THURSDAY 7/21

TOP DOWN ROOFTOP CINEMA: MISSILE TO THE MOON WITH EDIBLES
(Hotel Deluxe, 729 SW 15th) See My, What a Busy Week!

UNNATURAL HELPERS, TENSIONS, FREEDOM CLUB
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) Unnatural Helpers are taking a jaunt down the West Coast this month, stopping through Portland tonight to drop off a batch of tight, taut, two-minute temper tantrums. Dean Whitmore howls from behind the drum kit and serves as the Helpers' only constant member, although Seattle's entire music scene has passed through the band's ranks at one time or another. Last year's Cracked Love and Other Drugs contained the precision of power-pop and the firestorm of hardcore, with sharp little shards of glam poking out. NED LANNAMANN

YOUR CANVAS, YOURS, DESERT NOISES, GRATITILLIUM
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) It's gonna be a long night at Holocene. First, you'll bear witness to the wildly addictive potato-chip pop of the zookeepers in Gratitillium. Cross your fingers for some sure-to-be excellent material from their upcoming record Unicornicopia. Next, prepare yourself for Desert Noises. Dudes sound like a Volkswagen commercial. After that, it's time for the palette-cleansing popsicle rock of local post-poppers Yours, who wouldn't seem out of place on the roster of Isaac Brock's Glacial Pace Recordings. If you make it all the way to the end of the night, you'll probably be ready to get on with the electronic pop of Your Canvas, who will be celebrating the release of their debut LP, Real and Imagined. CHRIS CANTINO

ANIMAL FARM, DESTRO, L PRO, THEORY HAZIT, SERGE SEVERE, DJ WELS, DJ SPARK
(Ted's, 231 SW Ankeny) Most people probably know Erik Abel as Gen.Erik, one of the emcees in local hiphop act Animal Farm. What the casual fan may not know is all the tireless work Abel puts in behind the scene as the co-founder and president of Focused Noise Productions. In addition to handling booking for the legendary DJ Rob Swift, Abel also manages Animal Farm, Luck-One, and Serge Severe and coordinates PR for the upcoming Fire in the Canyon Music Festival. All this multi-faceted grinding recently allowed him to quit his day job and focus on the music business full time, but it has also necessitated a relocation from Portland to New York City. Come out and wish him well at his sendoff show, which features a free showcase of local talent as well as a video premiere from L Pro. RYAN FEIGH

FRIDAY 7/22

KATY PERRY, ROBYN, DJ SKEET SKEET
(Rose Garden, 1 Center Court) See My, What a Busy Week!

PDX POP NOW!: AND AND AND, THE CHICHARONES, GOLDEN RETRIEVER, THE MINDERS, LOVERS, RESERVATIONS, WEINLAND & MORE
(Refuge, 116 SE Yamhill) See My, What a Busy Week! and Read our article on PDX Pop Now!

TV ON THE RADIO, MENOMENA
(Edgefield, 2126 SW Halsey, Troutdale) The triumph of TV on the Radio's fourth album, Nine Types of Light—continuing a winning streak that also includes portions of their OK Calculator CD-R and the 2003 EP Young Liars—was overshadowed by the untimely death of bassist Gerard Smith little more than a week after the record's release. With a bit more space between that tragic event and now, Nine Types of Light holds up as yet another thought-provoking collection of the stylistically wide-ranging art pop that the virtually peerless band has come to be known for. If songs like "Keep Your Heart" are simplistically sentimental, other tracks like the gospel-disco of "Second Song," the aggressive autobahn-funk of "Repetition," and the gracious, slow-moving "Killer Crane" show that TV on the Radio is still making some of the most exceptional brain candy there is to be had. NL

PINK MOUNTAINTOPS, 1776
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) Pink Mountaintops could have stopped at "Tourist in Your Town." The song, buried at the end of their 2004 self-titled debut, is pure perfection: a jangly and simplistic rock number that feels like it was unearthed from that mysterious Velvet Underground yard-sale acetate from a few years back. It is, simply put, one of my most favorite songs ever. While it's commonplace to consider Pink Mountaintops as the side project to the more popular Black Mountain—a band as essential to stonerdom as an eighth of weed and a vaporizer—I feel it's the other way around. Frontman Stephen McBean is at his best when he twists his lazy vocal drawl around hazy pop songs, sounding like the a long lost Reid brother. Pink Mountaintops' latest, Outside Love, came out a couple years back, so keep your fingers crossed that McBean wins us over with some new material tonight. EZRA ACE CARAEFF

DANAVA, FEDERATION X, LEADERS, GAYTHEIST
(Rotture, 315 SE 3rd) Federation X has become like Halley's Comet. With a bit of luck and timing you might just catch a glimpse. And if you do, consider yourself blessed. But Federation X isn't some far-off twinkle through a telescope—it's the hell-shaking thud of a fiery asteroid slamming into earth. A working band through the late '90s and mid-'00s, Federation X have since dropped off the map almost entirely. The trio's last record came out in 2005 and in the last few years they've played only a handful of dates, often few and far between. It's a damn shame. Federation X is a stunning hybrid. Too ADD to be stoner rock and too melodic to be metal, the trio shreds sweaty, hooked headbangers, and like Nirvana, they once employed Steve Albini as an engineer. Come to think of it, mix Albini's Shellac with some Nirvana and you'd damn near get Fed X. ANDREW R TONRY

JEREMY MESSERSMITH, THE LUMINEERS, NICKI BLUHM
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) At the risk of complete emasculation, I must first say this: The music of Jeremy Messersmith evokes images of kittens—lots of them, but not so many that there appears to be a rogue kitty invasion—nuzzling a small child eating an ice cream cone. There is some utterly endearing quality that exists in the tonality of Messersmith's voice—a soaring ethereality à la Brian Wilson, though delightfully subdued and devoid of any detectable tumult. Not to mention his unwavering ability to craft saccharine pop songs about life, death, and the Death Star (as heard on "Tatooine," the transient love song named for the home of the Skywalkers), all of which have gained him much acclaim in his home city of Minneapolis and enabled him to jump on hotel beds around the country (as seen in the video for swinging "Lazy Bones," off 2010's The Reluctant Graveyard). If you feel your week is lacking in the "Fucking Adorable" column, head straight to this show for satiation. RAQUEL NASSER

SATURDAY 7/23

FUCKED UP, ARCHERS, BLOOD BEACH
(Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE 39th) See My, What a Busy Week!

PDX POP NOW!: NURSES, WITCH MOUNTAIN, PURPLE & GREEN, DUSU MALI, BLOUSE, E*ROCK, MONARQUES & MORE
(Refuge, 116 SE Yamhill) Read our article on PDX Pop Now!

CULTS, GUARDS, WRITER
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Read our article on Cults.

THURSTON MOORE, KURT VILE AND THE VIOLATORS, HUSH ARBORS
(Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie) Just because Thurston Moore got all strummy and added strings on his latest solo effort Demolished Thoughts doesn't mean he's gone soft on us. It does, however, verify your suspicions that it's far less interesting than anything he's done with Sonic Youth. But, hey, this is Thurston Moore—you know goddamn well that he's going to deliver the goods live. Even with the dry, relatively effects-free guitars he's sure to employ tonight, there will be noise. Also playing is Kurt Vile, who can make strummy acoustic music sound interesting as... well... it's no small coincidence that these two are on the same bill. MARK LORE

SCOTLAND BARR MEMORIAL SHOW: THE SLOW DRAGS, I CAN LICK ANY SONOFABITCH IN THE HOUSE, STEVE WILKINSON
(Dante's, 1 SW 3rd) When pancreatic cancer took Scott Moritz from us in 2009, it left a life unfinished. The 43-year-old Portlander might be most fondly remembered at every meal, as he was the founder of the addictive crack-in-a-bottle hot sauce known as Secret Aardvark, but he also had another side to him as well. Under the alias of Scotland Barr and backed by the Slow Drags, Moritz was a wonderfully prolific musician whose Americana tunes were an essential piece of Portland music. Years in the making, his delicate rasp returns in We Will Be Forgotten, an ambitious double-disc release that includes posthumous tracks with Moritz on vocals in addition to songs where his friends (Chris Robley, Morgan Geer from Drunken Prayer, and others) step in and sing with the band. Not only is We Will Be Forgotten a heartwarming collection of songs from an artist who was taken from us far too soon, it's a celebration of one man's life and art. EAC

PORTUGAL. THE MAN
(Music Millennium, 3158 E Burnside) Yes, Portugal. The Man is championing modern musicianship. Absolutely refusing to sacrifice their boyish I'd-rather-be-fishing charm, the Portland-based band has unfailingly released a veritably inspired album every year since 2006 while logging over 800 shows. They're more than the best thing to come out of Wasilla, Alaska; P.TM wraps sound around the idea of the authentic life. Tales of dog sledding, brotherly love, and, well, trudging through the woods contemplating reincarnation inspire the lyrics behind lead guitarist/vocalist John Gourley's sprawling musical kaleidoscope. Zach Carothers' intricate, melodic bass lines add gravity to Gourley's weightless guitar-playing, as P.TM campaigns through genres, gathering elements of experimental rock, funk, prog rock, blues, pop, and occasionally folk into their mesmerizing anthems. Their newest album, In the Mountain In the Clouds is their first for Atlantic Records, marking their sound entry into large-scale prominence. CECILIA D'ANASTASIO

CASSINGLE AND LOVING IT RELEASE SHOW: THE HAPPENING
(Record Room, 8 NE Killingsworth) Budding label Cassingle and Loving It Records unveils their very first release this evening—and while it's not technically a cassingle (the Happening's Piranha runs eight songs long) it is most certainly a cassette. The latest local label to embrace those magnetic ribbons of tape that spooled through (and, every now and then, got stuck in) Walkmans and car decks during the '80s and '90s, C.A.L.I. is brought to you by the good folks who run the Record Room, the Portland bar/record store that sits right on the border of North and Northeast Portland and boasts plenty of cassettes alongside the racks of vinyl. The Happening is a trio fronted by C.A.L.I.'s Em Brownlowe (formerly of Swallows) along with bassist Shannon Wade and drummer Adrianne Sharrock, and their music is a perfect fit for the throwback medium: '90s-vintage indie rock with flecks of folk, grunge, riot grrrl, and plenty of old-fashioned guitar crunch for good measure. NL

NERVOUS & THE KID, DRAMADY, ROY TINSEL (LaurelThirst Public House, 2958 NE Glisan) Most people retreat to the Oregon Coast to relax, risk death by tsunami, or line the deep pockets of the lucrative seashell artwork industry. The folksters in Nervous and the Kid did none of those things; instead they headed west to record Good Morning Giantess in a rented coastal beach house. Their second full-length of wholesome folk music, the album opens with the title track, a warm slice of vocal-heavy harmonies that sets the pace for what is to come. Giantess works best when the Nervous and the Kid stray from the quirk and stick to the coaxing co-ed harmonies they do best. Case in point: the excellent "To Fetch a Glass of Water," as the band drops their instruments at the midway point and breaks into a wondrous sing-along that will give you chills. EAC

LUMERIANS, BILLIONS AND BILLIONS, WITCH MOUNTAIN
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) For many of us who suffer from existential dread but are too poor for therapy or fancy drugs, solace can be found in the universe-spanning ponderings of super genius Carl Sagan and in heavy doses of bone-rattling rock and roll. Portland group Billions and Billions offer both in beautiful, sludgy fashion, giving ode to Sagan in name and in exploratory orientation. On songs of epic length with titles as awesome as "Lunar Blue Balls," the band embarks on auditory odysseys with splitting guitar licks from Justin Acevedo. Tempos race as wildly as a heartbeat in a mind-bending high with Adam Bulgasem on drums, and with space-traveling sounds from Neal Munson on bass and Andrew Grosse on keys, Billions and Billions are the anecdote you need for when all other signs point to freaking the fuck out. MARANDA BISH

SUNDAY 7/24

ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER, DEATH SONGS
(Doug Fir Patio, 830 E Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!

PDX POP NOW!: GUIDANCE COUNSELOR, BRAINSTORM, KELLI SCHAEFER, MUSEE MECANIQUE, HOLY SONS, ONUINU, CLASSICAL REVOLUTION PDX & MORE
(Refuge, 116 SE Yamhill) Read our article on PDX Pop Now!

YUCK, UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Read our article on Unknown Mortal Orchestra.

MONDAY 7/25

WOODS, THE FRESH AND ONLYS, PACIFIC CITY NIGHTLIFE VISION BAND
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Woodsist Records are consistently churning out some of today's best lo-fidelity records, and tonight we're lucky enough to get two of their best bands on the same bill. One from San Francisco, and one from Brooklyn—cities every Portlander secretly envies. Woods, the sugary, slacker folk-psych outfit that sounds like Crazy Horse channeling the spirit of Wowee Zowee, and The Fresh and Onlys, who have favorably abandoned their Cramps-y freak-outs in exchange for a psychedelic, surfy take on the weepy New Romanticism of the Go-Betweens. Plus, surprise! Pacific City Nightlife Vision Band (raddest band name ever) is the inexplicably melted mindfuck of Spencer Clark (The Skaters, Monopoly Child Star Searchers) and Portland's own Scott Simmons, owner of Exiled Records and former member of Eat Skull. CC Also see My, What a Busy Week!

THE COATHANGERS, XDS, SEXHAIR
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) Like any good punk band—and they are a great punk band—the Coathangers have a bit of a reputation. Their dubious backstory (of stolen drum sets and unrelenting live shows) is well regaled at this point, but there is so much more to this Atlanta quartet than their reckless past. Their debut, Scramble, made an art form out of unraveling, raw punk songs that harkened back to the glorious run of underappreciated bands like Huggy Bear. This year's Larceny and Old Lace finds the Coathangers maturing—gasp!—as they don't entirely destroy every song in a violent collision of overlapping screams and crashing instrumentation. While not exactly batting eyelashes and curtsying, the band does savor the moment on melodic and sincere numbers like "My Baby" and "Go Away." While the tempo might have slowed ever so slightly, that doesn't mean the Coathangers aren't afraid to go for the jugular. After all, they have a reputation to live up to. EAC

TUESDAY 7/26

THIS CHARMING MAN
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) See My, What a Busy Week!

PAINTED PALMS, JARED MEES AND THE GROWN CHILDREN, THE GOLDEN HOURS
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) For a new band with just a handful of songs to their name, Painted Palms have garnered plenty of attention. They've inked a deal with Secretly Canadian, held their own while touring with Of Montreal (not easy to do), respectfully covered Dirty Projectors (also not easy), and released an impressive debut EP, Canopy. The San Francisco duo—which swells to a quintet onstage—creates vivid brushstrokes of colorful psych-pop that are as inspiring as they are creative. Joining them will be spirited anthems of Jared Mees and the Grown Children, who are making the rounds in support of the excellent Only Good Thoughts Can Stay. EAC

WEDNESDAY 7/27

MIKE MCGONIGAL'S FAVORITE THINGS: PIERCED ARROWS, STAY CALM, ILYAS AHMED, GOLDEN RETRIEVER, & MORE
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) See My, What a Busy Week!

SOFT METALS, TUNNELS, XANDER HARRIS, SICK JAGGERS
(East End, 203 SE Grand) Soft Metals are arguably one of the most tastefully executed electronic acts in Portland. Ian Hicks' sonic layering of vintage drum machines and synthesizers creates the perfect backdrop for bandmate Patricia Hall's emotionally driven lyrics. Together the duo pays homage to many of the great electronic artists of the past 35 years, and creates a sound reminiscent of many of the godfathers of experimental electronic music (such as Chris and Cosey and Section 25). With their debut self-titled full-length LP out on Captured Tracks, the future looks promising for Soft Metals. ARIAN JALALI

SONS OF HUNS, HELLO ELECTRIC, JEN MOON
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) The power trio is alive and well, and Sons of Huns are living, local proof. Their bruised and battered hard rock flattens with all the power of a steamroller, but does so at lightning speed. Their self-titled debut EP on the High Scores and Records label achieves a breadth that full-lengths twice its size don't accomplish, with every song a relentless wrecking ball of squealing riffage and thunderbolt rhythm. The Huns have a big summer lined up, headlining Portland's poshest club tonight and then making appearances at Southeast Portland's Multiple Personalities Block Party on July 30 and the Great Idea Festival in Salem's Enchanted Forest theme park on August 5. Meanwhile, the band hopes to return to the studio this summer to lay down tracks for a new 7-inch, which you can rest assured will contain more brontosaurus rock at its stoniest best. NL