THURSDAY 11/3

SUFJAN STEVENS, RAY RAPOSA
(Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy) See My, What a Busy Week!

RADIATION CITY, BRAINSTORM, FINN RIGGINS, E*ROCK, ADVENTURES WITH MIGHT
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) Tender Loving Empire have a brand-new compilation ready for you, and it's their loveliest yet. Friends and Friends of Friends Vol. 4's title refers to the host of bands contained within, from both Portland and afar, and it's a smorgasbord of 47 terrific tracks, including hits—or at least the local equivalent of such (Typhoon's "The Honest Truth"; Lovers' "Boxer")—alongside rarer tunes. Even better is that the double disc comes housed in a charming foldout package, which you can transform into a 3D tableau. The best part? It's yours to take home free if you're one of the first 50 people through the door at tonight's release show, featuring a batch of bands that appear on the comp. NED LANNAMANN

FRIDAY 11/4

SIREN NATION: CORIN TUCKER BAND, KELLI SCHAEFER, LEMOLO, XIMENA SARINANA
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!

BLACK STAR, SHABAZZ PALACES, RISKY STAR
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) Read our article on Black Star.

CORY BRANAN, JOHN PHELAN, BETTY AND THE BOY
(Hawthorne Theatre Lounge, 1507 SE 39th) I do not say this lightly: Cory Branan is easily one of the best songwriters currently traversing the sinuous tributaries of our nation's interstates. He's a careful wordsmith and a wily, dynamic guitar player who can (and will) change course at the slightest crosswind. This is why his recordings, 2002's The Hell You Say and 2006's 12 Songs, do him little justice, and also why he has succeeded as a solo act for so long (save for some tours with Drag the River's Jon Snodgrass); Branan is at his best untethered and unhinged. Not to mention his stage banter can often be an act in itself. The smart-mouthed boy from Mississippi has been known to pulse his already clever songs with hilarious (and often self-deprecating) quips at a near inaudible speed. If you haven't seen Cory Branan play yet, don't do yourself any further disservice. RAQUEL NASSER

RISKY STAR, LIBRETTO, REV. SHINES, NU ERA, DESTRO, L PRO
(Someday Lounge, 125 NW 5th) Portland native Risky Star is celebrating the release of his latest full-length, Cool Breeze Volume 1, which lives up to its name as it features laidback bars spit over breezy melodic production. Thematically, the record has a heavy R&B influence, closer to Drake or Chris Brown than any release from a local emcee in recent memory. He also landed the opening slot for the much-anticipated Black Star show earlier tonight, and this release show at the Someday Lounge doubles as the official Black Star afterparty. RYAN FEIGH

SATURDAY 11/5

LOVERS, PARENTHETICAL GIRLS, YOUR RIVAL
(Backspace, 115 NW 5th) See My, What a Busy Week!

MASTODON, DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, RED FANG
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) Read our article on Mastodon.

SIREN NATION: LAURA GIBSON, Y LA BAMBA, LED TO SEA
(The Woods, 6637 SE Milwaukie) The public radio milieu loves Laura Gibson for her understated style and sophisticated songwriting. But it's always seemed unfair to me that the highbrow praise she's garnered is couched largely in negative terms comparing her to the pleasantly mediocre throng: Gibson is a singer/songwriter from Portland, but she's not derivative; cerebral, but not inaccessible; folksy, but not boring. While everyone has been deciding what Gibson is not, she's been making a lush new album, with songs that warmly invite the audience in, rather than holding us at a confessional distance. Gibson has found the sweet spot that's equal parts fresh and timeless, while retaining the authenticity that is so apparent in her live shows and on her albums. This show is part of the Siren Nation Festival, whose weekend-long lineup of musicians and artists is so kick-ass that the fact that no dudes are involved seems irrelevant. REBECCA WILSON

OLD AGE, TURBO PERFECTO, THE WE SHARED MILK
(Someday Lounge, 125 NW 5th) Old Age is a new band that has grown out of other bands from around Corvallis, built around the core of guitarist/singer Matthew Ulm and bassist Dustin Daniels. With assorted friends in tow, they offer a high, brassy sound that eases between woozy country waltz and close-mic'ed lo-fi introspection. Their new 7-inch, The Whale EP, comes in a handsome package, with a fold-out lyric sleeve that smells reassuringly of brown paper and heavy ink—its sturdy trappings seem a little weighty compared to the breezy tracks contained inside. But Old Age have sown their seeds carefully, and have fastened their windswept charm to at least one perfect melody, the yearningly lovely "Only Hope." It's the kind of record that makes you eager to hear what comes next. NL

DEER TICK, GUARDS
(Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan) Deer Tick's fourth album, Divine Providence, is exactly what you'd expect from Providence, Rhode Island's rowdy Americana mash-up band. From the anthemic and sloppy gang vocals of drunk-punk track "Let's All Go to the Bar" to the cross-eyed, after-hours balladeering in the first single "Miss K.," the album is a juvenile boozehound lament masquerading as relevant American music. The group has done a fine job of cultivating their brash image since the popularity of 2009's Born on Flag Day, and while the world will always need rousers for the rabble, John McCauley and his crew will have to wrap up their bender—or at least stop recounting its foggy details in song—if they ever intend to move their music past ephemera. Alternately, Guards—headed by Richie James Follin of LA's supremely excellent and sadly defunct psych rock band the Willowz—makes raw and immediate rock that is completely worth your time and ticket money. RN

SUNDAY 11/6

THE BANGLES, A FRAGILE TOMORROW
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) See My, What a Busy Week!

REAL ESTATE, BIG TROUBLES, CHARLES BERLITZ'S THE LITTLEST AQUARIAN
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Read our article on Real Estate.

MONDAY 11/7

DAS RACIST, DANNY BROWN, DESPOT
(Branx, 320 SE 2nd) See My, What a Busy Week!

TUESDAY 11/8

DJ NANCY WHANG, JEFFREY JERUSALEM
(The Woods, 6637 SE Milwaukie) See My, What a Busy Week!

SUN ANGLE, WOODEN INDIAN BURIAL GROUND, OUR BROTHER THE NATIVE
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) You know the faces in Sun Angle: There's Charlie Salas Humara, who used to be known as Panther, as well as doing time with The Planet The and Ylang Ylang. There's Marius Libman, who often goes by Copy. There's David Fimbres, who everyone calls Papi, and who has played in every band from O Bruxo to Paper Upper Cuts to ioa to Pluvial to that band that's practicing down the street from your house right now. Tonight's show marks the availability of the new Sun Angle EP, which is available as a cassette or download, and it's an exhilarating, dizzy twirl of thick rhythms and bouncing tropical guitar; listening to it feels like soaking in the sun while imbibing succulent, potent nectars of fermenting fruits. That it's also a display of inventive and stunning musicianship is just an added bonus. NL

WEDNESDAY 11/9

WILD FLAG
(Jackpot Records, 203 SW 9th) See My, What a Busy Week!

WILD FLAG, DREW GROW AND THE PASTORS' WIVES
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Read our article on Wild Flag.

GWAR, EVERYTIME I DIE, WARBEAST, GHOUL
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) Put aside all your PC hangups and go see Gwar. Don't listen to heavy music? Doesn't matter. Their mediocre metal stylings are inconsequential at best. The true essence of Gwar lies in the indecent carnage that is their live show. Witnessing the Scumdogs of the Universe decapitate the pope, disembowel celebrities like Sarah Palin, and spew blood, pus, and green goo into an eager crowd is a breathtaking sight to behold. Believe it or not, Gwar has been covering audiences with gore for over 25 years. So if the spectacle doesn't sell you, the dedication of Dave Brockie & Co. should. Touring the world for that long, hauling with them who knows how many pounds of latex and styrofoam, shows they must be doing something right. So go, but stand back unless you want to take a shot in the eye from Oderus Urungus' exaggerated alien phallus. ARIS WALES