THURS MAY 9

Wand, The Lavender Flu, Gen Pop
The evolution of LA rockers Wand has been one of the most rewarding musical trajectories of the decade: They exploded onto the scene with fuzzed-out shredders heavily informed by mentor Ty Segall, but with 2017’s Plum, the group began wreathing highly dynamic arrangements into progressively-tinged suites. Their newest, Laughing Matter, makes good on that promise, resulting in a smart, art-rock epic that’s equal parts trippy and thought-provoking. (Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, 9 pm, $15-17) NED LANNAMANN

Passion Pit
Ten years have passed since Passion Pit released their debut studio album, Manners. Although Michael Angelakos has released three more records since then, sometimes it’s necessary to look back and celebrate. Tonight is one of those nights. On their 10th anniversary tour, Angelakos and his live band will revisit Manners, and I for one couldn’t be happier. The whole album is perfection, so expect to see the crowd jumping to “Little Secrets,” “Sleepyhead,” “The Reeling,” and me shouting along to “To Kingdom Come.” (Roseland Theater, 8 NW 6th, 8 pm, $37.50-119, all ages) KATHERINE MORGAN


FRI MAY 10

Shannon Shaw, Plastic Cactus, Máscaras
Shannon Shaw is a California punk through and through, but her 2018 solo debut, Shannon in Nashville, has her singing a different tune. Throughout the album, Shaw marries soulful lyrics and upbeat pop-country melodies. While this may be her first solo record, she’s had plenty of time to hone her skills onstage, as the singer and bassist for garage-rock outfit Shannon and the Clams. Come dressed to impress with your shiniest cowboy boots and neatest retro bouffant combed up to the heavens. (Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, 9 pm, sold out) KATHERINE MORGAN

Stephen Malkmus
It was surprising for some to hear that indie rock prince Stephen Malkmus was releasing an electronic record earlier this year. But considering the former Pavement vocalist/guitarist’s proclivity for music slightly left of the dial (he’s a noted Beefheart and Stereolab fan), dabbling in something outside his “indie” wheelhouse wasn’t so mind-blowing. Whether or not he’s succeeded on Groove Denied is open to debate, but the fact that Malkmus is trying new things 30 years into his career is a win. The record, partially influenced by a stint in Berlin almost a decade ago, is a fun little curio, and the single “Viktor Borgia” is a warm and warbly earworm that could have only been made by Stephen Malkmus. (Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 9 pm, $30) MARK LORE


SAT MAY 11

Filthy Friends, Eyelids
Read our story on Filthy Friends. (Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, 9 pm, $20-25)


SAT MAY 11-MON MAY 13

Oregon Symphony, Jane Archibald
This weekend, our hometown orchestra pairs troll-infested mountains with homoerotic musings. While the program’s bulk is devoted to a complete performance of Edvard Grieg’s score for Peer Gynt (accompanied by trippy animation projected above the stage), a little gem from Benjamin Britten might make an equally epic impact on those lucky enough to attend. Not only is Britten a giant among 20th-century composers, he was a queer icon when it was absolutely dangerous to be so. His setting of Rimbaud’s hot and bothered Les Illuminations will be performed by soprano Jane Archibald, who makes her debut with the band. (Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, Sat & Mon at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2 pm, $24-125, all ages) BRIAN HORAY


MON MAY 13

Kevin Morby, Sam Cohen
Since moving on from his acclaimed work with the likes of Yellowbirds and Apollo Sunshine, Sam Cohen has established himself as one of the more dynamic artists releasing music today. That’s not to say that his former projects lacked intrigue; both were powerhouse arbiters of reverb-y, Paisley Underground psych and lazy cool. But Cohen’s 2016 solo debut, Cool It, was a blast of effortless swagger that dripped with clap-back production and smart, Dead-indebted songwriting. His forthcoming follow-up, The Future’s Still Ringing in My Ears, was co-produced by Danger Mouse, and, as evidenced by the first two singles, is hell-bent on exploiting the cosmic grooviness hiding just under the folds of Cohen’s myriad influences. (Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside, 8 pm, $18-20, all ages) RYAN J. PRADO


FRI MAY 17

Neil Young
Neil Young is in a flurry of activity, with a short string of Pacific Northwest solo acoustic dates—including tonight’s intimate show at the Keller Auditorium—immediately followed by a plugged-in full-band tour that includes a show in Eugene on May 23. Diehards will probably need to attend both, as each side of the 73-year-old singer/songwriter’s acoustic/electric nickel is a distinctly different experience: History shows us that the acoustic show will include gentle favorites from pastoral albums like Harvest and, uh, Harvest Moon, while the electric show, with backing band Promise of the Real, will probably feature epic, feedback-drenched meltdowns on chestnuts like “Hey Hey, My My” and “Love and Only Love.” But there’s a wild card at play this time, too: Young just recorded a new album in the Colorado Rockies with his oldest, greatest, raggedy-ass-est backing band Crazy Horse, so chances are pretty good he’ll want to try out some of those new tunes in front of a crowd before the record comes out this fall. To further complicate things, he’s also got an archival release on the way: Tuscaloosa, a 1973 live recording from the gloriously shambolic arena tour that gave us the brilliant Time Fades Away. If Young feels like offering a mixture of new Crazy Horse tunes and some of the rarely performed Time Fades Away repertoire—and performing them both solo and with a band—then these shows might be some of the best he’s ever done. (Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay, 7:30 pm, $59.50-250, all ages) NED LANNAMANN

The Faint, Choir Boy, Closeness
The Faint are at their best when they’re nervous and unruly, when anxious noise and new-wave cool clash in the space between the basement and the arena. On 2014’s Doom Abuse, the Omaha band sounded nearly as unsettled as they did on their 1999 breakthrough, Blank Wave Arcade. They were recharged and rowdy. On their new album, Egowerk, the Faint find a synthetic groove and stay there, and the result is perfectly pleasant and unsurprising, the work of a well-oiled machine tended by capable hands. You’ll move but be unmoved. (Star Theater, 13 NW 6th, 9 pm, $25) CHRIS STAMM


SAT MAY 18

Critic’s Pick: Weyes Blood, Jackie Cohen
As Weyes Blood, Natalie Mering’s music has evolved from medieval psychedelia (2011’s The Outside Room) to disenfranchised Americana (2014’s The Innocents) to doomsday folk (2016’s Front Row Seat to Earth). Her latest and best record yet, Titanic Rising—which she has described as “the Kinks meet WWII or Bob Seger meets Enya”—ruminates on the struggle to find love and meaning in this bizarre moment in history. On the frantic “Everyday,” Mering channels Carole King as she sings about her fear of being alone in the brutal age of left swipes, while the slide guitar on “Andromeda” makes her sound like an extraterrestrial cowboy navigating the vast and lonely cosmos. (It also includes some magnificent sardonicism, with lines like “Treat me right/I’m still a good man’s daughter.”) Finger-snaps spoil the otherwise brooding “Mirror Forever,” but that’s essentially the record’s only weak moment. And although Mering perfectly illustrates all the big, lost feelings that can surface when drinking too much coffee sends you into a full-on existential spiral, the album’s standout track, “Something to Believe,” still feels bright and hopeful. Her voice sounds more powerful than ever, reverberating with hair-raising intensity, and her lyrics continue to hit me right in the heart: “Give me something I can see/Something bigger and louder than the voices in me.” Like the title suggests, Titanic Rising is fantastical and cinematic, but even as she’s forecasting total destruction, Mering is able to find beauty and goodness in herself, others, and this strange planet. “I hope you could have a smile during the apocalypse and be grateful for whatever conditions exist,” she recently told Pitchfork, “because life is a beautiful thing.” (Sat May 18, Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 9 pm, sold out) CIARA DOLAN


SUN MAY 19

The Lemonheads, Tommy Stinson
After forming in an elite Boston private high school, the Lemonheads produced three of the scrappiest punk albums of the 1980s (on a label famed for releasing Oi! and ska records) before signing to a major and frontman Evan Dando becoming the Sassy darling of the alternative era and (whether fairly or not) the poster boy for sell-out poseuring. His ’93 inclusion in People’s Most Beautiful cemented the disdain, and near-viral hate-zines followed in its wake (the men’s rights-adjacent Die, Evan Dando, Die and Kathleen Hannah’s male-privilege-in-rock analysis My Life with Evan Dando, Popstar). But then there were perfect pop gems—like “Stove” and “Rudderless”—that carried an emotional weight that belied their shallow lyrical surface. Evan Dando as a figure was absurd, sure, but his songs were sweet and simple. And these facts, all these years later, hold true. (Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 9 pm, sold out) JOSHUA JAMES AMBERSON


WED MAY 22

Boyz II Men
Self-described “harmony crackheads” Boyz II Men are the best-selling R&B group of all time. If you’re someone who enjoys R&B and lived through the ’90s, their hits—“End of the Road,” “I’ll Make Love to You,” “One Sweet Day,” with Mariah Carey, “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye,” and many others—probably soundtracked your life at some point. Having overcome the departure of two former members, Boyz II Men are still touring and just as dedicated to achieving perfect harmony. (Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, 7:30 pm, $50-160, all ages) JENNI MOORE

Critic’s Pick: Combo Chimbita, Sávila
Combo Chimbita hails from New York City, but the quartet’s collective family tree is planted in Colombia, the country from which their families emigrated. This band takes great pride in their Latinx roots, as heard in the cumbia and merengue rhythms they build many of their songs around. And they know enough about the history of Colombia’s music to know they exist in a lineage alongside Aterciopelados and La Payara, groups that remain almost entirely genre-agnostic. A similar spirit powers Combo Chimbita’s latest album, Ahomale, released earlier this month via Anti- Records. On songs like “Testigo” and “Te Ví,” the core elements are the swishing sound of a guacharaca, a traditional Colombian percussion instrument, and drummer Dilemastronauta’s clambering playing, but everything surrounding it pulls from much different sources. The guitars are pure acid rock, and the synthesizer tones are borrowed from ’70s-era Cluster records. Elsewhere, the band pulls on strands of reggae and reveals the influence of heavy metal. The strain of the album is on frontwoman Carolina Oliveros’s shoulders, which she bears with ease. She plays the role of shapeshifter, adapting her voice to suit whatever backdrop the rest of her bandmates dream up. She’s also the oracle, breathing deep from the heady clouds of incense and helping clear the pathways to a more spiritually fulfilled future. Polish up your third eye and get ready to go on one hell of a journey with these four as your guides. (Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 9 pm, $12-14) ROBERT HAM

Jenny Lewis, Karl Blau
Jenny Lewis’s new record, On the Line, is a peculiar listen for the uninitiated. Sure, Lewis has a fantastic voice and a knack for delivering kitschy turns of phrase, and that’s been her most notable calling card since her days fronting Rilo Kiley. She’s progressed into more elaborate pop songwriting since then, and while it still has the power to be life-altering (“Heads Gonna Roll,” “Hollywood Lawn”), it’s a slow-burn sort of record that labors itself with big ballads. It’s self-deprecating and heavy on waster imagery, but despite the slog, Lewis manages to reward repeated listens with magical subtleties that will make you forget everything I just wrote. (Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside, 8 pm, sold out, all ages) RYAN J. PRADO