(Showbox at the Market) I missed the Guided By Voices train by being too pre-exhausted by their massive (22-album!) discography to even try. To remedy this, I’m taking a cue from Anna Minard’s most excellent Never Heard of ’Em column: going in blind. Okay, first song, first album—lead voice (Robert Pollard) sounds like he’s spinning around while he sings breathlessly. It sounds like R.E.M. Is this a love song about a Die Hard battery? It’s so good! I approve of two-minute songs. Next, I was guided by Dave Segal to listen to a stretch of records around the Propeller/ Bee Thousand/ Mag Earwhig! time. Jumping through those and a few others: buzzing, spinning, off-kilter instruments bleed into each other. Some has a power-pop quality, some is more straightforward Midwest rock with a touch of arty/weirdo and uh, Pink Floyd/Big Star? A signature GBV thing: You can sometimes hear spit swallowing between breaths, right up there in your ears—he even does it in the new albums, which are… not as good. EMILY NOKES
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The ArtAche Market ranks among Chop Suey‘s cooler events, sprung from the brain of No Sleep Seattle’s Marz all the way back in 2011: a free-to-enter, mimosa-enhanced one-stop shop for local artists to hawk their wares, from clothes to paintings and all manner of oddness in between. And since it’s Chop Suey we’re talking about, you also get wicked psych-odysseys courtesy of DJs Veins and Explorateur on the 1s and 2s, plus a set by the brand-spanking-new improvisational project from members of Master Musicians of Bukkake and Rose Windows. It’s called Naught, and though I’ve yet to experience it firsthand, with a pedigree like, that you can rest assured: Wigs will be blown. KYLE FLECK
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And here’s all our recommended music events—tonight, tomorrow, and beyond!