(Crocodile) A Japanese trio named after a Melvins song, Boris have doggedly maintained a rigorous touring and recording regimen (19 studio albums, not including numerous collaborative releases) over the last 20 years or so. They’re the only group to have homaged British folk legend Nick Drake on an LP cover and collaborated with noise demon Merzbow. (Boris also joined forces with the Cult’s Ian Astbury, but the less said about that horrid misfire [the 2010 EP BXI] the better.) I’ve not kept up with their prodigious output, but from what I’ve heard over the last decade, Boris have a keen ability to balance uptempo and sludgy heavy-rock brilliance with mellow, morose interludes. Sure, they’ve had some water-treading moments and some dubious tangents into poppier climes (“Party Boy,” anyone?), but these vets clearly hate predictability and stasis. Their latest, Noise, is getting deservedly mixed reviews, but when they’re on, Boris are electrifying masters of hairpin dynamics, exquisite tension building, and stunning riff construction. DAVE SEGAL
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(Neumos) Did the world need a post-modern concept album about a love affair between a working-class dude and his lover bombing a light-bulb factory, made by a Canadian hardcore band fronted by a bear of a man calling himself Pink Eyes? Maybe, maybe not, but Fucked Up clearly don’t give a shit either way and dropped the epically dense David Comes to Life to rave reviews back in 2011. Audiences and critics alike were enraptured by the sheer balls of the thing, plus some of the best punk anthems of the past half decade. And to be fair, calling Fucked Up a straight-up hardcore band at this point feels reductive: in many ways, their sound has become poppier and more accessible as the years have progressed, even incorporating cooing female backup singers as a counterpoint to Pink Eyes' man-possessed shrieking. Does the world need them? Who cares, as long as the tunes are of this caliber? KYLE FLECK
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Local music celebration VanFest is now in its fourth year of showcasing predominantly Northwest artists. Founder/superhuman Van Wolfe began organizing the fest while still attending Tahoma High School! The fest benefits a different charity every year, and this year's beneficiary is the Maple Valley Food Bank. Chicago folk-blues/soul up-and-comer Willis Earl Beal, who recently moved to Washington, shouldn't be missed by those who enjoy gutsy and rough-hewn songwriting. Another highlight is weirdo-folk local superstar Jason Webley, who never disappoints with his deeply rooted Americana storytelling, most recently illuminating the life of Everett pioneer-woman/poet Margaret Rucker—publishing her found scrapbook and compiling a tribute album inspired by her life. Other must-sees include Eastside indie-rock heroes/born-again emo revivalists Special Explosion and futurist hiphop from OCnotes. Bardo:Basho's minimalist experimental beats should also entrance audiences into an eerie bliss, while Richie Dagger's Crime offers some more variety with his quasi-dub poly-rock. For tickets and the full lineup of 36-plus artists, visit vanfest2014.bpt.me. Royal Arch Park, Maple Valley, noon–9 pm, $12 adv/$15 DOS. BRITTNIE FULLER

Support your local community DIY radio station—Hollow Earth—and its galactically glamorous mission to acquire two mirrored disco balls to inspire fabulousness at the station. The tiny space/community-arts hub has a certain "grunge" aesthetic—informed even more so by a recent building flood—but this stratospherically billed electronic/disco show can make fabulous transformations possible. Two of Seattle's most excellent dance acts headline the night: Airport is the Seattle disco revivalist, making stellar beats wonky and propulsive enough to realign the cosmos. Vox Mod's utterly groovy astral production separates mind and body with psychotropic rhythm constructions. Elsewhere on the bill, Punishment's genuinely hilarious comedy routine/bizarro synth pop and Marcus Price's sublimely textured electronics should inspire glittering moves. It will also be the first performance for Fantasy A, a hiphop project formed at Garfield High School. Get your platforms on and boogie-oogie! Hollow Earth Radio, 8 pm. BRITTNIE FULLER

And here's all our recommended music events—tonight, tomorrow, and beyond!