The Short List: The Week’s Recommended Concerts

Ryan Shaw ~ Monday, June 29

With a boisterous, vintage R&B sound that almost literally jumps out of your speakers, Ryan Shaw's recordings have "There's no way this guy doesn't kick ass in concert" stamped all over them. Among the bandwagon hoppers who have embraced classic 1960s production values, Shaw's voice and rousing delivery ring loud and clear above the rest. Because it relies on time-proven formulas, any overtly retro music always comes tainted by the possibility that it was calculated by some shady producer with dollar signs in his eyes, but there's absolutely no denying Shaw's passion. Or the way his records crackle with energy and verve. Instead of merely carbon-copying established Motown/Stax blueprints, Shaw's work reflects a savvy mix of old and new production techniques. Clearly, he wasn't tapped as Van Halen's reunion-tour opener for nothing, and his enthusiasm translates easily for fans of any genre. Dimitriou's Jazz Alley, 2033 Sixth Ave., 441-9729. 7:30 p.m. $20.50. All ages. SABY REYES-KULKARNI

Bobb Lovett

The Coathangers time-warp to 1974.

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More About

• Emilie Simon
• David Byrne
• Ryan Shaw
• Indie Rock and Indie Pop
• Hip-Hop and Rap

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Émilie Simon ~ Tuesday, June 30

Those Europeans sure love their electronic music, and in Émilie Simon's case, we can't blame them. Simon's girlishly wispy vocals are similar to those of fellow chanteuse Charlotte Gainsbourg, only she's backed by an otherworldly aura and killer dance beats that have made her a critical and commercial success in her native France for years. She's released both floral- (The Flower Book) and plant- (Végétal) themed albums, and composed the score for March of the Penguins. Songs like "Dame de Lotus" feature driving electric guitars and hypnotic melodies, while her music videos singularize her as impossibly cool ("Flowers" turns Simon into a Claymation doll among a population of creepy toys, a la Tim Burton) and impossibly sexy ("Fleur de Saison" depicts her posing nude as vines wrap around her body) all at once. Yet Simon's exquisite lyrics expose the tenderness underneath all that edginess. With Butterfly Boucher. The Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave., 441-7416. 8 p.m. $10 adv. ERIN THOMPSON