The Thermals
The Thermals will release their fourth album, Now We Can See, on April 7 via Kill Rock Stars, and if you have ears, a heart, and a head, you should be eagerly counting the days until then. If past releases are any indication, the Thermals' new one should be another too-short (they're always too short) burst of concisely cutting lyrics set to hard-charging, hook-heavy pop-punk given to moments of transcendent uproar. The band should debut a shitload of new material at this show, despite their guitarist/singer's recently busted finger. With the Shaky Hands and Champagne Champagne. (Chop Suey, 1325 E Madison St, 324-8000. 8 pm, $14, all ages.) Eric Grandy

The English Beat
(Showbox at the Market) Thirty years after their formation in Birmingham, the (English) Beat are back on the road. Since there hasn't been a note of new Beat music since 1982—which brought the release of the gorgeous, underrated Special Beat Service—this can only mean tonight's show will be exactly what you hope it will: a greatest-hits victory lap by the tightest, most musical band of its era. As 2 Tone kids, the Beat lit a fire under the world's ass with their itchy rhythms and openhearted melodies, and I imagine the professional-musician adults of today's Beat are as hungry to re-create that glorious racket as you are to hear it. DAVID SCHMADER

Fall Out Boy
(Paramount) I could talk a lot of shit about Fall Out Boy—and I will here, briefly, because their admittedly catchy Top 40 hits are still Pro-Tooled, formulaic piles of steaming poop. But your little sister could love a worse band. Sure, the dudes dish out unbearable rock, but they've done some respectable things, like recently donating $50,000 to the No on Prop 8 campaign. And fame-whore Pete Wentz may have named his kid Bronx Mowgli after a character in The Jungle Book, but he also spent time speaking out against the proposition and urged his fans to educate themselves on the cause and vote. So thanks, dudes. I may not like your music, but I'd still buy you a beer. MEGAN SELING

Throw Me the Statue, No-Fi Soul Rebellion, Truckasauras, DJ Fucking in the Streets, Sam Rousso Soundsystem
(Neumos) It's officially the holiday season, and with this year being totally fucked up because of the economy, treat yourself to the best gift of all—a stress-free night of getting drunk, dancing, and maybe making out with a nice-looking stranger in a dark corner under some mistletoe! Tonight's show—with Throw Me the Statue's playful, flirty pop, and Truckasauras's sexy, crunchy electro-rock—is a fantastic way to kick off the season of merriment, and it's also a CD release party for Throw Me the Statue's new EP Purple Face. And since it's early in the month, you'll still have some time to recover (and find a new date, should that stranger in the corner turn out to be a dud) before New Year's. MEGAN SELING

And more! There's always more!