WEDNESDAY 5/8
ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT RETURNS PARTY
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) See My, What a Busy Week!
JAVELIN, HELADO NEGRO, JAMAICAN QUEENS
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Brooklyn-based cousins George Langford and Tom Van Buskirk's past releases as Javelin have been quirky blends of bouncing beats and grooves made up of homemade sounds from samplers, thumb pianos, drum machines, and other instruments. For their latest release, Hi Beams, the duo ditch their DIY approach for a more traditional—and, unfortunately, much less interesting—studio-recorded pop sound similar to a sea of other Brooklyn indie acts. The new approach could, however, translate much better to a live setting. South Florida's Helado Negro (AKA Roberto Carlos Lange, who's collaborated with Guillermo Scott Herren—AKA Prefuse 73—as Savath y Savalas) makes his own brand of homegrown tropical pop that soothes rather than bores with its breezy, sun-bleached sound and overdubbed, reverb-tinged, (mostly) Spanish vocals. MIKE RAMOS
ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE, TJUTJUNA, FIST FITE
(Star Theater, 13 NW 6th) With an endless list of releases, Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. remain one of the most prolific heavy psych bands in the world. And it goes beyond music. For the past two decades ringleader Kawabata Makoto has created a world beyond most of our understandings, one of decadence fueled by drugs and carnal pleasure and sound. These Japanese trippers are the real deal. Acid Mothers Temple's influence here in the States can't be measured, and you'll hear one of the band's disciples tonight in Tjutjuna. Be prepared to be taken on a trip that will last long after the music has ended. MARK LORE
THE FUR COATS, WETT NURSE, SYCAMORE SMITH AND THE GRAY BEAST, BIG BLACK CLOUD
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) When old-fashioned rock 'n' roll meets laidback glam, hearts are won. Thanks to a judiciously sexy application of pianos and horns, the Fur Coats turn heads, and their single "Not Gonna Stop" is a naughty, gritty heart stopper. Syc Nurse is a split cassette from Marquette, Michigan-based bands Wett Nurse and Sycamore Smith and the Gray Beast. You'll know Wett Nurse by their nonstop punk-rock organ, the work of Anastasia Greer, and Matt Lynch's Eric Burdon-esque vocals. Meanwhile, if their Syc Nurse track "Shan-Tan-Titty Town" is any indication, Sycamore Smith and the Gray Beast play narrative-based guitar pop. The song seems to indicate a penchant for enunciation, satisfying melodies, and not taking themselves too seriously. Portland noise rockers Big Black Cloud are the heavy-hitting act to follow here (best of luck, Sycamore Smith). Stand-out bass and drum work bolsters very loud, very distorted guitars and dystopian lyrics. REBECCA WILSON
THURSDAY 5/9
MAKE IT POP!
(The Cleaners at the Ace Hotel, 403 SW 10th) See My, What a Busy Week!
TALKDEMONIC, GRAMMIES, HATS OFF
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Talkdemonic is now a full-fledged four-piece. The duo of drummer Kevin O'Connor and violist Lisa Molinaro have added bassist Jay Winebrenner and multi-instrumentalist Dustin Dybvig to the ranks—we got a sneak peak of the expanded lineup back in February, when they performed under the cryptic name VioHazard at Bunk Bar. Now it's official, and with eight hands on deck, Talkdemonic's twisting, stirring instrumental landscapes are more fluid and dramatic than ever before. NED LANNAMANN
THE DANDELYONS, THE LAURELS, MIRACLE FALLS
(Kelly's Olympian, 426 SW Washington) Sydney quartet the Laurels have been making resonant ripples in the psychedelic underground with their Plains album. It's a shiver-inducing blend of trippy shoegaze rock with lysergic-cotton-candy melodies and mellow male/female vocals that sound like extended, distant sighs. The playability factor's sky high. DAVE SEGAL
FRIDAY 5/10
KPSU KRUISE: ONUINU, GRANDPARENTS
(Portland Spirit, SW Salmon & Naito) See My, What a Busy Week!
NIGHT MECHANIC, THE RARITIES, DJ CHARLES AUSTIN
(Record Room, 8 NE Killingsworth) Read our article on Night Mechanic.
SUN ANGLE, NICE NICE, LIKE A VILLAIN
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Read our article on Sun Angle.
RICHARD THOMPSON
(Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie) Armed with a stripped-down electric trio, a peerless back catalog, and a faithful army of beret-wearing fans, living legend Richard Thompson returns to the Aladdin Theater in support of his new one, Electric. The English-born guitarist/songwriter remains one of the best guitarist/songwriters anywhere (English or otherwise), and he's one of the only musicians with a discography stretching all the way back to the '60s that doesn't have a single rough patch, quality-wise. Whether Electric will someday become as dear to my heart as Fairport Convention's What We Did on Our Holidays or Richard and Linda Thompson's I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight is probably not too likely, but it's yet another welcome collection of the man's incredible songwriting and playing—more than enough for me to give it my wholehearted recommendation. NL
KURT VILE AND THE VIOLATORS, THE FRESH AND ONLYS, STEVE GUNN
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Kurt Vile and the Violators' new album, Wakin on a Pretty Daze, is the kind of listen that if you're not careful will follow you around for an entire day. There are worse intrusions to have, to be sure. Wakin volleys between mellow, guitar-forward jams like the opening title track's nine-and-a-half minute epic, and the oddly A-ha-esque "Was All Talk," which sizzles within sharp electronic drums and a propulsive melody. There are a few standouts in Vile's quiver ("Pure Pain," "Too Hard"), and it's probably a collection that requires multiple listens. But once you get caught up in the groove of the Violators' sleepily seismic reverberations, don't feel weird when you find yourself humming along to verse and chorus alike. RYAN J. PRADO
SATURDAY 5/11
ST. JOHNS BIZARRE: ANCIENT HEAT, BLUE CRANES, 1939 ENSEMBLE, KIM BAXTER, ORQUESTRA PACIFICO TROPICAL
(St. Johns Plaza, N Lombard & Philadelphia) See My, What a Busy Week!
DALAI LAMA, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS
(Memorial Coliseum, 300 Winning Way) Um... we don't really know what to say about this.
DENVER, LEWI LONGMIRE
(Kelly's Olympian, 426 SW Washington) Denver make a big deal of their drunkenness, but I don't know. It makes for a humorous press release, but I just can't imagine how perpetually intoxicated people could come up with arrangements as perfectly thrilling as those on, for example, "Reno," off their self-titled debut. And there is not even a hint of a slur or a quaver in the lyrical duties shared by songwriters Birger Olsen, Mike Elias, and Tom Bevitori. This is non-ironic country at its finest: steel guitar, mournful emotion, and tongues that could not be further from their cheeks. Their sound would be equally at home in a barn or a concert hall, which, given their connections, is probably where they will land. Contributing to their growing cred, they are about to open a string of dates for venerable folk rocker James McMurtry. RW
OF MONTREAL, WILD MOCCASINS
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) Just knowing that Of Montreal's Kevin Barnes took refuge in a self-imposed "isolation experiment" in San Francisco, taking creative cues from Gram Parsons and Sylvia Plath, should be enough to make you excited about his band's upcoming album. The not-yet-released, and presumably less frenetic Lousy with Sylvianbriar (due out in the fall sometime) follows Of Montreal's 2012 freak-dance hodgepodge Paralytic Stalks, an album that saw the band's eclectic muses entrenched pretty deeply within disco-punk patterns, somehow still having enough energy left over to be creatively daring. The band's chameleonic bent is also the subject of a career-spanning Kickstarter-funded documentary called Song Dynasties, currently in post-production. You will not regret attending this show. RJP
ROTTEN SOUND, BLACK BREATH,
BASTARD FEAST, NIGHT NURSE, EL CERDO
(Branx, 320 SE 2nd) The Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal effect pedal aside, Rotten Sound and Black Breath share a crucial component that sets them apart from their peers: They both know how to groove. Granted, many a metal band has taken the groove too far, as evidenced by Max Cavalera's entire post-Chaos A.D. career. Groove can be dangerous. But even as Seattle's Black Breath migrated away from the Swedish-metal chug of Heavy Breathing into the thrash tactics of Sentenced to Life, they retained an infectious rhythmic foundation. Rotten Sound's formula hasn't changed over the course of their last several releases, but why fix it if it ain't broken? The Finnish grind band is one of the few bands of the genre to employ any sort of percussive dynamic; their ability to bury a sharp groove in their machine-gun tempos should serve as a template for all blast-beat enthusiasts. BRIAN COOK
SUNDAY 5/12
Happy 85th birthday to songwriter Burt Bacharach—pussycat, pussycat, we love you.
MONDAY 5/13
BIG BOI, KILLER MIKE
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) See My, What a Busy Week!
THE APPLESEED CAST, HOSPITAL SHIPS, UGLY COLORS, FOR THE LIFE OF ME
(Backspace, 115 NW 5th) When I think of Kansas, unpleasant things generally come to mind—those bigots in Topeka, that bigot in the governor's mansion. But that's not quite fair because, for the past 14 years, the Appleseed Cast have been continuously innovating rock, always slightly below the radar. Now they are touring behind their excellent seventh album, Illumination Ritual, along with fellow Lawrencians Hospital Ships. But the Appleseed Cast almost didn't make it out this time: A traffic accident in Kansas earlier this month destroyed a bunch of gear and did expensive damage to their tour van and trailer. Eight thousand dollars in damage, in fact. They've raised enough cash to continue the tour, but could still use your help; $15 on their Bandcamp will get you a copy of the new album, a moody, mathy rock composition. Frontman Chris Crisci switches up personnel with every album, and this one is no exception. The lyrics, written exclusively in the middle of the night, are the surreal accompaniment to ambient electronics and the complex rhythms of Nathan Wilder. RW
TUESDAY 5/14
JIM JAMES, COLD SPECKS
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!
WAMPIRE, WILD ONES, DJ PREACHER TEACHER
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Read our article on Wampire.
YEAH GREAT FINE, HATS OFF, COUCHES
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) It's been a while since we've heard from Yeah Great Fine. After releasing their 2011 Circadian EP and a following tour, the band took a break as drummer Dave Hires entered rehab for alcoholism. He wrote this friendly note to the Mercury: "It was actually really great! After the dust settled, we were all still friends and I've been staying out of trouble (10 months sober as of a couple days ago), but the band seemed doomed to fade into the ether. Luckily happenstance intervened: Jake [Hershman, guitarist] decided he was moving to California, so it was now or never. We've been practicing hard for a couple of months and we sound fucking pretty rad. This will be our reunion and last show ever at the same time." A very big congrats to Hires for his sobriety, and now it's time to say a tearful farewell to Yeah Great Fine, an immensely gifted Portland band that balances tricky rhythms and techniques with catchy, feel-good sounds. NL
POKEY LAFARGE, THE LONESOME BILLIES
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Practitioners of old-timey music seem to embrace it full-on, and St. Louis musician Pokey LaFarge is no exception, with his sheik chic and a sound that will take you back to the Roaring '20s. He's already hep with the NPR crowd, and in June will release his next LP on Jack White's Third Man Records. Opening are Portland's Lonesome Billies, who embrace a less refined Grand Ole Opry-meets-outlaw country twanginess. Needless to say, the dance floor should showcase some serious moves tonight, and smartphones will likely remain in vest pockets. ML