Eric Grandy interviews Art Brut and previews tonight's show:

Art Brut and Miike Snow

(Neumos) Miike Snow are three dudes (two from Sweden, one from New York City) whose production credits include Madonna, Britney Spears, and Kylie Minogue. Their self-titled debut is as expertly produced as you'd expect from such a pedigree, ditching the diva pop for blue-eyed soul and R&B (male) singing crooned over bright and breezy high-gloss electro-pop tracks. There's the sunny, ska-inflected, slightly Peter Gabriel—esque "Animal," with its loping beat, pasted synth horns, and up-picked guitar. There's the archly melancholic "Burial" ("Don't forget to cry/At your own burial"), whose lyrics are offset by a mellow xylophone melody, vocals stretched out like taffy or spun with air like cotton candy. It's not a flawless album ("Silvia" is skippable, even upon first listen), but it's hard to really get mad at anything this light and easy and ably done. One listen, and half of this album is totally stuck in my head. ERIC GRANDY

Also in Up & Coming tonight:

Point Juncture WA, the Pica Beats, Black Whales and Grant Olsen

(Chop Suey) The great thing about this year's Noise for the Needy festival is that just about every genre gets a turn in the spotlight. So tonight, while Black Eyes & Neckties and Loving Thunder rip the roof off the Wildrose, fans of a more-mellow vibe will sway and gaze at their shoes for Portland's Point Juncture, WA. The band's shimmering and swirling songs have blasts of tambourine, horns, and harmonies that have earned them comparisons to Yo La Tengo, Stereolab, and Spoon. Openers Black Whales are one of my favorite bearded, folk-tinged acts in Seattle right now (which is saying a lot, as there are many). If you find the Fleet Foxes' campfire sing-alongs to be a little too precious, you might want to try Black Whales on for size. MEGAN SELING

Casey Catherwood on the Lonely Forest in Underage:

The Lonely Forest, the Globes, Intimate Hordes

If you've been catching the growing wave of indie-pop bands coming out of the Northwest right now, it's hard to deny Anacortes band the Lonely Forest's steady rise to the top of the rip curl. Since their victory in 2006's EMP Sound Off! competition, the band have recorded with guru producer Jack Endino, written a wild rock opera about the end of the world, and recently played to a sold-out crowd of insanely loyal fans at the Vera Project for the release of their album We Sing the Body Electric. The album is the band's most comprehensive collection yet, a smooth amalgamation of the piano-driven ballads that typified lead singer John Van Deusen's early solo work and the band's recent turn toward head-bobbing rock-and-roll sing-alongs.

Remember to check our online music calendar for a complete listing of bands, DJs and live music.