Thursday 7/23

Themselves, Linda and Ron's Dad, Filkoe, DJ WD4D, DJ Introcut

(Chop Suey) Themselves are the anticon superduo of shape-shifting battle rapper Doseone and dexterous producer Jel. Their new album/mixtape, theFREEhoudini, their first as Themselves in six years, finds the team joined by a host of anticon-aligned MCs, including Aesop Rock, Slug, Busdriver, and WHY?'s Yoni Wolf. Even among such rarefied company, Doseone and Jel have no problem standing out. Jel's production is hyperactively arranged, equal parts bumping and baffling, with big, round bass hollowing out his digitally degraded beats. Doseone's rapping is typically breakneck and hairpin turning, his rupturing voice alternately a tuneful moan, a hiccuping high whine, and a snarling nasal sneer (when he boasts, "I'll wolf you," he sounds every bit an animal). Two themes recur throughout the dizzyingly scattershot mixtape (or, per Sole's guest appearance, the "I-don't-give-a-fuck tape"): the craft and the business of rapping (see "Rappers Is Interns," "Rapping 4 Money," "1 for No Money," etc.). Themselves excel at the craft and scoff at the business, cracking wise like the smart, funny unpopular kids on the sidelines. ERIC GRANDY

H Is for Hellgate, Bone Cave Ballet, To the Waves, the Oregon Donor

(Comet) Tonight at the Comet, Seattleites will hear H Is for Hellgate's moody and math-inclined indie rock live for the last time—the band's drummer Jon Jacobson has gotten a new job overseas, and instead of replacing him, the remaining members, Ben Baier and Jamie Henkensiefken, have decided to focus on their other projects. Ben is one fourth of the wacky We Wrote the Book on Connectors, and Jamie's promising new band Eighteen Individual Eyes features the lovely ladies from Hungry Pines. But more on that later. Tonight we will focus on Hellgate—and celebrate them one last time. MEGAN SELING

Pumice, Arbitron, Liver and Bacon

(Funhouse) New Zealand's Pumice grind out a shambling brand of lo-fi rock oblongitude: Think Guided by Voices if they loved Captain Beefheart much more than they do the Who. It's as if Pumice's songs are straining to achieve beauty, but their innate homeliness and awkwardness tilt them into a curious, obscure corner of the rock spectrum. In its very peculiar way, this Pumice music beguiles. Seattle duo Arbitron purvey bleakly ominous noise rock that scours ears in a manner not unlike early A Frames. Another local duo, Liver and Bacon have no music available on the web, but they consist of Climax Golden Twins' Rob Millis and Factums' Jesse Paul Miller, so odds are they're going to fuck with genres and move hearts and minds in unexpected ways—and possibly cook something greasy onstage. DAVE SEGAL

Friday 7/24

Capitol Hill Block Party: the Jesus Lizard, Deerhunter, Black Lips, Spinnerette, the Dutchess and the Duke, Earth, Sleepy Eyes of Death, the Blakes, They Live!, Audacity, Flexions, Bow + Arrow, Micachu & the Shapes, Past Lives, Starfucker, Mika Miko, Built to Spill

(12th Ave and E Pike St) See the guide.

Awol One, Ceschi, Astronautalis, Filkoe176

(Lo-Fi Performance Gallery) Awol One drawls his verses as if he's sprawled on the sofa, post–several bong rips. Self-deprecating, existentially domestic, and surreal in equal measure, his lyrics at their best provoke laughter in a free-associating, non-sequitur-dropping way. Awol One's best work appeared on Slanguage, his murky, jazzadelic 2003 collab with Daddy Kev. Since then, Awol's enlisted more conventional producers, including Factor, on the new, guest-heavy Owl Hours. Awol's unique delivery is an acquired taste, to say the most. Ceschi (pronounced "chess-kee") sounds like an anticon fanboy auditioning for a spot on that Bay Area underground-hiphop outpost. On albums like They Hate Francisco False, Ceschi chafes at hiphop conventions with mixed results, peddling shaky, sincere vocals and folky rock à la WHY?, but without his lofty hookiness and wit. DAVE SEGAL

Clutch, Baroness, Lionize

(King Cat) If you were paying attention to raucous underground guitar-driven rawk back in the early '90s, there's a good chance you're planning to join the masses up on Pike Street tonight. However, if you preferred your musical misanthropy delivered by intimidating bearded libertarians rather than half-naked drunks, the King Cat is assuredly your destination. Even after nearly 20 years of operation, Clutch do not appear to be slowing down or mellowing out. Despite numerous label changes and continuous explorations of multiple genres, they've managed to amass and maintain a strong cult following for their righteous, gnarly, blues-infused rock jams. Savannah's newest metal heroes, Baroness, are a worthy addition to the bill. BRIAN COOK

Saturday 7/25

Capitol Hill Block Party: Sonic Youth, Gossip, the Thermals, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Moondoggies, Sportn' Life Showcase, Hey Marseilles, Hotels, Girls, Akimbo, the Maldives, Truckasauras, Future of the Left, Faux Punk, Pica Beats, SOL, New Faces, Japandroids

(12th Ave and E Pike St) See the guide.

The Let Go, Eli Porter, Holy Rolling Empire

(Sunset) Local rap combo the Let Go are producer Captain Midnite and two MCs, Type and Kublakai. The balancing act between Kublakai's rhyme-loving, drunk-dialer MC and Type's aiming-for-offensive comedy rapper is the true tension that makes their collaboration work at all. In the middle ground, the two tend to agree upon emo girl raps, fuck-your-shit-up party raps, and songs detailing various atmospheric phenomena (as detailed on their debut, Tomorrow Handles That)—that is, songs rife with symbolic weather motifs and themes familiar to your average Atmosphere listener. Known to bitch on record that they gets no respect, Rodney Dangerfield–style, they nonetheless tour frequently, have a growing following, and got respected Canadian rap label Camobear to put out their next album (and rerelease Tomorrow), which will distribute their particularly bipolar Northwest hiphop to the rest of the rap-listening world. LARRY MIZELL JR.

Champagne Champagne, Constant Lovers, Book of Black Earth

(Cha Cha) Last year at Capitol Hill Block Party, while the sweaty masses tripped over one another on the streets above, Cha Cha Lounge hosted some of the finest local acts going—all in the relatively temperate environs of that dark basement space. This year again, Cha Cha is hosting bands as an unofficial part of Block Party by default—you need a pass just to get to the front door of the place—but just consider it a bonus to this year's already stellar lineup. Tonight's bill boasts proven party-rocking outfit Champagne Champagne, black-metal powerhouses Book of Black Earth, and post-rock quartet Constant Lovers, who are currently one of the most promising bands in this city. Also, the beer is cheaper down there, and you can drink it out of a real pint glass. GRANT BRISSEY

Mad Rad, Macklemore, DJ Darwin, DJ Recess, Whiskey Whiskey

(Chop Suey) That Mad Rad polarize people so starkly proves that they're doing something right. Sure, you can hate them as people, but it's hard not to admire the sheer musical talent at their disposal. As many other Stranger writers already have observed, Mad Rad possess undeniable skills; they have the hiphop fundamentals down, which allows them to mess with established tropes. Their debut album, White Gold, abounds with superslick party rap that scoops up new-wave, electro, and mainstream-rap production tics and spits them out in their own idiosyncratic version—in italicized boldfaced fonts. Despite all their extracurricular shenanigans, these mugs work hard to make you have fun. Another local MC, Macklemore, is less controversial than Mad Rad, but he's also put in much grind time to forge funny, bluntly honest lyrics buttressed by soulful, true-school-funky productions. DAVE SEGAL

Sunday 7/26

Indigo Girls

(Woodland Park Zoo) Friends since high school and stars since the first Bush era, the Indigo Girls wafted onto the charts in 1989 as part of the warm-beige-lady wave led by Natalie Merchant and Tracy Chapman. Their calling card: "Closer to Fine," a full-blooded folk song that sounded like a new standard when it landed and sounds like an old standard 20 years on. Since then, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers have lost a Grammy to Milli Vanilli, toured extensively (with Gang of Four's Sara Lee on bass!), performed gender-fucked concerts of Jesus Christ Superstar, and collaborated with Pink. They remain beloved, as tonight's sold-out Zoo Tunes show makes clear. DAVID SCHMADER

Nobunny, Rock N Roll Adventure Kids, Blank Its, Ape City R&B

(Funhouse) The mysterious Nobunny is a half jackalope, half human from Tucson, Arizona, who plays sweet and scuzzy bubblegum garage-punk for party times. The only time I saw him play was for a few seconds at a house party in Austin, Texas. Right as I walked up, this strange and hairy bunny person was jumping around in a carport, singing songs, and wearing only some tiny-shiny underwear. A circuit breaker blew. The show ended abruptly. Everyone booed. I followed the bunny as he threw his equipment in a van, hoping to get a picture or buy a record or something. But it all happened too fast. The van sped off into the night. I needed to know more. I got his phone number from a friend. You should read the interview I did with him at thestranger.com/music. And you should drag your tired, sorry, post–Block Party ass out on Sunday and see the inimitable Nobunny bounce all over the Funhouse. KELLY O

Monday 7/27

Crüe Fest: Mötley Crüe, Godsmack, Theory of a Deadman, Drowning Pool, Charm City Devils

(White River Amphitheatre) Look, we can all agree that The Dirt makes for a pretty good read, right? And that a drum kit that spins upside down in midair over the crowd is fucking siiiiiiick? And that Vince Neil and his infighting harem of skanks is the orangest thing on reality TV? And that Tommy Lee's sex tapes were totally worth everyone involved getting hepatitis C or whatever? But do we really need Mötley Crüe playing a reunion tour in 2009? I mean, I guess it is Auburn, but still. The devil has been shouted at, Dr. Feelgood's medical license has long since been revoked—it's over. Oh, also, did you read that interview in Arthur magazine where they totally clown Godsmack for shilling for U.S. military recruitment? Funny stuff! Anyway, do not go anywhere near this show. (The first six rows will get hep!) ERIC GRANDY

Tuesday 7/28

The Glitch Mob, Nosaj Thing, Daddy Kev

(Neumos) One thing for the Glitch Mob: These dudes have a legion of passionate, if not terribly literate, fans online—a fact I discovered after daring to write a less-than-effusive review of their outdoor afternoon set at Volunteer Park during last year's Decibel Festival. Yes, a big, kinetic, enthusiastic crowd lapped up their set, but that set still struck me as Ed Banger for dummies—impressive, as Ed Banger was already for dummies. The Glitch Mob's tracks are heavily compressed, agro-bro electro, all crunched rap-rock big beats and scorched-earth synth riffs. A friend called it: This is the kind of music that might play while Xzibit yelled at you about how he installed a PlayStation in your car. Get crunk, get dumb, y'all. Nosaj Thing approaches his beats with slightly more subtlety, if no less heavily side-chained compression; his occasionally off-kilter rhythmic programming and disoriented, wobbling synths have led some to label him with the dubiously coined "wonky" tag, but though his tracks may lean, they rarely stumble. ERIC GRANDY

La Roux, DJ Colby B

(Chop Suey) La Roux are the London duo of singer/keyboardist Elly Jackson and cowriter/producer Ben Langmaid. Their sound is a kind of canned if superbly clean (and thoroughly scrubbed with Auto-Tune) electro pop. It's like Crystal Castles made nice—eight-bit blips and fizzy beats remain, but nothing is distorted or jarring, only politely melodic—and in service of icy pop-diva vocals. The songs are catchy but pat, especially lyrically (e.g., the perfectly hooky and immediately disposable "Bulletproof" is, of course, a metaphor for being impervious to the hazards of love). Still, pop-music lovers who don't want to deal with tweens—and who'd rather get their kicks at a nightclub than a stadium—could do a lot worse than this. Good remix material at least, notwithstanding Skream's phoned-in wobble take on "In for the Kill." ERIC GRANDY

Missing Persons Featuring Dale Bozzio, Veritas, Tin Sprocket, Ocean of Algebra

(Studio Seven) Early-'80s new wave was a goofy game, and few were goofier than Missing Persons, a canny band of Zappa sidemen fronted by a blow-up sex-doll of a woman, Dale Bozzio, who sang like a kazoo with hiccups about things like words and windows and how nobody walks in L.A. Nearly three decades later, here comes Missing Persons Featuring Dale Bozzio, a camp approximation of what was already camp approximation, forced by court order into the klutzy extended name. (All other original members of Missing Persons are missing persons.) Go for the old hits, stay to support a woman who was last year sentenced to 90 days in jail after New Hampshire authorities found her hoarding living and dead cats. DAVID SCHMADER

Wednesday 7/29

The Moody Blues

(Chateau Ste Michelle) People—particularly those who've heard merely a minuscule fraction of their catalog—love to hate the Moody Blues, but these pretentious buggers made some sublime music from 1967 to 1971. Seriously, their six-LP run from Days of Future Passed to Every Good Boy Deserves Favour contains some of the most beautiful, nuanced melodies in the rock storehouse. True, the Moodies flirted with froufrou prog bombast, but their songs' sheer melodic grandeur and orchestral verve—which sometimes spill into exquisitely mannered psychedelia—overcome most of their flaws. Plus, they rocked flutes and Mellotrons with poignant panache. In 2009, these pension-aged Brits surely won't execute their classics with the grace of their halcyon days, but the material's inherent greatness should still come through clearly. DAVE SEGAL

Niyorah, Jahdan Blakkamoore, the Zioneer Band

(Nectar) Brooklyn reggae vocalist Jahdan Blakkamoore has one of those instant-classic sweet-gritty voices that fit just about any setting they nestle into. And since Blakkamoore is a longtime collaborator with Matt Shadetek and DJ /rupture of the eclectic Dutty Artz label, that means it's seen a lot of settings. The 22-minute megamix Shadetek made of Blakkamoore's work for the XLR8R.com podcast in March is a perfect example, ranging from dubstep to fluttering hiphop to amorphous laptop fantasias. Blakkamoore guests on the excellent new Major Lazer album, drops new MP3 freestyles (see his and 77Klash's wonderful "Best I Ever Had Freestyle," a surprisingly perfect mix of Drake and Radiohead), and has an album, Buzzrock Warrior, due in September. MICHAELANGELO MATOS

Feral Children, Whalebones, Brawley Banks

(Neumos) Brawley Banks played their first live set just two weeks ago at War Room. By all accounts, it was an impressive performance. And what's more, one that hardly seemed like a typical band's first show. This all makes perfect sense, considering the band members' collective musical experience. Joram Young and Justin Schwartz (guitars and vocals) used to play together in the late, great Cobra High, and the early incarnations of what is now Brawley Banks have been brewing for years. Add to this former and current members of bands such as Sunny Day Real Estate, Red Stars Theory, and Whalebones (among others), and the result is a big, Southern guitar-rock sound that we're likely gonna hear much more about in the near future. Don't begrudge the hype, though; this band is worth some accolades. GRANT BRISSEY