OLD TIME RELIJUN, SECRET DRUM BAND, LIKE A VILLAIN
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Seven years or so after Old Time Relijun performed their last show, Arrington de Dionyso started dreaming about doing it again. "They'd be dreams of like, just setting up for a show and getting the gear all ready and running through some songs," he says. "Nothing too fantastic... but it was just a really good feeling." The dreams coincided with the 20th anniversary of the Olympia (and, for a time in the '00s, Portland) band. ANDREW R TONRY Read our article on Old Time Relijun.


VISIGOTH, SPELLCASTER, TANAGRA
(Rotture, 315 SE 3rd) Visigoth's full-length Metal Blade debut The Revenant King delivers plenty of riffs, licks, and double-kick, and Rogers' operatic howl bolsters the record's big, fist-pumping, devil-horned choruses. It's slightly more polished than their 2010 demo, Vengeance, but the concept is the same: epic metal with lots of swordplay and dragons. Songs like "Dungeon Master" and a cover of Manilla Road's "Necropolis" only further prove Visigoth's dedication to the faith. And the anthem "Iron Brotherhood" literally spells it out: "Leather black in the night/Hammers, chains, and spikes/No fear or weakness." MARK LORE Read our article about Visigoth.


WAXAHATCHEE, GIRLPOOL, BRIANA MARELA
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) "Before the World Was Big," the poignant title track from Girlpool's forthcoming debut album, is going to knock down walls for the Philly-by-way-of-LA band. The duo flips punk's maximalism on its head with their drumless bombast, creating wiry tension out of restraint. Their ability to conjure vivid images and skip the usual signifiers of youth-focused music demonstrates a self-assured maturity that can only grow with time. Harmony Tividad and Cleo Tucker's taut melodies induce the very sense of wonder they describe in their lyrics. "Before the World Was Big" seeks not to trip on childhood nostalgia, but to transport the listener right back to his or her 12-year-old self. Girlpool will be joined by Katie Crutchfield's Waxahatchee (riding the high of her Merge debut, Ivy Tripp) and Briana Marela, a Seattle songwriter who summons mesmerizing ghosts out of emotional electronic setpieces. MAC POGUE


BUBBLIN': TODD EDWARDS, KAHN, BEN TACTIC, LINCOLNUP
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) See My, What a Busy Week!


THE PARSON RED HEADS, GENDERS
(Alberta Street Pub, 1036 NE Alberta) For a decade now, the Parson Red Heads have been pumping out warm, easygoing folk-pop-rock that's slightly psychedelic, a tad twangy, heavy with beautiful harmonies, and catchier than a cold. Led by namesake redheads Evan and Brette Way, the band—which spent a few years in LA before moving back to Oregon—has quietly built up an impressive catalog of albums, EPs, and singles that consistently sound like unearthed recordings from the missing link between the Byrds and Big Star. You Are the Cosmos, a Spanish label that specializes in vinyl releases, is highlighting the band's best work with a 12-track collection called In a Hazy Dream: Retrospective (2004-2014), which happily includes my personal favorite Red Heads song, the propulsive, hand-clappy "Punctual as Usual" from 2006's King Giraffe. This weekend, the band celebrates the release with a two-night stand at Alberta Street Pub. BEN SALMON


HEARING VOICES: ALEX ROSS, THIRD ANGLE
(Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta) One of the most impassioned and informed books on classical music in recent years was The Rest Is Noise, a look at some of the most interesting voices and works from the 20th century by New Yorker critic Alex Ross. Fluidly written, the Pulitzer Prize-nominated tome brought the work of Sibelius, Copland, Morton Feldman, John Cage, and John Adams to vibrant life, and brought well-deserved acclaim to its author. The new music ensemble Third Angle have invited Ross to help close out their 2014-2015 season with a program that focuses on avant-garde composers from the West Coast. Through readings and musical selections, both writer and players will complement one another, highlighting the compositions of Californians Harry Partch and Henry Cowell, Seattle's Janick Giteck, and local heroes Lou Harrison and John Luther Adams. ROBERT HAM


SIR RICHARD BISHOP, ROBERT MILLIS, DRAGGING AN OX THROUGH WATER
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) Searching for the perfect spot to dive into the work of virtuoso guitarist Sir Richard Bishop can be a bit intimidating. Having spent years in the Phoenix/Seattle shape-shifting rock outfit Sun City Girls, Bishop has had a hand in crafting some of the most diverse and otherworldly music of the past three decades, and with more than 80 releases credited to that band, even the most robust primer could only cover the tip of the iceberg. As a solo performer, Bishop's output is slightly more approachable, and much like Sun City Girls, it incorporates a strong improvisational aspect that's used to bridge a wide range of far-flung styles. Tonight he's touring behind his recent gypsy-jazz and flamenco-influenced album Tangier Sessions, which was recorded in the Moroccan city using a mysterious, 19th-century guitar that Bishop picked up while performing a residency in Switzerland. CHIPP TERWILLIGER


MICHAEL DEAN DAMRON, FERNANDO, JOHN MORELAND, SEAN TAYLOR
(Dante's, 350 W Burnside) Michael Dean Damron is one of the strongest flag-bearers for the old guard of Portland country-punkers whose songwriting remains as sharp as it was 10 years ago. As leader of the explosive band I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch in the House, Damron's songs have struck a thematic balance of angry political diatribes and nostalgia for '50s pop culture, all while railing against homophobia and a lot more. A former boxer who also served with the Army's 101st Airborne, Damron's wellspring of material comes to the forefront on his new solo LP, When the Darkness Come. Produced by Fernando Viciconte, When the Darkness Come posits earnest tunes confronting aging, alcoholism, womanizing, and disability ("Diabetes Blues") in new sonic avenues for Damron. Ambient instrumentation decorates Damron's typically story-driven vignettes of underdogs, and puts this debut solo effort in a new class for the longtime singer/songwriter. RYAN J. PRADO


JOHANNA WARREN, BIBLIOTHEK, TOJI
(Kelly's Olympian, 426 SW Washington) Portlander Johanna Warren's new album Nūmūn isn't out until May 19, but rest assured: It is one of the best local recordings of 2015. Sparsely arranged and spiritually attuned, Nūmūn is dedicated to the moon, according to Warren: "By honoring her phases, I am restoring balance to my body and making peace with the cycles of all natural things," she says on the Team Love label's website, "and to the divine feminine." Want to know more? Maybe ask Warren herself. Sonically, I can tell you that Nūmūn is collection of 11 gorgeous songs full of Warren's warm and versatile voice, her beguiling melodies, occasional found sounds, and delicately plucked acoustic guitar. It's an awe-inspiring assemblage of half-lit folk hymns from one of our own. BEN SALMON