This week, our music critics have picked everything from indie rock weirdos Modest Mouse to the face-melting and tear-inducing Next Exit: An Evening of Indigenous Music and Poetry to 21-year-old sugar trap rapper Rico Nasty (and Maliibu Miitch). Follow the links below for ticket links and music clips for all of their picks, and find even more shows on our complete music calendar.

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MONDAY

METAL/PUNK

Apotheon, Aethereus, Enigma, Increate, Odyssian
The original wave of death metal was primitive and raw, with heavy, distorted instruments played at lightning-fast speed, topped with indiscernible Cookie Monster growls. Over the past 30-plus years, bands like Nile, Necrophagist, and the Faceless have pushed the genre further than many could have imagined, upping the ante with precision technical skills and guitar wizardry. Tacoma’s Aethereus are clearly students of this more modern tech-death-metal wave, as the musicianship on their new album, Absentia, is razor-sharp, with enough pure guttural brutality to keep the death-metal purists happy and enough noodling to be considered grade-A guitar porn. KEVIN DIERS

TUESDAY

ELECTRONIC

De Lux, Traps PS, Strawberry Mountain
Even when it sounds easy, making music is hard. That’s the takeaway from LA band De Lux’s third album, More Disco Songs About Love, whose Talking Heads–referencing title feels just right for such a meta record. The duo overlay their slick, DFA Records–esque disco grooves with some of the most self-conscious songwriting this side of Father John Misty. There’s a song about paying rent (“875 Dollars”), a song about using music to pay the rent (“Writing Music for Money, To Write More Music”), and a song about being a music snob (“Music Snob”). Though the material is high-concept, it should still get bodies moving—it’s just dance music, after all. ANDREW GOSPE

JAZZ

Rochelle House with Evan Flory-Barnes and Andy Coe
In a blend of jazz, blues, and folk, from the traditional to the experimental, local long-gigging session and solo musicians Rochelle House, Evan Flory-Barnes, and Andy Coe will play a free, live set together.

TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY

JAZZ

Otis Taylor Band
My introduction to Otis Taylor was his third album, 2001’s White African. He’s from Colorado, but he took hill-country blues to heart, droning wickedly and refusing to change chords, except exactly where it would break the listener’s mind. He sang in the voice of a black man framed for a murder, lynched, doomed to roam railroad tracks and the wilderness alongside them as a ghost, trying in vain—and already losing hope—that anyone would ever hear. Well, that cost me a few winks. The new album is called Fantasizing About Being Black, so his humor is still obstinately corrosive, and over the years he’s added drums, trumpet, and a few other not-strictly-blues touches. But he’s still singing about death. About running, running, and don’t look back unless you want to see your last muzzle flash. ANDREW HAMLIN

WEDNESDAY

METAL/PUNK

Bewitcher, Substratum, Kömmand
Portland’s Bewitcher occupy an odd but stimulating niche in a world where mainstream rock seems to be receding ever further toward the horizon while subterranean permutations of the genre find new, rabid audiences. In the case of Bewitcher, emphasis on rabid is apropos. On the one hand, they embody the fantasy-metal sound that local openers Substratum likewise embody. On the other, they swear allegiance to the boozy rot-and-roll of Motörhead, Venom, Tank, or even modern hooded menaces Midnight. Expect an onslaught of blood, guts, and beer when their amps warm up. JOSEPH SCHAFER

ROCK/POP

Boris, Thrones
Back in 1996, Tokyo’s amp-worshipping juggernauts Boris played Moe’s (now Neumos) with sludge legend Joe Preston’s solo project Thrones as part of their first US tour. Now in their 25th year of activity, Boris have used their anniversary as an opportunity to revisit their extensive catalog of studio albums, import-only releases, small-run experimental offerings, and collaborative projects on social media. The big question is how they’ll acknowledge their quarter-century status onstage. Given the location and lineup, conditions seem ideal for a career-spanning set, but given Boris’s knack for defying expectations, the audience should be prepared for anything. BRIAN COOK

WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY

JAZZ

Pink Martini
Pink Martini’s name is apt. They’re slinky yet robust, fluffy and flamboyant while also exotic and classily tasteful. Portland’s self-styled little orchestra, maestro’d by pianist Thomas Lauderdale, flits through different moods and evokes a range of locales in music that is rooted in jazzy big band, classical, and classic pop realms, but is also heavy on global-music sounds. Both the lyrics and the instrumentals touch on Latin, Japanese, French, Italian, and several other non-American sonicscapes. China Forbes and Storm Large share lead vocal duties now, fronting an ensemble that is more than a dozen members strong. They play two consecutive nights here. LEILANI POLK

WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY

OPERA

Porgy and Bess
The setting: Charleston, South Carolina. The time: long ago. The story: Porgy is a beggar ("I Got Plenty o' Nuttin"); Bess is a loose woman ("Bess, O Where's My Bess?"). The two are part of a love triangle completed by Crown, a rough and manly longshoreman. Early in the opera, a craps game happens. But the pleasures of gambling do not last long. A fight erupts. Crown kills another man, Robbins. Crown flees before the police arrive. Bess, who is hated by the other women of the ghetto, moves in with the only man, Porgy, who will offer her protection from the law. Porgy falls in love with her; Bess fails to fall totally in love with him. The opera has a sad ending. But the George Gershwin opera provided jazz with two giant standards: "Summertime" and "I Loves You, Porgy." It's also considered by many as the United States' only legitimate contribution to the opera canon. CHARLES MUDEDE

THURSDAY

ROCK/POP

Next Exit: An Evening of Indigenous Music and Poetry
Indigenous punk rock meets indigenous poetry meets indigenous visual art at the opening of Demian DinéYazhi’s Brink Award exhibition. WEEDRAT will melt your face off with pure power, the Nizhóní Girls’ sludgy surf rock will give you a chance to put your face back on, but then Black Belt Eagle Scout will melt your face off again, this time with your own tears. (Her new album comes out in September on Saddle Creek.) In between sets, you’ll hear some quality poems from Sasha LaPointe, Sara Marie Ortiz, and DinéYazhi’. This is a dream-team lineup, and you’d be an idiot to miss it. RICH SMITH

Heiress, Great Falls, Kihalas, Deep Tissue, Ox Hunger
With a tradition of producing groups such as Karp and the Melvins, it’s no surprise that the Northwest is the current breeding ground for forward-thinking heavy bands, five of which are being showcased here. In their nine years of existence, Great Falls have a staggering 19 releases in their catalog, with their 20th being a highly anticipated, soon-to-come LP. They play chaotic and left-brained hardcore music that defies expectations. Joining them onstage are fellow Seattleites Ox Hunger, Heiress, Deep Tissue, and Kihalas, who play minimalistic synth music, sludgy hardcore, angular post-punk, and crushing doom, respectively. KEVIN DIERS

Sera Cahoone, Moon Palace, HYWAYS
HYWAYS’ self-titled debut is a crucial addition to the library of any alt-country aficionado. Yeah, the verse of “Ride Out of Here” is reminiscent of Son Volt’s “Tear Stained Eye,” and the opening bars of “Look Away” are eerily similar to Flying Burrito Brothers’ “Sin City,” but Jay Farrar and Gram Parsons did their own fair share of borrowing from the classics, and HYWAYS continue the fringe Americana tradition of recontextualizing old, familiar fragments with a modern subversive spin. Bolstered by woozy synths and glitchy VHS projections, HYWAYS’ live shows run a thread between yesteryear melodies and modern psychedelia. Highly recommended. BRIAN COOK

SOUL/R&B

GOODSTEPH, Cosmos, Lunarbass
Boldly creative Detroit native GOODSTEPH aims to examine the challenges of race and physical constraints through their alternative R&B, Afro-electric, jazz, and soul multimedia project that has both audio and visual components that assist in this social awareness path. They'll be joined by Cosmos and Lunarbass.

FRIDAY

JAZZ

D'Vonne Lewis' Limited Edition
D'Vonne Lewis is many things, but most importantly (to us, anyway) he is a graduate of the Roosevelt High School jazz program, a Stranger Genius, and Charles Mudede's favorite drummer. He'll be joined by his quartet for the evening.

ROCK/POP

Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite
Ben Harper is dangerously smooth, and corrals a team of exceptionally talented session musicians to back up his vision. He'll reunite with Charlie Musselwhite to push forward works of everyman fusion, of reggae and rock, frontier jazz and funk.

KEXP & Seattle Center Present: Concerts at the Mural 2018
In true KEXP summertime fashion, the station will be partnering with Seattle Center to provide another enjoyable round of free family-friendly concerts this year, headlined by local and touring artists. The Moondoggies, Jo Passed, and the Black Tones will wrap things up tonight.

The Smashing Pumpkins
Many old-school Smashing Pumpkins fans are up in arms that this 30th anniversary reunion tour of original members doesn’t include bassist D’arcy Wretzky. Different accounts have been circulating: It was either a cold-as-ice shaft via a rescinded invitation from Billy Corgan or a musician ghosting her old band. Whatever the case, Wretzky is not in the lineup, which features Joy Division/New Order bassist Jack Bates joining Corgan, guitarist James Iha, sometime Pumpkins guitarist Jeff Schroeder, and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. I’ve been reading good things about the shows, and the marathon set list seems to cover a lot of ground in the alt-rock band’s storied career—from Gish to 2000’s Machina/The Machines of Gods, some rare tracks, a few actual new songs, a cover or two. If you can get over Wretzky’s absence (and that supposedly sincere-if-you-were-there, kinda-smarmy-from-afar NYC blowout that didn’t include her but did feature guest Courtney Love), seems like it might be a good time. LEILANI POLK

Whitney Ballen, Snuff Redux, Big Buddy
Issaquah chanteuse Whitney Ballen makes music that sounds like it belongs on the Twin Peaks soundtrack. With all the spookiness of a mist-coated forest, Ballen’s voice is also tender enough to charm you into exploring the unknown. The mystery continues with the release of her sophomore full-length, You’re a Shooting Star, I’m a Sinking Ship, which drops on August 24. SOPHIA STEPHENS

FRIDAY-SATURDAY

METAL/PUNK

Pain in the Grass 2018
KISW's Pain in the Grass will take over Auburn for three straight days of rock and punk warfare thanks to massive headliners like Slayer, Alice in Chains, and many more.

ROCK/POP

Modest Mouse
In the idyllic and poetically lush vista of Port Townsend’s Fort Worden State Park, you’ll be able to spend an afternoon walking into wilderness trails, old bunkers, and one of the greatest shows of the summer. You’ll have your breath taken away by the waterscape bluff and become smitten knowing that the fort is a hotbed of artists resident-ing, Copper Canyon bards poet-ing, and creative weirdos, like Modest Mouse, weirdo-ing. Luckily, the sun will be warmly shining and you won’t be seeing “Grey Ice Water,” but you might be singing its hymn “out in the wind above ground out in the weather.” ZACH FRIMMEL

Paul Young and Midge Ure
“This means nothing to meeeeee! Ahhhhhhhhh, Viennaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!” If you weren’t listening to music in the 1980s, go ahead and look up Ultravox’s “Vienna.” The rest of us know what it was like. A synth bass sitting in judgment of some too-pretty keyboard parts floating by. Lyrics sensual but sad. And Midge Ure with that huge high note, and a few others, too. He rebuilt Ultravox after they fell apart. After Ultravox fell apart again, he went solo. Oh, and he co-masterminded Band Aid, Live Aid, and Live 8, three of the hugest charity concerts in history. On a more personal note, I’d like to thank him for Ultravox’s “Reap the Wild Wind.” That one helped me imagine, at least, that somebody understood. ANDREW HAMLIN

FRIDAY-SUNDAY

ELECTRONIC

Bass Canyon
Join up with your fellow celestial headbangers for three days of bass-heavy beats, featuring artists like Excision, Zomboy, Bear Grillz, 12th Planet, Barely Alive, and many more.

ROCK/POP

Gigantic Bicycle Festival
Every summer, the Gigantic Bicycle Festival prompts us to rethink how we access our activities. First you ride your bike (for 50 miles), and then you're done (hopefully) and you get to hang out, listen to music, check out art installations and food trucks, watch outdoor movies, and camp out. You also can just drive. This year, the likes of Karl Blau and LAKE will perform in celebration of the Northwest's favorite populist transit option: the bicycle.

SATURDAY

ELECTRONIC

Research: DJ Qu
New Jersey gets a deservedly bad rap for a lot of things: horrible freeways, overcrowded beaches, and that odor. But sandwiched between Philly and New York, the Garden State has a respectable musical legacy, including its own strains of house and club music. DJ Qu has assiduously cultivated a contemporary flavor of Jersey house, one he last graced Kremwerk with during a banger of a set in November 2016 that saw a packed house begging for more. This show should be a fitting end to summer. GREG SCRUGGS

ROCK/POP

9th Annual Linda's Fest
Capitol Hill brunch-and-brews institution Linda’s Tavern continues to give back to the community with a yearly sample of free local music. And while the average income of the restaurant’s neighbors continues to change, the sonic fare of Linda’s Fest does not—heavy, rhythmic, and loud continue to be adjectives of consequence. Because, really, what is the sound of brunch? It is the aural equivalent of that which quenches the hangover: grease, carbon, caffeine, and further blood-borne ethanol. This year’s amp-worship seminar features Helms Alee as keynote speaker. Support comes from Sandrider, Wild Powwers, Trash Fire, and Nox Novacula. JOSEPH SCHAFER

Ed Sheeran, Anne-Marie, Snow Patrol
Ed Sheeran is the redheaded stepchild of pop music. I know people are listening to him; that “Shape of You” song was nonstop on the airwaves for a while, he’s all over the charts, and all three of his LPs are multi-platinum sellers. But damn if I can find one person who will admit to liking him. In fact, people hated on the gingery Brit so hard that he quit Twitter for a year due to the incessant abuse. I admit to not disliking him. He seems like a charming enough lad, he’s doing the whole R&B vocal thing, and he adds some beat-savviness and folkiness to his Top 40 strut. His hooks are sing-alongable, if grating and not quite smart enough to be trite. And, hey, he guest-starred on Game of Thrones—that’s gotta count for something, right? LEILANI POLK

Fear, CH3, the Lucky Boys
True punk-rock royalty, Fear are responsible for one of the most iconic moments in Saturday Night Live history. The Los Angeles hardcore band played three songs in 1981 at the request of John Belushi, as their fans from up and down the East Coast—including members of Cro-Mags, Minor Threat, and Negative Approach—violently slam-danced, causing a reported $20,000 in damage and creating a long-lasting visual that was one of the first mainstream examples of what punk rock really is. Thirty-six years after their first full-length, you can still “Have a Beer with Fear.” KEVIN DIERS

SALES, No Vacation
Orlando duo SALES build their songs from a simple but effective set of ingredients: modest drum-machine beats, languid guitar arpeggios, Lauren Morgan’s lovelorn vocals, and lots of reverb. The result is crystalline indie pop that’s as refreshing as cracking a La Croix at your unairconditioned coworking space that costs $300 a month. SALES work with a similar palette of sounds as Beach House, though they eschew that group’s mysticism and don’t strive for the same climactic heights. This is down-to-earth, plainspoken dream pop about love and heartbreak that’s hard not to like. ANDREW GOSPE

Slow Code, Voycheck, Medicine Bows, Bobcat
Having headlined around Seattle’s decibel-friendly venues for years, the local indignants in Slow Code are the hardest-working band in the ’90s screamo business since Page 99. The pounds of sweat that trio pours onto the floor while slinging around their augmented alterity is some chronicles of gnarly. That means this tour kickoff show won’t stay dry for a second. Hot on Slow Code’s heels, Seattle’s Medicine Bows are gaining momentum in their headlining and headbanger footsteps. As aggressive ancestors, Voycheck and Bobcat will solidify that it’s going to be hot ’n’ heavy at one of Seattle’s greatest punk dive bars. ZACH FRIMMEL

SUNDAY

BLUES/COUNTRY/FOLK

Shemekia Copeland
Grammy-nominated blues wailer Shemekia Copeland has been touring behind her exemplary eighth album, Outskirts of Love, as solid a mission statement to be issued by any blueswoman in our fraught 21st century. Daughter of Johnny Copeland and a powerful belter in her own right, Shemekia Copeland updates the history of blues with her own idiosyncratic take on the genre: opening it up to modernity without undermining the earnestness and humor inherent to the genes of the thing. KYLE FLECK

HIPHOP/RAP

Rico Nasty, Maliibu Miitch
Twenty-one-year-old rapper Rico Nasty has dubbed her pugnacious style “sugar trap,” a sound she’s honed across the six mixtapes she’s released since her late teens. The most recent, major-label debut Nasty, is the most effective showcase yet for her distinctive sound, combining 808-heavy trap, bubblegum pop, and Warped Tour-era mall punk. The constant battle-rap provocation is what stands out at first (“Bitch, I’m nasty,” she repeats on the opening track), but it’s offset with sincere moments of vulnerability. Rico Nasty recently landed on the cover of FADER, a favorite publication of rap-internet aesthetes; don’t be surprised if the mainstream takes notice next. ANDREW GOSPE

ROCK/POP

Freakout Presents: The Sonics with Acid Tongue
The point of garage rock has always been to get in, raise a ruckus, and split the scene. The genre will never die, but the musicians tend to move on as they age, while rambunctious youngsters step in to take their place. The Sonics, on the other hand, were always a breed apart. In the 1960s, they rocked the hardest, wrote the punchiest songs, and wore the best damn fuzzy sweaters. After three decades of fragmentation, they roared back to life in 2007. Since then, they’ve collaborated with Mudhoney, gotten name-checked by LCD Soundsystem (“the Sonics, the Sonics, the Sonics, the Sonics”), and put out a shockingly fine return-to-form, This Is the Sonics, in 2015. Not bad for a little indie band from Tacoma. KATHY FENNESSY