WEDNESDAY 7/20

EAR CANDY: LAURA PALMER'S DEATH PARADE, REPTALIENS, BRUMES
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) For July’s installment of Ear Candy—our free, monthly concert series at Mississippi Studios showcasing up-and-coming local acts—we’ve got a stacked lineup of hypnotically dreamy pop. There’s the lo-fi melodies of Reptaliens, the dusky, experimental ballads of Brumes, and headliner Laura Palmer’s Death Parade’s haunting psychedelic folk. CIARA DOLAN

POP AND PUPPETRY 3: LOLA BUZZKILL, THANKS, RIO GRANDS
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) In its third installment, Pop and Puppetry returns for an evening of two of the world's greatest things smooshed together—pop music and puppets. Bringing forth an interdisciplinary wonderworld, glittery pop maelstrom Lola Buzzkill will be joined by puppeteers Anya Bogorad, Bill Holznagel, and Paul Velasquez; Thanks appear with Katie Shook and Summer Olsson; Rio Grands tussle with the venerable Anna Cosper and Kelly Campbell. Each puppeteer is to present an original show synchronized to the band's music and created specifically for Pop and Puppetry. One can only imagine what sort of decadent anthropomorphic feats might be afoot during Lola Buzzkill's typically riotous performance. As if this weren't enough, between acts there'll be a screening of puppet films directed and crafted by local artists. RYAN J. PRADO

INTER ARMA, WITHERED, NORSKA
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Atlanta death metal stalwarts Withered were on the ascent in 2010—they had just released the crushing Dualitas, the third in a trio of increasingly sophisticated and blistering full-lengths. After rave reviews, the band quietly went away. Fast-forward six years and Withered has resurfaced, albeit with a drastically different lineup. Only vocalist/guitarist Mike Thompson remains from the group's original incarnation, but brand-new album Grief Relic more than makes up for lost time. They're touring with Virginia's Inter Arma, whose newly released Paradise Gallows is a colossal double-LP of proggy sludge and doom. MATTHEW W. SULLIVAN

CRYSTAL CASTLES Thurs 7/21 Wonder Ballroom

THURSDAY 7/21

CRYSTAL CASTLES
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) It seemed that Alice Glass' departure from Crystal Castles would be the death of the dark electro-punk duo. Glass' stage presence is infamous—the first time I saw her she was taking pulls from a handle of vodka. But musical partner and true creative spark Ethan Kath has soldiered on. After Glass and Kath's first three sequentially titled albums comes Crystal Castles' rebirth, Amnesty (I), which is slated to release next month. Kath and new singer Edith Frances have released a slew of new singles carrying the classic Crystal Castles duality that's both delicate and jarring. It's music that conjures the feeling that we'll all just dance while the world burns around us. The addition of Frances adds a certain sparkle and beauty to the new tracks; the brightness of her work with Kath proves that the new era of Crystal Castles is here. EMILY VANKOUGHNETT

PINEGROVE, SPORTS, HALF WAIF, SNOW ROLLER
(Analog Café, 720 SE Hawthorne) Pinegrove makes music that seeps into your veins. This past February the Montclair, New Jersey band released their debut LP, Cardinal, on seminal Boston emo label Run for Cover Records. Cardinal draws from the pedal steel sadness of outlaw country, but feels distinctly modern and youthful. Multi-instrumentalist and primary songwriter Evan Stephens Hall sings about relatable troubles, like nostalgic longing and the fleeting nature of emotions, intimacy, and friendships. But Hall's lyrics don't aim to appeal in some Everytown, rural America sense—they're intensely specific and all the more affecting. For instance, on "Old Friends" Hall remembers seeing a friend on a bus a few months before her funeral, then resolves, "I should call my parents when I think of them/I should tell my friends when I love them." CAMERON CROWELL

MILD HIGH CLUB, SUN ANGLE, BOONE HOWARD
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) A confident Los Angeles demeanor mixed with a native Chicagoan's refinement lend Mild High Club's Alex Brettin the poised drive that's helped him go from jazz studies major to one of the newest members of the Stones Throw Records family. Mild High Club's 2015 debut, Timeline, gave more life to the Circle Star label, while the band's second full length, Skiptracing, earned the Stones Throw stamp of approval. In a press release Brettin says the major difference between the two records lies in their details, but a few promising Portland performances prove he doesn't skip a beat on stage. With Boone Howard and Sun Angle opening the show, it's definitely a night to be mildly high for. CERVANTE POPE

SERA CAHOONE Fri 7/22 Revolution Hall Hilary Harris

FRIDAY 7/22

PDX POP NOW!
(AudioCinema, 226 SE Madison) See All-Ages Action

Y.G.B. ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY PARTY: THE THICKEST SUMMER: DJ LAMAR LEROY, DJ PR11ME, DNVN, AKELA JAFFI, BROWN ALICE
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) Read our story on Y.G.B.

WOODS, CIAN NUGENT, THE LAVENDER FLU
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Read our story on Woods.

WAND, SLEEPING BEAUTIES
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Wand frontman Cory Hanson is kind of like Ty Segall's weird little brother who hand stitches wizard costumes for his cat and is probably a pyromaniac. The Los Angeles psych-rock band's 2015 full-length Golem sounds particularly influenced by Segall's project Fuzz, specifically Fuzz's 2013 self-titled debut. It's whimsically bombastic, the kind of heavy fantasy-psych that draws its unapologetically nerdy energy from childhood memories mired in the mythology of LOTR and later primed with Led Zeppelin conspiracy theories and too much weed. Wand played as Segall's backing band at Pickathon last year, and Hanson also plays keyboard in the prolific garage rock titan's newest musical incarnation, Ty Segall and the Muggers. They confused and delighted concertgoers at the Aladdin in January, where Hanson was dressed like a Risky Business-era Tom Cruise. CIARA DOLAN

SERA CAHOONE, ANNA TIVEL
(Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark) If you haven't heard any of her three critically acclaimed solo albums, you might know Seattle musician and longtime Sub Pop artist Sera Cahoone from her work in beloved indie rock bands like Carissa's Wierd or Band of Horses. Over the last 10 years Cahoone has found her element in Americana and alternative country-rock. Her comfort in the genre could have to do with her home state of Colorado, where her father sold dynamite for a living. (Wile E. Coyote, anyone?) Cahoone's music is nostalgic but not played out—songs like "Deer Creek Canyon" (from her 2012 record of the same name) exemplify her direct, emotional songwriting. ANNA McCLAIN

SATURDAY 7/23

LAURA GIBSON, LOCH LOMOND
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Oregon native Laura Gibson's recent release, Empire Builder, takes its name from the Amtrak train that crosses America from her former home of Portland all the way to Chicago. Gibson sounds like she's looking out the window, saying goodbye to "1,000 lonely pines that bend their backs against the sun." Don't miss the beloved musician tonight. CIARA DOLAN

PDX POP NOW!
(AudioCinema, 226 SE Madison) See All-Ages Action

LOVE IN THIS CLUB: LOCAL LOVE: BEN TACTIC, NATHAN DETROIT, SPENCER MILES, PETER MARKS, OROGRAPHIC, HOLD MY HAND, TROUBLED YOUTH
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) Resident DJs Ben Tactic and Nathan Detroit (themselves the veterans behind events like Bubblin, Body Party, Booty Bassment, and Spend the Night) bring in a team of Portland notables for this edition of Love in This Club: Spencer Miles and Peter Marks head Occasion Vibration, both a monthly podcast of mixes and a not-quite-monthly house and disco party encompassing daytime outdoor events and intimate all nighters. They'll be joined by Orographic, Hold My Hand, and Troubled Youth—all members of the queer DJ collective behind Bridge Club. Since 2012 they've been throwing larger-than-life patio socials that have brought in acts like Umfang and Volvox of Discwoman and Chris Cruse. DANIELA SERNA

THE CLAYPOOL LENNON DELIRIUM, JJUUJJUU
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) It's doubtful anyone knew that pairing an idiosyncratically cartoonish bass god and the hipster son of a pop deity could produce such artistically pleasant music. Collab-friendly Sean Lennon and the ever-experimental Les Claypool formed the Claypool Lennon Delirium on an inspired lark, one that resulted in their record Monolith of Phobos, a sun-warped, psych-prog platter that drips with polyphonic whimsy and colorful retro-futuristic storytelling. Picture Claypool writing his own version of Harry Nilsson's The Point!, or the hypercolor ship in the Pretty Things' classic S.F. Sorrow album as the U.S.S. Enterprise, and you might get an inkling of what these guys are up to. A dynamic duo like this (and their talented onstage cohorts) must be seen to be believed, and reports from earlier tour dates are filled with accounts of brilliant musicianship and a few surprise covers. CHRIS SUTTON

PURE BATHING CULTURE Sun 7/24 Revolution Hall Shervin Lainez

SUNDAY 7/24

PDX POP NOW!
(AudioCinema, 226 SE Madison) See All-Ages Action

WILLIE NELSON, RICHMOND FONTAINE
(Edgefield, 2126 SW Halsey, Troutdale) Over the years, I've heard everyone from rural construction workers to crust punks refer to the honey-voiced living legend of classic country as a rebel or a badass. But anyone who's taken even a shallow dip into Willie Nelson's sprawling catalog presumably finds this perception as curious as I do, given that the vast majority of his recordings are either tender-hearted ballads or adorable, cheeseball covers (see "The Rainbow Connection," "Wind Beneath My Wings"). His rebel status seems based more on his collaborations, longevity, and real life run-ins with the law—for things that aren't especially wild or shocking (weed, tax evasion)—than in the bad behavior songs that defined the work of Johnny Cash or Merle Haggard. Nelson's 1962 debut is just as sappy and lounge-y as his 2016 album of Gershwin covers, and even his legendary 1975 cowboy concept album Red-Headed Stranger is more about heartbreak than lawbreaking. It's an unusual but ultimately ideal variety of badass country rebel he's created: an anti-war, bio-fuel company-owning, LBGTQ-supporting octogenarian who's more interested in singing about feelings than guns. JOSHUA JAMES AMBERSON

PURE BATHING CULTURE, MIKE GAMBLE
(Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark) There probably isn't a single space-related word that hasn't been used to describe Pure Bathing Culture. Sure they're dreamy, astral, and euphoric—they'll turn your eyes into diamonds, your arms into flowing robes! They're downright mystical, and the reason we're running out of words to contain them is proof that you should have seen them live by now. Sarah Versprille and Daniel Hindman write glamour pop songs so sparkling and groovy, it's almost making me feel ill just writing about it. Their most recent release, Pray for Rain, came out in late 2015 but might as well have come out yesterday for how often I'm still sock-gliding around my kitchen to it. JENNA FLETCHER

SARAH LOUISE, ILYAS AHMED, ITASCA
(Turn! Turn! Turn!, 8 N Killingsworth) As the reach and influence of American Primitive folk has continued to expand, a welcome array of female players has emerged in this often male-centric world. And one of the best new musical voices to appear in this scene of late is Asheville, North Carolina guitarist Sarah Louise. Originally a more traditional folk artist, she switched in recent years to play purely instrumental guitar music—to the point of stripping the vocals off of her 2015 release Field Guide—thereby allowing her appreciation of overtone and expressionist melodies to take center stage. Even better is her recently released entry into the ongoing Acoustic Series released by Vin Du Select Qualitite Records. On it, her 12-string playing spills out like a ribbon slowly unfurling from its spool, revealing many different shades and textures as it pools at your feet. ROBERT HAM

MONDAY 7/25

SCULPTURE CLUB, 20XX, ACRACY, DRUNKEN PALMS
(Anarres Infoshop, 7101 N Lombard) Sculpture Club opens their latest LP A Place to Stand with a rolling drum beat, a warbled guitar, and vocalist Chaz Costello singing, "Wear black, drink too much coffee/I wanna be proud of the choices I'm making/but I just wear black, drink too much coffee." Let's just take a second to appreciate how freaking goth that is. We're not talking Kanye Season One and Nike-wearing cool-goth—we're talking buying used Cure CDs and Sharpie-ing your fingernails in a mall food court with a mouthful of Sbarro breadsticks goth. The Salt Lake City post-punk trio started in 2011 as a garage rock duo then called JAWWZZ, having only changed their name this past spring. Their new name begins on the best of notes with an LP that delivers catchy hook after catchy hook. The band has also amassed a reputation around their wild live shows that have featured rose-wrapped mics, confetti cannons, and glitter, a concept drummer Madison Donnelly described to Salt Lake City Weekly as a "dance party to keep from crying." CC

TUESDAY 7/26

DUNGEON BROTHERS, DRECKIG, ETBONZ
(The Liquor Store, 3341 SE Belmont) Dungeon Brothers' eponymous debut LP features a graphic of some kind of lizard king sitting on a throne covered with melted candle wax and wielding a double-bladed axe while a grinning gargoyle perches on its arm. With this imagery and emcee names like Sludge and Homunculus, it's little wonder why Dungeon Brothers have failed to generate huge amounts of buzz in a hip-hop community trying to gain serious footing. This is a huge bummer, seeing as how Dungeon Brothers' songs are comprised of some of the smoothest, funniest flows this side of MC Chris, even mired as they are in sci-fi/fantasy realms. Tracks as immediately engaging as "Elephant Graveyards" or "My Apothecary" would be incredible all on their own. Throw in that the duo performs behooded in dark cloaks like wizard-worshipping Beasties, and Sludge and Homunculus are easily one of the best underground hip-hop projects happening in Portland. Now you know, and may the lizard king help us all. RJP