Kelley Bingham
The Curious Mystery on a vision quest.
Related Content
More About
Jeremy Enigk ~ Thursday, May 14
In the past 15 years, Jeremy Enigk has presented himself as a handful of different musical personalities. First there was the enigmatic frontman of Seattle's emo heroes Sunny Day Real Estate. (The band members granted few interviews, and once famously sent fake versions of themselves to pose for a Nordstrom print ad.) There was Enigk's first solo effort, Return of the Frog Queen, a series of orchestral compositions that distanced his high-pitched voice from the screaming vocals and aggressive guitars that had defined SDRE. When the band finally broke up for good in 2001—because Enigk converted to Christianity, it's rumored—Enigk fronted The Fire Theft. With a similar sound and some of the same lineup as SDRE, it's no surprise that The Fire Theft's only full-length album, released in 2003, sounded like The Rising Tide redux. Gone was the emo angst of SDRE's first album, and in its place was the melodic prog-rock style that has continued to define Enigk's solo work. Since then, Enigk's work has stayed in that same vein, and the soon-to-be relased OK Bear isn't much different. So there's no chance that Enigk is going to bust out "In Circles" during a live show; instead he'll strain his vocal cords pushing to a near-falsetto and making up words like "darium" and "mondrary." Then again, he might have created an entirely new identity, equally full of surprises. With the Lonely Forest, Baby Panda. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9467. 8 p.m. $15 adv. All ages. PAIGE RICHMOND
Lal Meri ~ Thursday, May 14
Formed by a trio of musicians from various backgrounds, including multi-instrumentalist Ireesh Lal and Niyaz's Carmen Rizzo (who has also worked with the likes of Seal and Coldplay, to name a few), this newcomer band mixes pop, electronica, jazz, and Middle Eastern sounds into one cohesive package, as heard on their self-titled debut. Rounding out the group is lead vocalist Nancy Kaye, who brings it all together with her nasal Natalie Merchant–meets–Nelly Furtado vocals. In a live setting, the band sounds incredibly tight. Kaye exudes a lot of charm as a frontwoman, while the oud and tablas give their music an exotic, worldly feel. If music fans are willing to give this pop-fusion group a chance, they might be poised to change popular music as we know it with their spiced-up sounds. With Govinda, Carmen Rizzo, Anomie Belle. Nectar Lounge, 412 N. 36th St. 632-2020. 9 p.m. $8. ERNEST BARTELDES
Youth Group ~ Thursday, May 14
Youth Group is a terrific indie-pop quartet from Australia that may remind you of a good many good things: the melodic power-pop of mid-to-late-period Teenage Fanclub; the refined art-rock of the Church; and the jangly dream-pop of a slew of Flying Nun bands from the '80s and early '90s (the Chills, the Clean, Volcano Suns, et al.). And frontman Toby Martin's engaging, dramatic vocals have bits of Morrissey and the Shins' James Mercer floating around in them, too. While they're showing signs of synthesizing that stuff into their own sound and style, it might take another album or two before casual listeners are able to distinguish Youth Group from its obvious influences. Still, those particular influences—and the way Youth Group absorbs them and spits them back out—are great enough that you certainly won't mind being held under their sway live. With Wallpaper, Blue Horns. High Dive, 513 N. 36th St., 632-0212. 9 p.m. $8. MICHAEL ALAN GOLDBERG
The Curious Mystery ~ Friday, May 15
Listening to the Curious Mystery's K Records debut, Rotting Slowly, is like taking a hit of the purest sonic LSD. Frontwoman Shana Cleveland croons languid vocals that flow thick and slow like molasses. While her voice is definitely the icing on the cake, Cleveland, the child of country and blues musicians, also plays banjo, guitar, and autoharp proficiently. Guitarist (and maker of original homemade instruments) Nicolas Gonzalez sometimes takes over the vocals, too, while bassist Bradford Buttons and drummer Faustine Hudson—whose complete absorption in her task and seductive hair-tossing makes her one of my all-time favorite drummers to watch live—fill in the rhythm section. Sounding something like a mix of the Velvet Underground, Earth, and Black Mountain, the Curious Mystery's transcendental songs owe their intoxicating effect to a seamless stitching of honky-tonk country, gospel, ambient post-rock drone, and Eastern sounds. But while the band cherry-picks elements of sounds from artists all over the world, it's the way it patches those elements together that makes it stand out. With the Abodox, Lonesome Shack. Sunset Tavern, 5433 Ballard Ave. N.W. 9 p.m. $7. SARA BRICKNER
Jeff Samuel ~ Friday, May 15
Between his rearing in Cleveland and his relocation to Berlin, minimalist jock and producer Jeff Samuel did a stint in our humble gloomsville, where he worked as a sound-effects designer in the video-game industry. His inner tech-nerd, however, is largely hidden in his tracks, which despite their bare-bones structures have a funky bounce and luminescent melody. This is doubtless one of the reasons why so many more well-known DJs, from Ricardo Villalobos (who remixed Samuel's Digital Self EP) to Francois K, spin his cuts when on the circuit. Since releasing his critically garlanded full-length Step in 2006, he has maintained a heavy international touring schedule. The Capitol Hill classic "Broken Disco" event is a perfect spot for the former local's return. With Lusine, Pezzner, Sweet Beets, Kadeejah Streets, Kid Hops, Suntzu Sound, Adlib. Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St., 324-8000. 9 p.m. $7 before 10 p.m. KEVIN CAPP
