THURS NOV 8

Frankie Cosmos, Kero Kero Bonito, Tanukichan
Give Kero Kero Bonito credit for following their instincts. The London trio had generated plenty of buzz over the past five years with their hyper-catchy collision of J-Pop, electronic music, and video game aesthetics. But when their personal lives started to darken with loss, heartbreak, and nostalgia, Japanese singer Sarah Midori Perry and her bandmates Jamie Bulled and Gus Lobban transformed into a rock band, with their friend James Rowland on guitar. Last month, they surprise-released their new album Time ’n’ Place, which is crunchy and urgent, but still catchy and bleep-bloopy, and every bit as cool as their previous stuff. (Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell, 8:30 pm, $20-25, all ages) BEN SALMON

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SAT NOV 10

Oshun, Highclass Hoodlums, Blossom, Amenta Abioto
Named for the Yoruba goddess of love and prosperity, Oshun is the NYC-based R&B duo of Thandiwe and Niambi Sala, who describe their music as “the sonic manifestation of Afrofuturism.” Throughout their recent debut LP Bittersweet Vol. 1, the two women rap and sing about their spirituality and search for inner peace over hypnotic beats and interstellar sound effects that will appeal to fans of THEESatisfaction and Shabazz Palaces. Standouts include “My World” (featuring Jorja Smith) and the 2017 single “Not My President.” (Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, 7 pm, $12-50) CIARA DOLAN

Ruston Kelly, Katie Pruitt
Ruston Kelly’s debut LP Dying Star is as tuneful and compelling a roots-related recording as you’ll hear this year. Its 14 tracks simmer with the kind of slow-burning twang-pop that will appeal to fans of old alt-country mainstays like the Jayhawks and Whiskeytown, as well as fresh-faced folk faves Mandolin Orange. Kelly excels at writing downcast songs about being fucked up and hard to love, and injecting them with a gut-punch turn of phrase or an unexpected melodic idea. The result is an album that’s strong from top to bottom, and that rewards repeated listens. (Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water, 9:30 pm, sold out) BEN SALMON

Rubblebucket, Diet Cig, Tōth
Listening to Rubblebucket’s new album Sun Machine is like getting mercilessly punched in the face with positive energy. I have no idea what the Brooklyn art-pop duo is singing about half the time—the contagion of their sugary, electric melodies has overtaken my feeble brain. There’s lots of sparkling synth, joyful yelping, saxophone (plus other assorted horns), and drums that wordlessly command you to “Dance, silly human, DANCE.” Sun Machine delivers bright, happy songs that bounce and bubble over with glee like baby animals who haven’t yet been corrupted by the world or the memes therein. (Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell, 9 pm, $18-20, all ages) CIARA DOLAN

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SUN NOV 11

Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin
Dario Argento’s 1977 horror classic Suspiria wouldn’t be the same without the bone-chilling soundtrack of Italian prog band Goblin. Between those iconic synth melodies, menacingly twinkling bells, percussion that clatters like a ghost at the window and drones like it’s coming from the bowels of hell, ghoulish moans, choirs of heaving sighs, and folksy guitar riffs, Goblin made every moment of Argento’s film feel like a vivid, continuous, and claustrophobic dream. Just in time for the release of Luca Guadagnino’s new Suspiria remake, Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin—an offshoot led by founding keyboardist Simonetti—is coming to town to perform their score during a live screening of the original movie. (Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE César E. Chávez, 7 pm, $15-30) CIARA DOLAN

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TUES NOV 13

Death Valley Girls, Gymshorts
On their new record Darkness Rains, Death Valley Girls go all-in on proto-punk anthems, conjuring the specters of Fun House-era fuzz and flying the flag for all that is loud. The Detroit boogie of “Disaster (Is What We’re After)” isn’t anything you haven’t heard before, but the band wears their influences proudly on their leather sleeves—Iggy Pop even stars in the track’s music video. Death Valley Girls’ commitment to their craft proves that rock ’n’ roll is here to stay. (Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, 9 pm, $10-12) RYAN J. PRADO

Guided by Voices, Stan McMahon
Guided by Voices’ shows will consistently give you the most bang for your buck. Of the 2,000-plus cuts that Robert Pollard has penned throughout his prolific career, few creep much past the three-minute mark, and many fan favorites clock in closer to a minute and a half. As a result, the indie rock heroes’ Wonder Ballroom set will likely feature dozens upon dozens of tracks spanning their roughly 30-year existence—every song, of course, being an attempt to fulfill Pollard’s chief goal of fitting as many hooks into as little time as possible. (Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell, 8:30 pm, $35-40) BEN WEINSTEIN

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WED NOV 14

Florist
Florist’s 2017 masterpiece If Blue Could Be Happiness sounds like it was made to live inside your heart. The New York band’s brand of indie folk-pop is small, gentle, and delicate, yet it resonates with deeply felt feelings that will ring true with anyone who has ever lived, loved, and lost. “Look what I found,” Emily Sprague sings. “There’s sound inside me, but I am not that loud.” If Blue Could Be Happiness is a quietly beautiful monument to the impermanence of life and hope for the future. (Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan, 8 pm, $10-12, all ages) BEN SALMON

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Thu Nov 15

Justin Timberlake
Read our defense of Justin Timberlake. (Moda Center, 1 N Center Ct, 7:30 pm, $49.50-225.00, all ages)

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FRI NOV 16

Albina Soul Revue: Shirley Nanette, Gregg Smith, The Legendary Beyons
Portland’s soulful past has been repeatedly painted over with boxy condos, upscale boutiques, and e-scooters. But the Rose City’s “lost era of soul” refuses to be forgotten. Come listen, wiggle, and shake to Portland’s heavy-hitting soul musicians of the ’70s, including Shirley Nanette, Gregg Smith, and the Legendary Beyons, at the Alberta Rose tonight. (Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta, 7:30 pm, $25) ALEX ZIELINSKI

Tacocat, Black Belt Eagle Scout, Plastic Cactus
A visit from Tacocat is like a shot of vitamin D. The Seattle posi-punk band’s last album, 2016’s Lost Time, is packed with upbeat odes to Seattle, Plan B, horse girls, and X-Files heroine Dana Katherine Scully. They’ll be joined by Portland’s own Black Belt Eagle Scout (AKA Katherine Paul), who just dropped her debut LP Mother of My Children on Saddle Creek Records. (Polaris Hall, 635 N Killingsworth Ct, 8 pm, $17-20, all ages) CIARA DOLAN

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SAT NOV 17 & SUN NOV 18

Blitzen Trapper, Luluc
Read our story on the 10th anniversary of Blitzen Trapper’s Furr. (Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 9 pm, sold out)

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SAT NOV 17

Hair Puller, Maximum Mad, Over, Avola
United by a shared love of “big, dumb riffs,” the members of Hair Puller found each other on Craigslist and have been conjuring them together ever since. Old Friend—the hardcore band’s debut LP, out now on Nadine Records—sounds like a tidal wave of toxic sludge preparing to subsume everything in its wake, or the moment of battle when Valkyries begin to descend over the chaos. The album is full of those big, dumb guitar riffs, along with howling vocals and pounding drums, but the effect is more epic and devastating than you might expect. (Kenton Club, 2025 N Kilpatrick, 8 pm, $7) CIARA DOLAN

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SUN NOV 18

Cat Power
Considering how long Cat Power has been synonymous with states of wallowing and general malaise, it’s a wonder that Chan Marshall can still function as a songwriter. On recent albums, Marshall has hopped genres and moods with relative ease and occasional success. While her latest, Wanderer, has some moments that defy our expectations, it’s arguably the most Cat Power-y Cat Power album since 2003’s You Are Free. The record is full of the sparsely arranged ballads she’s known for—songs that change the air in the room and hold tension without ever letting go. (Roseland, 8 NW 6th, 8 pm, $32.50-45) JOSHUA JAMES AMBERSON

Wavves, Shy Boys
It’s an endless bummer that the quality of Wavves’ music has tapered off since the surf-punk band’s nihilistic, Dookie-worshipping album Afraid of Heights, which overflows with angsty anthems like “Sail to the Sun,” “Demon to Lean On,” and “Lunge Forward.” But opening act Shy Boys have plenty of fuel left in the tank, as proven by their excellent new record Bell House. Hailed by Polyvinyl Records as “the Beach Boys on Robitussin,” it’s true that the rising Missouri band’s harmonies are soaked in sunshine, but their lyrics trade themes of surfing and summer flings for reflections on basement dwelling, feelings of betrayal, and the “Tragic Loss” of your own childhood innocence. (Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark, 9 pm, $20-24, all ages) CIARA DOLAN

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MON NOV 19

Mutual Benefit, Gabi
For most of the past decade, Mutual Benefit has skirted the edges of indie folk, chamber-pop, and ambient music, creating something that—while not necessarily new—is consistently interesting. The band’s new album Thunder Follows the Light is a collection of happy-sad travel songs and reverent meditations on the natural world. While some of what makes their sound so special is notably absent—the push and pull between hi- and lo-fi, the textural soundscapes—instead the focus is turned to songwriting and arrangements. The record revels in subtleties and small complexities, carrying the same precise ease of Horse Feathers or Michael Nau’s solo work. It’s not their best, but it is—like every Mutual Benefit album—a thought-out, carefully orchestrated, and perfectly autumnal affair. (Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 8 pm, $13-15) JOSHUA JAMES AMBERSON

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TUES NOV 20

Municipal Waste, Toxic Holocaust, Haunt
Last year, Trevor William Church of doom band Beastmaker dropped Luminous Eyes, the debut EP from his side project Haunt. Trading in Beastmaker’s Sabbathian riffs and tone for a crisper, more traditional heavy metal sound, Haunt blew many minds and garnered ecstatic critical praise. Luminous Eyes was so well received that Church turned Haunt into a full-fledged touring entity and recently released the full-length Burst into Flame, which is packed with expertly executed dual-harmony guitar riffs and catchy earworm melodies. With Haunt, Church effectively shows that pigeonholing metal musicians can be a big mistake. (Bossanova Ballroom, 722 E Burnside, 6 pm, $24.50-28, all ages) ARIS HUNTER WALES

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WED NOV 21

Jorja Smith, Ravyn Lenae
Just a few months after being featured on the Black Panther soundtrack, English R&B singer/songwriter Jorja Smith dropped her debut LP, Lost & Found. It’s a dreamy but grounded collection of songs, with Smith’s voice anchoring trip-hop beats and airy production. The 20-year-old musician probably has a long career ahead of her, but catch her tonight while her star’s still rising. (Wed Nov 21, Roseland, 8 NW 6th, 8:30 pm, $29.50-45, w/Ravyn Lenae) CIARA DOLAN