The Hold Steady, Jaill

(Showbox at the Market) Pretty sure you've heard this one before? Five albums into their career, it's clear that the Hold Steady aren't about to break from their well-worked formula: Craig Finn's sharp, self-referential short-story lyricism set to classic-rock riffage with reverent E-Street flair. The band's approach ain't broke, but this year's Heaven Is Whenever is unfortunately their weakest album to date, the latest in the gradual but steady decline since their outstanding 2005 opus Separation Sunday. Still, the Hold Steady's weakest is at least reliable raconteur 'n' roll, and Heaven is not without its shining moments (the lessons-in-love-learned chorus of "Soft in the Center," the rollicking, sketchy character sketch of "Hurricane J"). And the Hold Steady's wildly enthusiastic live show never fails to renew your faith in the whole enterprise. Show up in time to catch Milwaukee band Jaill's wire-taut, Midwestern rock. ERIC GRANDY

Exodus, Malevolent Creation, Holy Grail, Bonded by Blood

(Studio Seven) On a recent trip to the mighty Pacific with the intention of doing nothing but lighting a big-ass bonfire and then lighting off as many Fourth of July fireworks as our group could collectively afford, someone popped a cassette tape of Exodus's 1985 trash-metal opus Bonded by Blood into our crappy little boom box. Holy shitbombs. Everybody, and I mean everybody (20-year-olds included), started headbanging. Soon, some random roving beachgoers joined us. A grizzled fortysomething remarked, "Your fireworks are okay, but this music is killer. I fucking LOVE this album!" Bonded by Blood IS killer. Who knows if eight albums and 25 years later it sounds as crazy magical live as it did on that beach, but I'll be going to this show to find out. KELLY O

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