Thee Oh Sees ~ Monday, June 15
As if there weren't enough of the Troggs' crushing riffs and junkyard stomp in Thee Oh Sees' new album Help, "Meat Step Lively" features a bout of wavering flute. Yes, just like in "Wild Thing." But that's not to say John Dwyer's ever-shifting San Francisco band—once known as OCS—doesn't put its own surreal stamp on battered garage and bristling psych. Much more loaded with pop melodies and boy-girl harmonies than last year's fierce The Master's Bedroom Is Worth Spending a Night In, Help (In the Red) could almost be cuddly enough to score a crossover hit with folks who don't know the Vivian Girls from the Black Lips. Touring with Jay Reatard won't hurt either. When Reatard's energized legions of fans show up to hear a preview of his upcoming platter Watch Me Fall—due out August 18 on Matador—they may instead get a mouthful of overripe, effects-streaked delirium that easily does its heady forebears proud. With Idle Times. The Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave., 441-7416. 8 p.m. $12. DOUG WALLEN
Eliza Douglas
Telepathe: So sparkly, and yet so serious.
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PJ Harvey ~ Tuesday, June 16
Perhaps more than anyone in music's modern era, PJ Harvey has challenged not only our standards of beauty but our very definitions of sensuality and power. That she's done so both in musical and nonmusical terms, seemingly without any conscious effort, is a testament to her creative dynamism. By now, no one should be fooled by Harvey's diminutive stature and insistently gloomy expression, as she walks the razor's edge between raw expression and impeccable finesse. Few can pack a punch with as much beauty and sense of craft—and without going overboard. (Tori Amos and Björk, take note!) Almost two decades after "alternative" became a meaningless tag for corporate rock, Harvey continues to embody the term's original spirit, and she stands without peer for her distinct vision. For this stateside run, she appears with longtime collaborator John Parish; on their new duo album A Woman a Man Walked By, Parish provides all the music while Harvey sticks to singing and lyrics. The Moore Theatre, 1932 Second Ave., 443-1744. 8 p.m. $36.50 adv./$39 DOS. All ages. SABY REYES-KULKARNI
Todd Rundgren ~ Tuesday, June 16
In a remarkable career that stretches back more than 40 years, Todd Rundgren has put his unique stamp on modern music as a singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer, video pioneer, multimedia artist, and all-around visionary/innovator, with roots that run deep to the best of 1960s pop and the Philly soul of his hometown. Tonight's set will feature 2008's Arena, but with a back catalog of 30-plus studio albums, the Toddheads (there's no such thing as a casual Rundgren fan) in attendance could hear anything—from the fuzzed-out '60s psychedelia of the Nazz (named for a Yardbirds B-side) to Utopia's '70s prog-rock to an unparalleled solo output that spans four decades and defies categorization. His crack backup band includes jazz legend Charlie Haden's daughter Rachel on bass and two longtime sidemen: Kasim Sulton (guitar/keyboards) and ex-Tubes drummer Prairie Prince. Rundgren turns 61 in six days, but his energy and passion put frontmen one-third his age to shame. He's a familiar face—this is his third Triple Door show in the past 11 months. With Paul Freeman. Triple Door Mainstage, 216 Union St., 838-4333. 8 p.m. $45. MICHAEL MAHONEY
