Alex Barck will be representing German DJ/production crew Jazzanova tonight at Chop Suey. In addition to Charles Mudede's Up & Coming preview, here are a couple more incentives to check him out: an hour-long DJ mix titled Based on Misunderstandings that covers a lot of interesting ground, and an interview with Jazzanova's members (see video).

The strong supporting cast includes DJ Riz (KEXP) and the Made Like a Tree DJs Struggle and D'jeronimo in the lounge, and SunTzu Sound opening for Jazzanova in the main room. Diverse, top-flight dance music happens 9 pm-2 am; 1325 E. Madison St./21+/$12 adv. Tickets available at Ticketweb.com and Chop Suey box office.

(Also, techno DJs M'chateau, Ctrl_Alt_Dlt, and Jonny Romero will be hosting an afterhours show at Electric Tea Garden starting at 1:30 am. Entry is $5 with a Chop Suey stamp.)

From Up & Coming:

Built to Spill, Disco Doom, Finn Riggins

(Showbox at the Market) Built to Spill's recent performances—whether revisiting the entirety of Perfect from Now On or structuring their set lists based on their fans' requests—have found the indie veterans dwelling on their back catalog. So if you've seen the band in the last 18 months, you've probably caught an uncharacteristically nostalgic angle of Doug Martsch and company. It's unfortunate—while Ancient Melodies of the Future and You in Reverse have yet to achieve the cult status of their early albums, it doesn't mean they're not incredible records. With last month's release of their seventh studio full-length, There Is No Enemy, it's likely the majority of tonight's set will feature newer material. And that should be every bit as exciting as hearing the band play "Car" again. BRIAN COOK

Mount Eerie, Cars & Trains, Naomi Punk, Secret Colors

(UW HUB) Tonight, the UW's student-run, web-only radio station RainyDawg Radio (KEXP and KUOW use up all of the university's actual airwave allotment) hosts its third annual local-music showcase. Headlining is Anacortes's Mount Eerie (aka Phil Elverum), whose latest album, Wind's Poem, finds Elverum using slow, muddy metal riffing as almost ambient backdrops for his usual soft-edged singing. Opening is Seattle act Secret Colors (aka Matt Lawson), whose latest release, Infinite Wandering, is straight-up ambient, no riffing about it. In between are Portland one-man band Cars & Trains, who accents singer-songwriter acoustics with twee, twitchy electronic touches, and locals Naomi Punk, who play slo-mo, sun-bleached rock with the vocals reverberating in from way back in the mix. ERIC GRANDY

Girls Rock! Benefit: Goodness, the Redwood Plan, Eighteen Individual Eyes, Alicia Dara

(High Dive) An invaluable defense against the ever-present sexism of the music business and the world in general, Girls Rock! is the nonprofit devoted to "building positive self-esteem in girls and encouraging creative expression through music." Tonight's benefit helps guarantee the continuance of the Girls Rock! mission—including the legendary Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls—and features a quartet of femme-powered acts, from Lilith-friendly folk pop (Carrie Akre's Goodness, Alicia Dara) to post-riot-grrrl-y spike pop (Lesli Wood's the Redwood Plan, Eighteen Individual Eyes). DAVID SCHMADER

Android Hero, Lozen, Madraso, Dog Shredder

(Sunset) Though the name is new, Dog Shredder are essentially the continuation of defunct Bellingham trio Cicadas. Aside from a new bass player and moniker, the gist is pretty much the same: They aim to play the most blaring, technical, breakneck instrumental thrash you've ever heard. Though sheer musicianship is at the forefront, Dog Shredder are more than just a group of guys who excel at their instruments—they're striving to write monumental prog masterpieces, and their chops and their intentions work together most harmoniously. They've recently added the raddest prog song of all time, Yes's "Heart of the Sunrise," to their repertoire. Dog Shredder possess that rare combination of lofty ambitions and phenomenal skill that is downright unfuckwithable. JEFF KIRBY

Eek-A-Mouse

(Neumos) Bong bong bitty bong bong. The ganja smuggler himself, roots superstar Eek-A-Mouse, is here to stay. Reggae fans worldwide have loved the Mouse's comic, OG singjay stylings since he first hit in 1980—particularly in live settings, where his six-foot-six frame, lunatic toasting, and gift for hilariously inventive gibberish (even by reggae standards) can charm the hemp pants off of any crowd. Eek's sharp storytelling can be heard in the classic "Ganja Smuggling," which details that job's unglamorous lifestyle, or the wondrous "Peeni Walli," the touching story of a man getting hit by a motorcycle. Beyond all that, the Mouse is a cultural innovator: Internets sensation Reh Dogg bit his entire uncomfortable steez from Eek's epically awesome "Schizophrenic" video. Wa-Do-Dem. LARRY MIZELL JR.

Jazzanova, SunTzu Sound, DJ Riz, DJ Struggle & D'Jeronimo

(Chop Suey) We cannot separate Berlin's Jazzonova from the '90s (the group formed in 1995) in the same way that we cannot separate Kruder & Dorfmeister from that time. Personally, I have always experienced their music as a kind of beat-tourism. Their tracks transport me to a variety of places and situations. For example, the dubby "Bohemian Sunset" is set in the tropics, with its passionate birds and restless reptiles. The broken beats of "No Use" take me to an urban club that features a soul singer from one of America's northern cities. "Introspection" ushers me to the underground of an even larger and more mysterious city. As for the group's masterpiece, "Coffee Talk," I'm transported to a whole other planet, namely Venus, with its warm mists and velvety skies. Each place I visit, I always find the ground of a fresh beat that has either a hint of hiphop or a touch of bossa nova. CHARLES MUDEDE

Wolfmother, Thenewno2, Heartless Bastards

(Paramount) Borrowing from early rock giants is a tricky task. Nods to guitar titans like Blue Cheer and Deep Purple can earn you points with the old guard, pop-culture historians, and music nerds, but the not-so-subtle referencing can render you a novelty act—a band with a great record collection, but one lacking any concept of what's relevant in the present age. Wolfmother are a perfect example. Their vintage pre-metal groove is solid, but the context is troubling. These kinds of songs don't pose the same threat they did 30 years ago, rendering their more visceral attributes inert. But perhaps they're merely aiming to be a pop band with a little classic-rock grit, in which case they're better off selling their albums at Starbucks. BRIAN COOK

Kids and Animals, New Faces, Black Whales, Conservative Dad, Colonies, Post Harbor

(Vera) Tonight's show is a release party for both Kids and Animals and Conservative Dad. For the past year, Conservative Dad have been experimenting with their sound and releasing quarterly EPs of the results, from heavier rock to catchy pop; tonight they issue the last EP of the year. Kids and Animals still have a lot of growing up to do, but their self-titled debut shows promise. Their youth is apparent in the silly lyrics of songs like "46th Street" and there are obvious nods throughout the record to Lonesome Crowded West—era Modest Mouse, but they're also obviously competent musicians; they haven't picked a bad muse. Once they find their own direction, K&A have the potential to be an indie-rock force of their own. MEGAN SELING

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

Ctrl_Alt_Dlt (aka former Data Breaker subject Chris Aldrich) has started spinning his cerebral, sexy brand of techno at B&O Espresso in Capitol Hill on Thursday nights. He's consistently one of the most discerning and technically adroit selectors in this city's crowded techno gene pool.

Aldrich also spins at the monthly Sweatbox Off the Deep End night on the third Wednesdays at Triple Door with Jonny Romero.

From Data Breaker:

Plump DJs

(Trinity) Plump DJs—England's Andy Gardner and Lee Rous—rank among the elite producer/DJs of nu skool breaks, a subgenre with deep roots in big beat—the mid-'90s movement that spawned Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, Headrillaz, Propellerheads, and other (mainly) British artists who fed wicked funk samples steroids and speed and proceeded to rock parties harder than a motherfucker. Plump DJs' tracks typically ride lascivious, distorted bass lines and beats that splat with almost slapstick force, over which they spray cheeky vocal hooks and outlandish high-frequency effects. It's music geared to make you dance as vigorously as it is to make you smile; their track "Squeeks & Bleeps" could practically be a mission statement. DAVE SEGAL

From Up & Coming:

Built to Spill, Disco Doom, Finn Riggins

(Showbox at the Market) Built to Spill's recent performances—whether revisiting the entirety of Perfect from Now On or structuring their set lists based on their fans' requests—have found the indie veterans dwelling on their back catalog. So if you've seen the band in the last 18 months, you've probably caught an uncharacteristically nostalgic angle of Doug Martsch and company. It's unfortunate—while Ancient Melodies of the Future and You in Reverse have yet to achieve the cult status of their early albums, it doesn't mean they're not incredible records. With last month's release of their seventh studio full-length, There Is No Enemy, it's likely the majority of tonight's set will feature newer material. And that should be every bit as exciting as hearing the band play "Car" again. BRIAN COOK

Thunderheist, Winter Gloves, DJ Colby B

(Chop Suey) Canadian duo Thunderheist (MC Isis and Grahm Zilla) set the party off with a flagrant electro-disco-hiphop-R&B group grope. They exude that Spank Rock—ish/Amanda Blank—esque 'tude that makes blood rush to your pelvic region even as their music's prodding your limbs into akimbo (and compromising) positions. Their self-titled 2009 album on Big Dada may be responsible for a slight spike in next year's birthrate. Montreal's Winter Gloves play that jittery, skinny-jeaned, whiny-boy-voiced rock that makes you sashay your way through Urban Outfitters and American Apparel shops with a ridiculous spring in your step. Their most recent album, About a Girl, is more about the rapture than it is Nirvana. DAVE SEGAL

Chali 2na, Gift of Gab, Mr. Lif, Lyrics Born

(Neumos) Here we have four very recognizable voices to anyone familiar with the last decade of underground hiphop: Chali 2na's bassy bounce, formerly (the only reason you listened to the raps) of Jurassic 5; Gift of Gab, the breathless, fourth-dimensional lungquistador from Blackalicious; recent Seattle transplant Mr. Lif, the ex—Def Jukie with the incisive, dead-on nasal flow and killer live show; and Lyrics Born, the Bay Area's hit-making, syrupy-singing MC. When their powers combine, a raucous and old-school-flavored party will no doubt jump off, with personality, skills, and funk to spare. LARRY MIZELL JR.

Jabon, Kelli Frances Corrado, Can the Boy Tell Time?

(Sunset) Can the Boy Tell Time? (Seattle's Peter Verdoes and Shannon Barry) recorded their album The Llama Tapes with production and a little keyboard and vocal help from the great Scott Colburn (Animal Collective, Sun City Girls, Arcade Fire, etc.). Not surprisingly, the result is a nine-track disc of wide-screen, orchestral rock that revels in the friction that ensues when melodiousness and discordance clash. One can hear in Can the Boy Tell Time?'s work aspirations to Flaming Lips' robustly ethereal mood-setting and deep-space, emotional fragility. This local band's grandiose visions command respect; their cloying moniker, not so much. DAVE SEGAL See also Stranger Suggests, page 23.

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

From the preview Gone Away Again:

The Fiery Furnaces, Cryptacize, Dent May

(Chop Suey) Just when you thought you'd never hear a straightforward recording by the Fiery Furnaces again, along comes their new album I'm Going Away (Thrill Jockey). It's the most classic-rocking record of their career and the least cluttered since 2005's EP, and it couldn't come at a better time. After seven years of flaunting their restless creativity, siblings Matt and Eleanor Friedberger take it easy for once—and the result is their most lived-in album, and one of their best. MICHAELANGELO MATOS

From Up & Coming:

Grant Hart

(High Dive) Last month I praised the visiting Bob Mould for "having co-powered the best American band of the 1980s," and this month, I get to lavish equal praise on Hüsker Dü's other great co-power. Grant Hart may have never managed another semibreakthrough band à la Mould's Sugar, but his 1989 release Intolerance remains my favorite solo record by a Hüsker Dü member, and his best songs—"Diane," "Terms of Psychic Warfare," "Sorry Somehow"—are eternal classics. Tonight Hart plays out in support of his new solo record, Hot Wax. DAVID SCHMADER

Anti-Pop Consortium

(Studio Seven) Back from a seven-year hiatus, New York foursome Anti-Pop Consortium strike this longtime hiphop listener as one of the genre's greatest combinations of musical and lyrical inventiveness. All three MCs—Beans, High Priest, and M. Sayyid—also make beats while producer Earl Blaize hangs in the background, just as crucial to APC's overall sound as the more prominent figures. Their comeback album, Fluorescent Black, is a slightly smoother reiteration of the spiky, diamond-sharp electro funk APC cut on Arrhythmia for the revered Warp label. APC triple-team the mic, raising braggadocio to a science while waxing wise on political and societal issues through surprising, odd metaphors and similes. And unlike many hiphop artists, they thrive in live settings. DAVE SEGAL See also Stranger Suggests, page 31.

Russian Circles, Young Widows, Helms Alee

(Neumos) Here's a tip: Right now, go get the new Russian Circles record, Geneva. Now go home, put it in the CD player or load it into your computer or put it on your turntable or whatever, and turn it up. Louder. Turn off all the lights, lie on your bed or your floor or your couch, and close your eyes. And just listen. Do nothing else. This instrumental record is so goddamn overwhelming—from the booming bass lines to the soaring, buzzing guitar riffs—it shouldn't be listened to while you're doing anything else. It needs your full attention. And it's good that you're lying down. Because afterward, you're gonna need a nap. MEGAN SELING

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

From Up & Coming (video NSFW):

Girls, Dominant Legs

(Neumos) You really can't fuck with San Francisco band Girls' bio: Born and raised in the Children of God cult—which forced his mother into prostitution and allowed his brother to die because they didn't believe in medicine—Christopher Owens was given his first guitar by former Fleetwood Mac guitarist and fellow cult member Jeremy Spencer, learned to play by busking, ran away from the cult to Texas punk gutters at 16, landed a wealthy benefactor, then returned to SF to start this band. Blah blah blah—so, how's the music? Good. And fucked-up. And kind of all over the place. Owens sings with a wounded but biting croon reminiscent of a young Elvis Costello, and his songs range from seriously needy plaints to fuzzed-out, carefree surf pop, all treated with softly psychedelic production. Oh, hey, did we mention the super-NSFW video (two words: penis microphone!) that they made for their irresistibly catchy song "Lust for Life" (no relation)? Yeah, well... ERIC GRANDY

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

Audion, Pezzner, James Grindle, Travis Baron

(Triple Door)

Matthew Dear is best known for his morose, song-oriented tech-house output. But as Audion, Dear produces techno that's jacked up on amyl nitrite and Viagra (sample track titles: "Titty Fuck," "Just Fucking") and imbued with the springiness of Olympic high jumpers' quadriceps. For this tour (dubbed "Hecatomb"), three screens will flash op-art spirals and Möbius strips that pulsate and writhe in time with Audion's throbbing, thrusting techno. It's the closest this upscale dinner theater will ever get to a rave. (Triple Door, 216 Union St, 838-4333. 10 pm, $15 adv/$18 DOS, 21+.)
by Dave Segal

Raphael Saadiq, Anjulie

(Showbox Sodo) Raphael Saadiq's show at the other Showbox (at the Market) on March 5 was one of the best concerts of the year, a throwback R&B revue in the style of the great The Way I See It (Columbia), his 2008 Motown-manqué move. Not that Saadiq is altogether new to retro tinges: 2004's Ray Ray tipped its hat to '70s blaxploitation soundtracks, and his '90s band Tony! Toni! Toné! brought supple old-school flair to new jack swing. The Market show tied it all together with a bow, and in his mustard-colored suit and horn-rim glasses, Saadiq had the ladies screaming. Even if the echo at Sodo is too much, it's worth finding out why. MICHAELANGELO MATOS

Julian Plenti, I'm in You

(Chop Suey) As one of Interpol's staunchest haters, it makes perfect sense for me to preview the Seattle debut of Julian Plenti (Interpol frontman Paul Banks's new project). Well, hate is too strong a word to apply for my feelings toward the wildly popular New York band; indifference and astonishment over how such drab approximations of Joy Division and Kitchens of Distinction have become media/radio/alt-rock sensations would be more accurate. All that aside, Banks's solo debut album, Julian Plenti Is... Skyscraper, treads slightly more interesting ground than does Banks's meal ticket. Now, instead of grayscale, earthbound neo-postpunk, Banks is making grayscale, earthbound neo-postpunk with more electronic and orchestral embellishments. Hey, it's still better than Editors—I'll give him that. DAVE SEGAL

From the Stranger Suggests:

Stranger Genius Awards: They Live!, Throw Me the Statue, U.S.F., Emerald City Soul Club

(Moore) In these Uncertain Economic Times™, any newspaper giving away tens of thousands of dollars in arts grants every year—and throwing a big-ass party for the city to celebrate—would have to be run by crazy people. Fortunately for all of you, we're crazy people. Come celebrate the artists: ejaculatory sculptor/drawer Jeffry Mitchell, hiphop filmmaker Zia Mohajerjasbi, funny freaks the Cody Rivers Show, modern mythmaker Stacey Levine, and the newly invigorated and sexed-up Pacific Northwest Ballet. And hear the music: Throw Me the Statue, They Live!, U.S.F., Emerald City Soul Club. And drink and dance and make out in the dark corners of the Moore Theatre. It's gonna be fun. (Moore Theatre, 1932 Second Ave, thestranger.com/genius. 9 pm, $5, 21+.) BRENDAN KILEY

(More on U.S.F. here.)

Pixies, No Age

(Paramount) Grouse about nostalgia if you want, but when an endlessly influential sleeper classic turned nonridiculous contender for greatest album of all time like Doolittle gets a sold-out nationwide victory lap, God is happy. Tonight and tomorrow at the Paramount, the real-life Pixies bang out the whole of Doolittle, in all of its impeccably sequenced, face-smashing glory, escorting many, many monkeys directly to heaven. The 21st century is well represented by the openers: Kyp Malone's Rain Machine yesterday, noise artistes No Age tonight. (Paramount, 911 Pine St, 877-784-4849. 7:30 pm, $55, all ages.) DAVID SCHMADER

(More on Doolittle here; review of last night's show coming soon.)

From Data Breaker:

Bonkers!: PotatoFinger, Ill Cosby, Splatinum, Hanssen, Norse Rarebit

(Re-bar) Bonkers!—led by promoter/musician Ian Scot Price—has championed adventurous producers and DJs for the last two-plus years, most of it IDM, but also electro, techno, ambient, experimental, and other styles. The legendary monthly is going out large Friday, with a finale called In Search of the Bass Crystal. Past Data Breaker stars PotatoFinger, Ya No Mas, and Splatinum should bring the hyperkinetic, post-jungle madness; eccentric electro; and foundation-threatening, grimey bounce, respectively. Jacob London member Hanssen has been doing some very interesting things in the narrow but fascinating space where techno and house conjugate. Future-bass-music impresario Ill Cosby—who runs the Car Crash Set label and hosts a badass show on glitch.fm—has been toasting speaker cones with his own ominous UK funky/dubstep-inflected productions. Expect them to enter influential BBC disc jockey Mary Anne Hobbs's rotation any week now. DAVE SEGAL

From the Score:

Harshfest: XISIX, bllix, Amphetamine Virus, Page 27, Blackcell, In the Age of Terminal Static, Brocken Spectre

(Josephine) Harshfest (Fri and Sat Nov 13 and 14, Josephine, 7 pm) will live up to its name. Friday features two projects from Denver: the grizzled, synthified electronics of Page 27 and Blackcell, which harks back to '80s industrial when "import" meant the CD cost over 20 bucks and hunting down discs by Clock DVA was a part-time job. Also on the bill: Amphetamine Virus, bllix, XISIX, Brocken Spectre, and the distorted drum-machine beats of In the Age of Terminal Static. I'm intrigued by Saturday's mix of black metal and industrial outfits—Forest of Grey, Goly Grim, Galdr, and Hellgrammite—with artists who focus on distorting electronics directly: Penetration Camp, Overdose the Katatonic, and Slicing Grandpa. Since the 1980s, rock and noise have met at the nexus of distortion, striving to transform sonic scars into music. CHRISTOPHER DELAURENTI

From Up & Coming:

Mudhoney, Brothers of the Sonic Cloth, Unnatural Helpers

(Neumos) Tonight's show featuring three of Seattle's hardest, heaviest, and most concisely catchy rock bands is part of the release party for Grunge: Photographs by Michael Lavine. In the book's intro, Thurston Moore writes: "The identity of punk rock in early-eighties America was at once elite and free..." The iconic faces that appear in the black-and-white photos of Lavine's new tome, those of bands and local scenesters, are truly from another time—a pre-condo-boom Seattle, a city that still had grit and teeth... and, um, maybe even a Mohawk or two. This event is sure to be a reunion of icons who were once the most elite in all of the Pacific Northwest. KELLY O

Grand Hallway, Final Spins, the Parson Red Heads, Cabinessence

(Sunset) The opening track on Grand Hallway's latest record, Promenade, is called "Raindrops"—and it's one of the best love songs I've heard in a long time. It starts simply, with an acoustic guitar riff prancing along to some piano, and then the percussion comes in, sounding, aptly, like a choir of raindrops dropping onto rooftops. Singer Tomo Nakayama notes the environment around him—construction and cranes and mothers walking with their children—and exclaims, "But I'd rather be with you," and BOOM! The song explodes. The horns swell, harmonies kick in and Nakayama jubilantly lists all the times he wants to be with his love: "when you wash your hair," "when you go to work," "when you pay your bills." It's so pretty and lush and pure—it perfectly captures the feeling of being completely in love. MEGAN SELING

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

From the Stranger Suggests:

Pixies, Rain Machine

(Paramount) Grouse about nostalgia if you want, but when an endlessly influential sleeper classic turned nonridiculous contender for greatest album of all time like Doolittle gets a sold-out nationwide victory lap, God is happy. Tonight and tomorrow at the Paramount, the real-life Pixies bang out the whole of Doolittle, in all of its impeccably sequenced, face-smashing glory, escorting many, many monkeys directly to heaven. The 21st century is well represented by the openers: Kyp Malone's Rain Machine tonight, noise artistes No Age tomorrow. DAVID SCHMADER

(More on the Pixies' best album ever, Doolittle, here.)

From Up & Coming:

Blockhead, DJ Signify, WD4D and Dead Noise, DJ Absolute Madman

(Chop Suey) Blockhead's path to recognition was Aesop Rock, a NYC rapper whose path to recognition was Def Jux, the Def Jam of the 21st century. Blockhead has done production work on all of Aesop Rock's albums, two of which—Float and Labor Days—are underground-hiphop masterpieces. Blockhead's style is not usually the sort rappers enjoy or appreciate, as it brings a lot of attention to the music (the richness of rhythms, the depths of beats, the sad sweetness of strings) and does not merely function as a backdrop for the busting of rhymes. For this reason, it's not surprising that Blockhead's solo work has been released by one of the two most famous triphop labels, Ninja Tune (the other is Mo' Wax). Blockhead is all about that abstract shit, that hiphop for the head. CHARLES MUDEDE

Krafty Kuts

(Trinity) They really do breed the breakbeat party-hounds over in Brighton, England, don't they? Martin Reeves, who does business as Krafty Kuts, makes and remixes tracks as bulbously get-down-ready as his homeboy Fatboy Slim, but it's Reeves who's been on a minor roll these past few years—with DJ-mix CDs for the FabricLive and Back to Mine series that hew to the long-standing big-beat template of old funk, populist rap, the odd pop nugget, his UK contemporaries, and lots of scratching and oddly congruous blends to show us why he goes by that name. MICHAELANGELO MATOS

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Faun Fables

(Neumos) Bay Area avant-rockers Sleepytime Gorilla Museum are known more for their live performances than for their recordings, both of which can be challenging to the uninitiated. SGM supplement standard rock instrumentation with violin, mallet percussion, something called a "sledge-hammer dulcimer," and other instruments, incorporating '90s-era metal brutality and staccato guitar tangents in their overall cacophony. Add the group's gothic theatrical aesthetic, otherworldly vocals, and skewed song construction, and the result comes off something like a punk-rock opera. This bizarre recipe has earned SGM a legion of dedicated, courageous followers. GRANT BRISSEY

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

Hardtimes and Trouble Dicso are bringing in Steven Hawley of electro/disco/house group Codebreaker and Disco Demolition Records to spin a DJ set at War Room (which, you may have heard, is closing Nov. 30). He's supported by L.A. Kendall (Hot Mess, Hard Times, Hit Girl, Juicy), General Meow, and Trouble Dicso's H.M.A..

More info here.

From Up & Coming:

Immortal Technique, Diabolic, Poison Pen, Chino XL, Swave Sevah

(Neumos) Harlem's life-of-the-party, one-man-terror-cell Immortal Technique is about to bring his incendiary (vocal) devices to the other Washington, along with Poison Pen and Sevah, both members of his fearsome NYC-based Stronghold crew. But Chino XL? He's a fuckin' L.A. original (though he was born in either Jersey or the Bronx) who got 2Pac mad enough to shoot him half a bar on the end of one of the most scathing—shit, downright scary—disses ever, the Biggie- aimed "Hit 'Em Up." Ads for his '96 debut, Here to Save You All, consisted of pages printed with his audacious punch lines, such as, "Evil tendency, strong like Miles Davis's heroin dependency," which even had Quincy Jones pissed. Oh, well. LARRY MIZELL JR.

Mission of Burma, Explode into Colors

(Crocodile) Mission of Burma are a well-known quantity at this point, but openers (and recent Kill Rock Stars signees) Explode into Colors might not be—at least not yet. The Portland trio of Claudia Meza (baritone guitar, ex-Japanther), Heather Treadway (percussion, melodica), and Lisa Shonberg (drums) make rickety, rumbling dub punk that sounds like a more scattered, spooked-up echo of the Slits. On the song "Heat," over fraying, high-frequency delay; a sparse, funky bass line; and some tumbling drum clatter, the band break into a spectral chorus of "bombs over Baghdad" that lands as credibly as Dungeon Family appreciation as it does as inscrutable war protest. Righteous XX-chromosome post-punk may not be uncharted territory—what is in 2009?—but Explode into Colors tread it artfully. This is their first Seattle appearance outside of playing house shows—don't miss it. ERIC GRANDY

The Black Heart Procession, Bellini, El Olio Wolof

(Chop Suey) Music crit fail: I briefly had the Black Heart Procession confused with Godspeed You! Black Emperor—not really a fair comparison, so I won't belabor it here, but suffice to say, that was a grave error. Anyway... it shouldn't be too hard to keep straight from now on, as the Black Heart Procession are about as aptly named as a band can get—dark, sometimes gothically heartbroken, sometimes noirishly seductive, and as heavy- burdened and slow-plodding as a pallbearer. Bellini can march at a similarly funereal pace, only with a more malevolent bearing, but they're just as likely to back singer Giovanna Cacciola's sultry vocals with jagged guitar shredding and pulse-quickening rhythms. El Olio Wolof combine melancholy, old-timey arrangements (accordion, woodwinds, tinkering percussion) with fey lyrics and the occasional burst of rock muscle. ERIC GRANDY

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

It's a little late in the game to post this, but tonight at Crocodile are Columbia's Bomba Estereo. I've only listened to the last year's Blow Up, a handful of times, but I'm finding this stuff is pretty infectious, especially the more subdued tracks like "Pa Ti" and "La Boquilla."

Anyway, if you've heard anything from the album, it's likely this song:

From the Stranger Suggests:

The Mountain Goats, Final Fantasy

(Showbox at the Market) See Stranger Each song on the new Mountain Goats album, The Life of the World to Come, is named after a Bible verse. "Genesis 3:23" ("So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden..."), for instance, is a song about singer-songwriter John Darnielle visiting his old place in Portland and how you can't go home again. As ever, Darnielle's spare acoustic songs tell compelling, detail-rich stories of human misery and persevering hope. Opening is Final Fantasy, the oddball conceptual chamber-pop project of prolific orchestral arranger Owen Pallett. ERIC GRANDY

(More on the Mountain Goats here.)

From Up & Coming:

Little Dragon, DJ Topspin, THEESatisfaction

(Nectar) Gothenburg, Sweden's Little Dragon have garnered plaudits from TV on the Radio's David Sitek and influential KCRW program Morning Becomes Eclectic, while placing a track ("Twice") on Grey's Anatomy. All of which should make one skeptical of the group's merits. But Little Dragon's Machine Dreams full-length on Peacefrog Records emanates a winsome charm, thanks largely to Yukimi Nagano's cute-secksy (faux?) naïf vocals and the group's Yellow Magic Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (although Light would be more apt). Their instrumentation strikes a pleasing balance between organic and synthetic while in service of melodies that insinuate themselves into your mind with understated insistence. Little Dragon are just quirky and inventive enough to avoid kitsch overload and tasteful blandness, common pitfalls in synth pop. DAVE SEGAL

They Might Be Giants, the Guggenheim Grotto

(Showbox Sodo) In September 2009, epochal geek-rockers They Might Be Giants released their 14th album: Here Comes Science, a collection of songs for kids about chemistry, paleontology, astronomy, and evolution. For tonight's "adult show" at the Showbox Sodo, the Johns will be pillaging their decades-spanning songbook with help from a full band and a mixed-media stage show. Opening the evening (so feel free to show up late): Dublin's impossibly bland Guggenheim Grotto. DAVID SCHMADER

Lover!, Bass Drum of Death, Fried Pony

(Funhouse) Once upon a time, a boy named Rich Crook met a boy named Jay Reatard. We're not sure if they fell in love, but they did make very lovely music together, both as the Lost Sounds and the Reatards. Eventually, a new flame, Matador Records, whisked the boy Jay far, far away, never to return. Rich sought solace first with Jack Oblivian as the Knaughty Knights, and then with a new power-pop outfit named Lover! With Lover!, this boy named Rich leaves behind his drum kit and gets to stand right at the front of the stage—where he can sing and dance and play his guitar till his heart's content! Could it be that Rich is finally in love? We think so! The End. KELLY O

Puscifer

(Moore) Maynard James Keenan (vocalist for Tool and A Perfect Circle) works out his poontang- centric impulses in his Puscifer side project. On releases like V Is for Vagina and the C Is for (Please Insert Sophomoric Genitalia Reference HERE) EP, Keenan indulges in a kind of cabaret-ish, chamber triphop with recessive metallic genes. It's not a million miles from the later work of Jim "Foetus" Thirlwell and Luaka Bop recording artist Jim White. Freed from Tool's meticulous convolutions and heavy bombast, Keenan as Puscifer explores a more intimate sound that exhibits greater seriousness and emotional heft than his cuntroversial record titles would lead you to believe. (A $125 ticket allows you to enjoy a tasting of Keenan's "new wine." Yep.) DAVE SEGAL

WD4D, Dead Noise, DJ Introcut, Hideki, Sean Cee

(Lo-Fi Performance Gallery) Local DJ/producer WD4D (Waylon Dungan) has been grinding fine and often at Lo-Fi, Grey Gallery, and in opening slots on choice bills around town, while also DJing for Gabriel Teodros and THEESatisfaction. Joining him on the bill is fellow Seattleite Dead Noise, who's made beats for Khingz's From Slaveships to Spaceships and Kail's True Hollywood Squares (Big Dada). Tonight is the release party for After School EP1 (Fourthcity), which sports three cuts from each producer. Dead Noise and WD4D dwell in hiphop's more scientific and spiritual hoods while allowing room for whimsy and, of course, a daring, sampledelic funkiness. These MC-free pieces stretch out and luxuriate in an eccentric creativity that adds yet more credence to the argument that Seattle's hiphop scene is scaling a new peak. DAVE SEGAL

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

From the preview Thirty-Plus Years in Yellow Boilersuits and Red Flowerpot Hats:

Devo, Reggie Watts

(Moore) I understand that Freedom of Choice was a big hit...

That was kind of the reason for doing it in the U.S. But I was the guy who was pushing [to do] album two. Even as recently as this year, we were doing festivals and shows where we played a lot of material off of album two. Some of my favorite Devo songs are on album two, like "Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA." I thought that's the one that would make sense and didn't think all of the songs on [Freedom] were worthy of performing live. We never played "That's Pep" or "Ton o' Luv," and a couple of others. But then we started rehearsing them, and I started loving the album and the sequence of it. It's been kind of fun to play. I'm still memorizing some of the lyrics that I haven't sung since 1980, but I think that's going to be a good show. DAVE SEGAL

From Up & Coming:

Venetian Snares, Wisp, NAHA, Cyrusrex

(Nectar) Winnipeg is a cold, intimidating place. Stranded in the void of the prairies, prone to strange bouts of erratic violence (as seen in last year's gruesome Greyhound beheading), and struggling to assert its modernity in a province plagued by rampant poverty in its northern settlements, Winnipeg hardly seems like a city that could foster one of the strongest modern IDM musicians. Yet Venetian Snares—the project of producer Aaron Funk—thrives in the inhospitable climate of Manitoba's capital. Geography inevitably plays a role in sculpting an artist's soul, and Winnipeg's harsh attributes lend an alien and adversarial air to Funk's breakbeat science. There's a cold hostility to his art, a deliberately difficult precision. It's impressive work from a hardy individual. BRIAN COOK

Electric Tickle Machine, the Flight of Phanuel, $2,000 Puma, the Wheelies

(Comet) Like many bands today, Electric Tickle Machine play exuberant, scrappy garage pop. Does anything in ETM's exuberant, scrappy garage pop distinguish it from the plethora of similar-sounding groups? Not so much, really. Their new self-released debut album, Blew It Again, suggests that they're good at this sort of thing, and Matt Boynton (Bat for Lashes, Gang Gang Dance) has given the songs on it an appealing cavernous feel, while sensibly keeping the feral-boy-ish vocals from stealing the show from the fuzzy keyboards and crashing, jangling guitars. It's all solid enough, and one wouldn't be at all surprised if Animal Collective tapped Electronic Tickle Machine to open for them on their next tour. DAVE SEGAL

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

Symphony For The Superhero, a symphony by local composer Mateo Messina (best known for composing the Juno score, as noted before), is going down at Benaroya, starring the one and only Cut Chemist- turntablist, producer, innovator.

Bridging hiphop and the symphony is no small feat- in fact, it's a fucking recipe for disaster in the wrong hands- but I think this cast of characters is up to the task. Says Messina:

Symphony of the Superhero explores our cultures fascination with superheroes. Comic book fans will love this look at their favorites and how they've played into our society.

This is my 12th symphony as a composer and I still don't know how to read music. I write symphony for our generation. These are not typical symphonies. These are crazy, big, hairy, fun events where we enchant the audience. We will have over 280 performers on stage. A full orchestra, 4 choirs, drummers, a DJ, and a few tricks up our sleeves.

Our solo violinist, Lili Haydn, hails from LA and has played with, for Sting, Paige & Plant (Zeppelin), Parliament Funkadelic, Herbie Hancock, and so many others. She is currently writing and performing for the next Pirates of the Carribean film score (Hans Zimmer). She's a unique talent in that she plays violin and sings at the same time...in a really beautiful, yet haunting way.

THIS IS NOT A TYPICAL SYMPHONY. This is a crazy, big, hairy, fun concert written by a composer who isn't classically trained and doesn't even read music (yet, but probably will someday). This is something you have to see to believe.