Damo Suzuki and Michael Karoli—The vocalist and guitarist for influential ’70s prog/space/noise rock band Can probably won’t be playing shiny, happy pop songs when they stop at the Fenix, Sun 10/4.
Air—A different set every night and stage design by supreme kitsch ironist Mike Mills complement this French duo’s chamber orchestra of theremin, Vocoders, oscillating synths, and ’70s vintage drum machines. ARO.space, Sun 10/11.—J.M.
Cat Power—For Moon Pix, her second Matador full-length, singer-songwriter Chan Marshall sheds her flannel skin and emerges as a glitzy butterfly, burnished voice intact. Live, she can be haunting or halting, but she’s always mesmerizing. Crocodile, Sat 10/17.—J.M.
PJ Harvey—Though Harvey’s last tour—for 1995’s To Bring You My Love—was pure Vegas showgirl, there’ve been some hints in interviews over the years that she’s grown tired of the camp and drag. If we’re lucky, Harvey will return to the bare-it-all stage show of her early years, when it was just three folks and some mean tunes tearing up the stage. Showbox, Tue 10/20.—T.R.
Earshot Jazz Festival—Highlights of this year’s lineup include Fred Hersch, John Zorn, Dave Douglas, Joe McPhee, Cuban pianists Rub鮠Gonzalez and Chucho Vald鳬 Gnawan vocalist Hassan Hakmoun, and mandolin and clarinet improviser Andy Statman. Various venues, hotline 547-9787, 10/24-11/8.—J.M.
Kahimi Karie—Big in Japan, this Shibuya chanteuse (frequent companion of everybody’s favorite Japanese pop star/record mogul, Cornelius) will share songs from her upcoming American debut. Venue TBA, Wed 11/4.—J.M.
Inertia Tour—This one’s got all the oldies but goodies: Pere Ubu with MC5 guitar revolutionary Wayne Kramer, plus Gang of Four, the Buzzcocks, some version of the Fall, and the Dickies. It’s all about anarchy, baby. Union Station, Fri-Sat 11/6-7.—J.M.
Rumored for Next Year
Belle & Sebastian—The mere mention of their names makes music critics drool like dogs in a butcher shop. The Scots have a second creepily sweet pop record, The Boy with the Arab Strap, out on Matador now.
The Ex—More foreigners (this time from Holland), the Ex were cult figures long before the dawn of the Madonna era. Lovers of muscular guitar pop in that European anarchist tradition, will want to check out the Ex’s upcoming Steve Albinirecorded full-length, Starters Alternators (due 10/20), and a collaboration with Tortoise (due in the spring).
Recorded Picks
Bjork, TBA—The world’s been a much happier place since Bjork left the Sugarcubes. In her new electronic forest, the Princess of Noise fares much better: She’s got more room for her wildly uncompromising voice to romp and play. November.—T.R.
The Breeders, TBA—Five summers have passed since the blissed-out Cannonball, and though lead Breeder Kim Deal released a record with the Amps, it just wasn’t the same. It remains to be seen if the Breeders can maintain the edge they had when they first arrived with Pod, now that sister Kelley has gone and bassist Josephine Wiggs ditched the band too. Early 1999.—T.R.
Busta Rhymes, TBA—The man who single-handedly turned the hip-hop universe on its head is back and not a moment too soon. Mr. Rhymes’ delirious combination of camp and avant beats sets him apart from the staid hip-hop world. October.—T.R.
Missy Elliott, TBA—The poster girl for All That, Missy can even make Scary Spice sound interesting. Here’s hoping hip-hop’s renaissance woman avoids the sophomore slump. Early 1999.—J.M.
Takako Minekawa, Cloudy Cloud Calculator—From electro-funk workouts to Caribbean-flavored instrumentals to sweeping, string-filled ballads, this Buffalo Daughter cohort continues the conquest of America that began with last year’s Roomic Cube. 10/6.—J.M.
Neotropic, Mrs. Brubaker’s Strawberry Alarm Clock—On her follow-up to 15 Levels of Magnification, Ninja Tune artist Riz Maslen continues to thrive in the dark side of experimental space. The record’s unsettling, with unexpected, often disturbing noises corrupting the mix. One thing’s certain, you won’t confuse Maslin’s music with the Happy House. 10/6—T.R.
Olivia Tremor Control—What can you do with a small recording budget? Quite a lot, as this Beatlesque indie-rock collective proved on its stunning 1996 debut, Dusk at Cubist Castle. Stay tuned for the sequel. 2/6/99.
Sleater Kinney, TBA—Looking for life after the riot, this Portland trio will no doubt come up with more quirk-punk anthems. 1/99.—J.M.
Underworld, TBA—The band that gave the world one of its best techno anthems (“Born Slippy” off the Trainspotting soundtrack) hasn’t released a full-length since ’96’s Second Toughest in the Infants. Though considered a mainstream group over in Europe, Underworld has barely scratched the American consciousness. It’s harder, more intelligent, and more complex than anything from Prodigy or the Chemical Brothers, which might hold the rest of the nation back, but it shouldn’t keep you from checking it out. February.—T.R.
U.N.K.L.E., Psyence Fiction—Already released overseas, the long-awaited record finally arrives on these shores. The brainchild of James Lavelle, the owner of the seminal acid jazz/down-tempo label MoWax, the record is getting hyped not just because of his experimentalist bent, but also because of the cast of characters he’s assembled—including the Verve’s Richard Ashcroft and Radiohead’s Thom Yorke—all guided by DJ Shadow’s savvy production skills. 9/29.—T.R.
