All pop punk should grow up to be as smart as the Thermals. The
Portland trio’s 2006 album called The Body, the Blood, the
Machine is a brutal song cycle about a near-future
theocratic America. It’s also an energetic punk-rock masterpiece, each
song a short, sweet blast of overdriven guitars and restless
rhythm. Arthur & Yu’s In Camera couldn’t be more
different—
a relaxed collection of hazy, homemade acoustic
pop with slight traces of sweet ’60s psychedelia. And Coconut
Coolouts will party your ass under the table. (Neumo’s, 925 E
Pike St,
709-9467. 8 pm, $12, all ages.)