFO's a bit dozy. If I were Robert Christgau, I'd give it a B-. On their 2013 self-titled album, Elephant Stone make classic, textbook psych pop, as derived from the Beatles circa Revolver through Magical Mystery Tour, all lightly accented with sitar and tablas and leader Rishi Dhir's smooth, high vocals. As reverent replications go, Elephant Stone's a gas. DAVE SEGAL
Overkill, Kreator, Warbringer
(El CorazĂłn) Everyone who was disappointed because they were ripe and ready to get their thrash on at Sepultura at Neumos on November 4 (the show was canceled due to passport/visa issues) should do some hot neck yoga and go bang some head at this show instead. East Coast classic thrash metallers Overkill (with original vocalist Bobby Blitz) released their 16th studio album, The Electric Age, in 2012, which charted higher than any other Overkill album since the early '90s. German thrash masters Kreator also released a new album last year called Phantom Antichrist. If you want to get super dorked, also watch the 2006 documentary Get Thrashed (now on Netflix!) and remember why you always loved your metal played at such breakneck speeds. KELLY O
