Black Lips, Pierced Arrows, Unnatural Helpers
(Neumo’s) What a freakout. Back in October, I turn on the TV and there’re the frickin’ Black Lips on the Conan O’Brien show—there’s guitarist Cole Alexander doing backward somersaults in the middle of new jam “O Katrina,” off 2007’s Good Bad Not Evil, while guest Marky Mark Wahlberg looks on. Last year was a big one for the Lips—two full-length albums on Vice Records, big love from both Spin and Rolling Stone, endless touring, and a shit-ton of national exposure after the New York Times named them “The Hardest Working Band” at SXSW. I remember watching them play the Comet Tavern five years ago, and Cole dropped his pants and played guitar with his penis. He didn’t necessarily play it well, but he played it. Now there he is doing somersaults on TV and not missing a chord. So larger than life! Well, large until eight-foot-tall Conan came onstage to thank them for playing and they all looked like midgets. Anyway, 2008 is gonna be a big year for the band, too, and true to the title of the band’s blog: THEY FUN. They’re forever and always garage-punk fun. KELLY O

Blood on the Wall, Loving Thunder, Katharine Hepburn’s Voice
(Sunset) Familial Brooklyn trio Blood on the Wall (guitarist/vocalist Brad Shanks and bassist/vocalist Courtney Shanks are siblings) recall a golden decade of early indie rock that includes the likes of Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth, and Pixies, among others. Like those bands, Blood on the Wall obscure simple, sweet pop songwriting with blasts of guitar noise and divert easy riffs into cathartic, feedback-soaked thrash jams. “Hibernation,” the three-chord, drug-surf rave-up that kicks off their latest album, Liferz, is immediately catchy. When the song reaches its bridge, one minute and 30 seconds in, Courtney’s frozen-over vocals giving way to Brad’s bark, it’s undeniable. From there, the album tears through delicate drone pop (“Lightning Song”), sad-punk stomps (“Liferz”), and careening speed trials (the under-two-minute peel outs of “Go Go Go” and “Turn Around and Shut Up”). ERIC GRANDY

Also tonight, Three Inches of Blood at El Corazon. You know, if you’re into face-melting Canadian metal.