CocoRosie, Cibelle

(Showbox at the Market) CocoRosie are a divisive, if not flat-out widely disliked, band. The twee, folkadelic, fond-of-beat-boxing sister act's last three albums have landed in the 2.3—5.1 range of Pitchfork's 10 rating system—worse than it sounds given that the big hump of that site's bell curve sits in the 6—8 area, making anything under 5 kind of a slap. Metacritic's more forgiving metrics (it averages the ratings of many reviews) give those albums a mean (in the mathematical, not the snarky sense) rating of 59, 60, and 67 out of 100, respectively. In academic terms, those are Fs and (to quote Kanye West quoting Radio Raheem) "Ds, motherfucker, Ds."

Beyond the numbers, of course, people just say mean things about the sisters Sierra and Bianca Casady. Spin, in a zero-­stars review of their 2005 sophomore album, Noah's Ark, memorably said: "They make each shimmer of postnatal whimsy seem like an eternal gulag of the spotless mind." One particularly bone-picking (and off-base) critic, writing for Brainwashed .com, called them "Cocoracist" (for reasons we'll explore later) in an article subtitled "You're So Worldly, How's Mom's Audi?" Why all the hate? The Stranger attempts to get to the bottom of this pressing issue in popular music. ERIC GRANDY

Read more in the Preview.

Solvent, Lusine, Relcad

(Electric Tea Garden) Though I'm in the minority on this point, I think that Solvent (aka Jason Amm) peaked with his self-titled 1998 debut album. It remains an oddity in the Zimbabwe-born Toronto producer's catalog: a bold slab of weirdly textured and oddly angled IDM. Shortly after Solvent, a strong work with admittedly limited appeal, Amm staked out more retro-leaning ground, lavishing his prodigious skills on perfecting that candied strain of UK electro pop from the early '80s with fetishistic zeal. The man clearly adores OMD, Vince Clarke—helmed Depeche Mode, Gary Numan, and Yaz, and the bulk of Solvent's oeuvre can stand up to the lofty standards set by those synth jockeys. It's not easy to achieve the rigid, frigid atmospheres and cutely robotic rhythms that those artists mustered while still imbuing the music with moving sentiments, but Solvent's pretty much nailed it. DAVE SEGAL

Mash Hall, Cloud Nice, DJ Suspence

(Columbia City Theater) Columbia City Theater has been around since 1917. It's hosted Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Fats Waller. It was a neighborhood movie theater in the '50s and a rave venue in the '90s. Early this year, the lights went dark and the gas was shut off. Now, with new ownership and after months of renovations, the attractive brick-walled theater is reopening with a weekend of free music. Tonight: prankster rappers Mash Hall, Beacon Hill hiphop collective Cloud Nice, and the omnivorous DJ Suspence; Saturday: Grand Hallway, Drew Grow and the Pastors' Wives, and Kelli Schaefer. ERIC GRANDY

NOMO, Rubblebucket

(Tractor) Americans trying their hands (and feet) at Afrobeat should always be viewed with some skepticism. But some Yanks get it right: NOMO, for example. The large Ann Arbor/Chicago ensemble began their existence as fairly blatant Fela Kuti acolytes, but their last two albums—Ghost Rock and Invisible Cities—have found NOMO expanding beyond that narrow if fertile niche into astral jazz, post rock, and trance funk, all of which they execute with grace and soul. Live, NOMO conjure celebratory moods and whip crowds into sweaty, writhing throngs through intricately interlocking rhythms, fluid bass lines, triumphant horn charts, and the magic of electrified likembes built by group leader Elliot Bergman, which give NOMO's jams a hypnotic, Congotronics-esque aura. By gig's end, NOMO will have you saying, "Yes, more!" DAVE SEGAL

The Cops, the Catheters, the Tripwires, the Basements, DJ Danger Nun

(Sunset) Holy shit, the Catheters? The motherfucking Catheters? Hell yes, friends, the very same chaotic punk rock band that took Seattle's music scene by storm and released a slew of blistering 7-inches, EPs, and full-lengths on Empty Records and Sub Pop before playing their last show at the Sunset back in 2004. Woo boy, this is gonna be nuts. Since their demise, the band's members have gone on to play in perfectly good bands like Tall Birds, Black Whales, and the Girls, but the Catheters were still missed by many (read: me), and they left an unforgettable legacy of bratty, beer-fueled garage rock in their wake. Fitting that they'd come back from the dead to play at the very same bar where it all ended, in celebration of the Sunset's 10-year anniversary. Looks like the Ouija board has been working overtime, as the recently deceased Cops have been summoned back from the other side tonight as well. MEGAN SELING

Benny Benassi, Hyperfunk, Kreeper

(Showbox Sodo) Like a lot of brand-name DJs, Italian jock Benny Benassi has one great crossover hit under his belt—in his case, the certifiably bananas, once inescapable anthem "Satisfaction." (Pro tip: Seek out Danish trio Who Made Who's live dance-rock take on the track, which includes a similar version of Mr. Oizo's "Flat Beat" on the flip side.) Beyond that big, cheesy choon, Benassi's prolific discography proves that the producer has kept plenty busy in the years since—releasing a slew of singles and DJ mixes, and recording with or remixing everyone from Iggy Pop to OutKast to Madonna—even if his later efforts haven't quite achieved the same level of mass consciousness penetration. Tonight, expect brash, maximalist club tracks that attack pop music with arena-sized techno buzz saws and ballistic bass thump, all efficiently mixed so you can get your... well, you know. ERIC GRANDY

And there's always more in our complete music calendar listings.