Phenomenauts ~ Saturday, July 25
Phenomenauts seems like it should be nothing more than a joke band, conceived while inebriated (or more likely stoned) and realized onstage in the same condition. Either that, or the house band at a sci-fi convention. Either of these could easily be the case. Somehow, though, the band manages to transcend the '50s-space-epic costumes, techno-babble lyrics, and general geekiness, mostly by virtue of embracing them with straight-faced sincerity. Call them meta-geeks. It certainly doesn't hurt that they pair their geek-chic homage with (now laughably obsolete) future-shock imagery with equally cheesy punk-edged synth music that owes a heavy debt to New Wave. I would say the Phenomenauts are one of life's ultimate guilty pleasures, except that the band's sound, style, and philosophy seem to have one guiding principle: There are no guilty pleasures. So slap on a homemade Geordi La Forge VISOR, rename yourself Captain Capacitor, and get ready to rock your way back to the future. With the Re-Volts. El Corazon, 109 Eastlake Ave. E., 381-3094. 8 p.m. $10 adv./$12 DOS. All ages. NICHOLAS HALL
Courtesy of Relapse
Baroness continues the tradition of heavy-as-shit bands with feminine names.
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Nobunny ~ Sunday, July 26
Who is the surreptitious avant-tard darling known as Nobunny? I have a few theories. Perpetually clad in a rabbit mask, his tighty-whities, and little else, he could be a serial killer in a C-grade holiday slasher flick (Tag line: "You think you're alone, but Nobunny's home..."), or an off-season mall Easter Bunny on a meth bender, or a loony-bin escapee with a plushy fetish—or maybe he's a pervy, sloshed superhero sent from planet Thumper to save the San Francisco scene, then the entire world, from our own boring selves. Regardless, his recorded music is so lo-fi it borders on offensive; live, it can be beautifully, brilliantly messy or an out-and-out train wreck, straddling the line between anti-folk and performance post-punk so masterfully you think he'd want the whole world to remember his glorious face and not just his ever-present package. With Rock-n-Roll Adventure Kids, Blank Its, Ape City R&B. Funhouse, 206 Fifth Ave N., 374-8400. 9:30 p.m. $7. MA'CHELL DUMA LAVASSAR
Gomez ~ Monday, July 27
Even after a blatant move to accessible, radio-friendly pop upon signing to Dave Matthews' ATO label, British five-piece Gomez still has some tricks up its sleeve. For starters, the band's songwriting remains a clever, seamless amalgam of rock, folk-rock, blues, and psychedelia—all toned down into a palatable pop blend. It is somewhat unfortunate that Gomez has shorn off its rougher edges on its past two albums, because the band was initially poised to bring some much-needed respectability back to pop music. Gomez's resident songwriters nonetheless still demonstrate so much skill at putting twists on pop formula that one barely notices the depth of what they manage to slip in. Gomez's ingenuity is even less noticeable these days, but should still grab the attention of even the most pop-averse listener. With Mother Hips. Showbox at the Market, 1426 First Ave., 628-3151. 8 p.m. $20 adv./$23 DOS. All ages. SABY REYES-KULKARNI
Glitch Mob ~ Tuesday, July 28
With the recent departure of Matthew "Kraddy" Kratz, laptop hellions the Glitch Mob are down to three members. One hopes this doesn't muck up the sub-genre-defying electronic act's notoriously boisterous live shows (which have ruined the ability of other laptop jocks/producers to use their screens as scrims for their lack of interest in the audience). The beautiful, bass-y noise these West Coast–based boys create, and the almost feral visual antics that accompany it, seem so reliant on all four members that to hear/see only three sorta breaks the chain. Man down, man up. The remaining three Glitch-sters will doubtlessly bring the pain tonight: Their electro-infused, hip-hop-tinged, glitched-out concoctions and their self-proclaimed ability to "slay crowds," as headlined on their MySpace page, make it a necessity. In the meantime, get familiar with their sound via the endless remixes (from STS9 to Evil Nine) on their site. With Nosaj Thing, Daddy Kev. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9467. 8 p.m. $15 adv. KEVIN CAPP
Rodent Emporium ~ Tuesday, July 28
Scottie hotties Rodent Emporium aren't your regular, run-of-the-mill, 1-2-3-4 Ramone-a-bes. Track to track, these boys teach a history-of-punk class that wisely"borrows" from the likes of the Replacements, Black Flag, and the holy trinity of "Dead" bands (Boys, Kennedys, and Milkmen), infused with a little ska, a little reggae, some C & W, and a heaping helping of satirical wit. Take their homage to Rollins and Co., "Sports." Sung by a guy who looks like the love child of Elvis Costello and Johnny Rotten and sings with a soaring falsetto, the song is fueled by sports-rock clichés like the arena-wowing keyboard intro (a la the starting lineup at basketball games) and Bon Jovi–esque solos; the chorus is a grunted chant of "SPORTS, SPORTS, SPORTS." It is so well-executed that it'll probably go right over the heads of the jocks it mocks and become their adopted ironic anthem. With One Undone. Comet Tavern, 922 E. Pike St., 322-9272. 9 p.m. $5. MA'CHELL DUMA LAVASSAR
