THURSDAY 5/22

The Bad Plus, Osmosis

(Tractor) See The Score, page 43.

Rockers, Suits & The Kids Jam: Mike Huckabee, Alan White, Bob Tomberg, Reek Havok, Shelly Tomberg, DJ Dave Airborne

(Old Fire House) Old Fire House Teen Center, you are breaking my fucking heart! I can't imagine what you hope to achieve for the kids you serve by hosting recent presidential candidate Mike "I don't like gays, immigrants, non-Christians, reproductive rights, sex education, or evolution, but I do ROCK" Huckabee for a jam sesh, but if I were still a disaffected teenager living in Redmond, I would be out front protesting this lame, archconservative ass-hat—not rocking out with him inside. What's next for the kids, a convenient military-recruitment station on-site? Evangelical prayer groups? In the endless, boring flatscape of suburbia, the OFH used to be a lone glimmer of punk cool, DIY ethics, and, well, hope. If it's going to host shit like this, it might as well be another shopping mall. ERIC GRANDY

FRIDAY 5/23

Apparat, Truckasauras, Nordic Soul

(Neumo's) See Bug in the Bassbin, page 40.

Fucking Rad, Treasure Fingers, Kill the Noise, Recess vs. Levi Clark

(Chop Suey) Grilling up backyard-barbecue dance-pawty beats with his laptop on a blender bender, Atlanta-based Ashley "Treasure Fingers" Jones has pushed mad air with tangy synth-funk bangers over the past 365. Also a member of distended drum 'n' bass trio Evol Intent, Jones uses Treasure Fingers to concentrate on partner skate-friendly grooves and Big Room blips for the honey dips, which has landed him a spot alongside A-Trak and Nick Catchdubs on the Fool's Gold Records roster. Like Reebok Pumps, New York's Kill the Noise keep it tight while you get loose, adding to the glitchy growl and tecktonik melodic shifts. Also calling you to strike a pose will be the achy breakbeat heartz of Recess vs. Levi Clark, Ryle, Sir Kutz, Grym vs. Flatlyne, and more. TONY WARE

Holy Ghost Revival, the Greatest Hits, the Spurts, Ben Funkhouser

(King Cobra) Hey, did that lineup say Ben Funkhouser—aka that 16-year-old kid who books the Fusion Cafe, aka the world's biggest superfan? Where is he going to pop up next, on Entertainment Tonight? Anyhow, this show is a good-bye blowout for electric glam-rockers Holy Ghost Revival. Those longhairs are moving to Great Britain for six months to drum up a crowd at the behest of their European major label, 1965. This is me sobbing in the corner reminiscing over a glass of whiskey: "Remember when [lead singer] Conor Kiley was hanging from the Comet's light fixture and it was falling and so he swung into the crowd and almost kicked me in the face?" I'm gonna miss those guys. ARI SPOOL

The Presets, Walter Meego, DJs Fucking In the Streets and Figo

(Nectar) Australian duo the Presets may be the most perplexing of Modular's stable of new-wave revivalists. While labelmates Cut Copy crank out dopey electro-pop jams, the Presets aim for more profound insights, and sing about love and relationships with pithy intellect. Unfortunately, their new album, Apocalypso, doesn't live up to its great title, and doesn't have as many musical ideas as Cut Copy's wonderfully goofy In Ghost Colours. But let's focus on the positive: The Presets know how to play the synth arpeggio-and-four-four gimmicks that typify this rapidly gentrifying genre. Some of the tracks, particularly "Kicking and Screaming," will make your body move as long as you don't think about it too much. MOSI REEVES

Thrice, Circa Survive, Pelican

(Showbox Sodo) Thrice shook some of the stigma of their early pop/hardcore crossover albums during their major-label stint, and continue to do so with the ambitious four-volume Alchemy Index. Thrice make a point of displaying their varied inspirations by encompassing noisy metal, electronic-infused post-rock, and fire-and-brimstone folk. Perhaps that's part of the reason they've invited Pelican along on this tour—these instrumental darlings of the underground art-metal community lend an air of credibility to the bill. On their end, Pelican are provided with the opportunity to bring their epic compositions to an audience beyond bearded vinyl collectors. It's a mutually beneficial scenario: Pelican taps into Thrice's mainstream success, and the headliner garners some of the opener's cult status. BRIAN COOK

Rain Fest

(Viaduct) If four-part harmonies, crowded campgrounds, and vintage rockers like R.E.M. and the Cure isn't the scene you're looking for this weekend, consider another option: Rain Fest, the hardcore/metal music festival that's invading Tacoma's all-ages venue the Viaduct from Friday through Sunday. Tickets are about $45 cheaper per day than that other festival, you don't have to sleep in a grass-covered parking lot, and with over 50 artists spread over the weekend there are plenty of chances to see something exciting. A day-to-day schedule and ticket information can be found on Line Out (www.thestranger.com/lineout). Even if you do hope to make it over to Sasquatch! starting Saturday, tonight's lineup would be a perfect preparty with performances from Akimbo, Himsa, and the sadly soon-to-be-defunct Sinking Ships. MEGAN SELING

SATURDAY 5/24

Young Soprano, Neema, DJ MoneyD

(Chop Suey) See My Philosophy, page 39.

Occultural Music Festival

(Rendezvous) See the Score, page 43.

The Fall of Troy, the Dear Hunter, Foxy Shazam, Tera Melos

(El Corazón) Haven't seen the Fall of Troy lately? Well, the band you remember have changed. Late last year, FoT original bassist Tim Ward left (the trio was notorious for both on- and offstage fighting), and remaining boys Thomas Erak and Andrew Forsman brought on Frank Black (no, not that one, a different one, from a band called... Of Stalwart Fads) to supply the low end. It's too soon to know if Black's presence will change the band's dynamic in the studio, but Erak's excited about the new vibe he brings to the live show. FoT will need that added energy to follow Roseville, California's frantic, technical, riff-a-riffic trio Tera Melos, who take the stage thrashing seriously and don't stop until something's torn, bleeding, or deaf. MEGAN SELING

Ladytron, Datarock

(Showbox at the Market) Ladytron's forthcoming album, Velocifero, delivers more of what you've come to expect from these impeccably coiffed electro rockers post Light & Magic: Perfectly polished shoe-shopping music that doesn't always manage to follow you out of the Urban Outfitters. That's fine—people need shoes, after all—and the album's handful of superior songs, like the lilting (and appropriately haunting) "Ghosts" or the Depeche Mode–meets–Add N to (X) analog machinations of "Black Cat" or the dark, looming "Predict the Day," pleasantly recall the band's earlier highs. Sadly, it's a well-known fact that Ladytron are boring as sin live, every bit as cold, distant, disaffected, but pretty as they sound on record. Datarock have matching tracksuits and are from Norway. ERIC GRANDY

SUNDAY 5/25

M83, Berg Sans Nipple, Head Like a Kite

(Neumo's) See Album Reviews, page 37, and Stranger Suggests, page 17.

One Be Lo, Blu, Macklemore, the Physics, DJ Marc Sense

(Chop Suey) Local hiphop duo the Physics might very well be the first crew to fully absorb Seattle's long-booming high-tech industry into hiphop terms. Seven or so years ago I wrote this: "MC Solaar's track 'Wonderbra' is hiphop's expression of Paris's long-established high-fashion industry. When he says 'je représente le Wonderbra,' he is saying 'I represent Paris.' Similarly, when the rapper in L.A.'s Styles of Beyond says he is carrying a briefcase that's 'packed with explosives' ('Spies Like Us'), he is saying 'This is what Los Angeles is about'—the film industry. Seattle rappers have often mentioned the rain and the area code (206), but no one has really made a track that translates into Microsoft." This finally happened last year with the Physics' "Future Talk." Lyrically and musically, the track turns Seattle's new source of wealth into a fresh hiphop beat. CHARLES MUDEDE

MONDAY 5/26

Unwed Sailor, Sybris, Joy Wants Eternity

(Sunset) It's a good thing Unwed Sailor are headlining tonight's show. Shoegazers Joy Wants Eternity create emotive and dynamic instrumental landscapes, but they're not something to end a show with. Their songs are dark and heavy. Their melodies, though beautiful, are haunting; if you're not careful, they'll hang over your head all night. But tonight, Unwed Sailor's brighter songs will clear the air. "Copper Islands," off their new album, Little Wars, breaks through the fog with a vibrancy reminiscent of the Arcade Fire. Even in the song's calmer moments, the mood remains optimistic, with light synthesizer and lively guitars. Their songs are cleansing—you'll walk out of the Sunset renewed. MEGAN SELING

Mouseheart Factor

(Chop Suey) Anacortes is a funny place—a surprisingly hip little burg that seems like it should harbor cover bands instead of fostering indie rock. But as anyone who's ever had the good fortune to play the Brown Lantern can attest, it's a welcoming and friendly environment, which is why it's no real shock that the city would produce a band as unique as Mouseheart Factor. The band's excellent new album, I Can Say It Is Even When It's Not, is unlike anything else you'll hear this year. Part glam rock with some almost show-tuney bravado, a dash of post-punk, and a smidgen of gloom pop, it's music that could only be created in the kind of vacuum where experimentation is rewarded and credibility is measured by effort instead of hipster influences. BARBARA MITCHELL

Swervedriver, Film School, Hypatia Lake

(Neumo's) Say what you will about steam power or the incandescent bulb, but it was the automobile that thrust us into the 20th century. And when it comes to combustion engines, a name springs to mind. No, not just Model T. I'm talking Swervedriver, the British quartet that revved up the sonically fricative shoegazer scene when they debuted in 1990 with the EP Son of Mustang Ford. And music, like speed, can be as fleeting as it is bracing. Releasing four albums of melodic peel outs and guitar-pedal-striated tracers, Swervedriver went on hiatus following 1998's 99th Dream, but have reunited after almost a decade (reunions, so hot right now). Expect to hydroplane through dynamically siped jams when Swervedriver appear with Film School and Hypatia Lake. TONY WARE

TUESDAY 5/27

Sleeping off Sasquatch!

WEDNESDAY 5/28

Wild Orchid Children, Strong Killings, the Get Off, Champagne Champagne

(El Corazón) See Stranger Suggests, page 17.

The Von Bondies, Die! Die! Die!, Guns & Rossetti

(High Dive) There's nothing precious or pretentious to the Von Bondies—this Detroit band are pure, simple rock 'n' roll. Their proximity to the White Stripes may have given them a leg up on the competition for attention, but it's their songs—catchy nuggets of pure, unbridled energy—that set them apart. In fact, it's hard not to get a contact high off of their latest album, Love, Hate and Then There's You. Like Red Bull and vodka, it's an energizing and intoxicating cocktail that's equal parts pop masterpiece and devil-may-care swagger, with a healthy dose of punk brilliance thrown in for good measure. BARBARA MITCHELL

Chin Chin, Eldrige Gravy & the Court, Supreme, DJ Leopold Bloom

(Nectar) Chin Chin are a funk/jazz combo that record for indie hiphop heavyweight Def Jux. They began, in 2001, as a casual, improvisational backing band for MCs at a monthly party in Brooklyn. Since then, they have stepped out from behind the MCs to become their own full-fledged band. Maybe they shouldn't have. Their latest, self-titled album is a capable enough mix of loungey jazz and upbeat funk, but it's impossible to enjoy for all the cheese of the vocals, which alternate between too-polished falsetto croon and unbearable honky scat rap. It's like some awful jazz session musician attempt at !!!'s dance-party-starting routine, and it comes off every bit as bad as that sounds. ERIC GRANDY

The Long Blondes

(Neumo's) Sheffield quintet the Long Blondes showed ample bravado with their 2006 debut, Someone to Drive You Home. But on the follow-up, Couples, they do something truly gutsy and explode their taut yet muscular sound into a million tiny, disparate pieces. But listen closely, and each of those fragments is a self-contained marvel. Rugged disco opener "Century" features an intro lifted straight from one of Bowie's Low instrumentals, with singer Kate Jackson swapping her declamatory style for a spot-on Debbie Harry croon. The clipped "Here Comes the Serious Bit" boasts a chorus on par with their best, but the dreamy "Nostalgia" feels far more compelling. Dark yet inviting, Couples evokes entering a favorite room, only to find the furniture shrouded, forcing you to view the scene anew. KURT B. REIGHLEY

'Ball of Wax 12' CD Release Party

(Sunset) Ball of Wax is Levi Fuller's Seattle-based audio quarterly. The spring 2008 edition features 21 songs by artists from all over the world, including one sung in Swedish. Performing at this show will be Origami Ghosts, Jeremy Burk, the Crying Shame, Devoirs, Poland, and many more—there will be nine sets in all. With the $6 cover, you get a free CD. Fuller says, "The music goes from 8:30 pm sharp until the end of the night. Everybody plays for 15 or 20 minutes, with about 5 minutes between bands. If you're not feeling who is onstage, wait a few minutes. I feel a little like that guy that sells carpet and flooring right now: There is no better musical value in this city!" TRENT MOORMAN