Jega ~ Wednesday, August 12
Sarah Meadows
YACHT au naturel.
Related Content
More About
Now that we're a decade removed from the '90s electronica boom, electronic artists seem free to create ear-pleasing fusions without the pressure to innovate. Case in point: Manchester-via-L.A.'s Dylan Nathan, aka Jega. Returning to the scene with Variance, a sprawling new double album on u-Ziq's Planet Mu label that was nine years in the making, Jega's programming touch shows the natural ease of an artist who isn't self-conscious about his musical vocabulary. Whether that has any bearing on how deeply electronica has sunken into the culture at large is up for debate, but Variance is so smoothly executed it's easy to miss how masterful Jega is at extracting brilliant melodies from his soundscapes. His fondness for breakbeats aside, at its most expansive Jega's latest work evokes images of onetime labelmates Boards of Canada reinterpreting the Blade Runner soundtrack. Which is to say that Variance is a work of considerable dramatic beauty and power, but ultimately shaped by Jega's signature sense of discretion. With Obelus, ndCv. Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St., 324-8000. 9 p.m. $7. SABY REYES-KULKARNI
The Dutchess and the Duke ~ Thursday, August 13
One of the most reliable signs of genius pop songwriting occurs when the writer expresses a common—if not universal—human emotion in phrasing so classic and familiar that the listener is convinced they've already heard the sentiment expressed elsewhere. Dutchess and the Duke mastermind Jesse Lortz has this gift in such a rich degree that one fears it has a brief shelf life. When he and his collaborator Kimberly Morrison harmonize on the line "I can't win, I can't lose, and everything I do is wrong," on "Hands," the opening track from their sophomore album, Sunrise/Sunset, it's equal parts optimistic, downtrodden, and fiercely forthright. The entire record is so strong, it gives off a whiff of potency that makes you want to pay attention, simply because something with this much concentrated quality can't possibly be topped. I'd love to be wrong, because this is easily one of the best local records of the year, and The Dutchess and the Duke should eventually be worthy of an entire box set. With Fences. Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. N.W., 789-3599. 9 p.m. $10 adv./$12 DOS. HANNAH LEVIN
The Dodos ~ Friday, August 14
Piss off hipsters using the transitive property. If A = the Dodos' most well-known song, "Fools," was used in a Miller Chill commercial last year, and B = hipsters who attend free Dodos shows have been known to leave right after the final beat of "Fools" is played, then C = a hipster is as laughably facile as a Corp. Corp.–manufactured bottle of douche beer. Now that those posers are gone, here's why you should stick around for the whole of the Dodos' appearance at the Mural: Because their indie-Afro-folk-pop sounds more authentically at home in the open air. Because percussionist Logan Kroeber's from-the-heart fervor is entrancing to watch. Because he and singer/guitarist Meric Long have added electric vibraphonist Keaton Snyder to the lineup, giving their pulsating tribal sounds pleasant new depths. Because you can bring your boomer parents, who will say that the Dodos' music reminds them of their CD copy of Paul Simon's Rhythm of the Saints. Because they'll likely show off new material from their upcoming, buzzed-about album, Time to Die. Because the Mural's beer garden doesn't serve douche beer. With Army Navy. Mural Amphitheater, Seattle Center. 6 p.m. All ages. Free. ROSE MARTELLI
Or, the Whale ~ Friday, August 14
Or, the Whale has a remarkable knack for sounding small.This may sound like a slight of the folksy Bay Area septet, but it's really a testament to their canniness at composition and arrangement. Seven players can get a bit unwieldy, the additions weighing down the sound rather than anchoring it, but that couldn't be further than the truth on Or, the Whale's eponymous sophomore album. The sound is lush and full, yet allows for space and subtlety when appropriate. Album opener "No Love Blues" weaves between the two, with vocal harmonies fading in and out on the chorus as the verses alternate between simple vocals and guitar and a full band sound with banjo and pedal steel filling in the gaps. "Count the Stars" is a slow simmer, focused entirely on the amazingly compatible vocals of Alex Robins and Lindsay Garfield, with bass and drums providing rudimentary structure. Pedal steel lines and simply strummed acoustic guitar barely brush the surface.Even the feedback-heavy "Black Rabbit," which does double duty as pseudo-psych and Neil Youngish country stomp, avoids a feeling of excess. Of course, the group still has seven members, so you never know when things will just explode with sound. With Conrad Ford, Jack Wilson. Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. N.W., 789-3599. 9:30 p.m. $8.NICHOLAS HALL
Red Fang ~ Friday, August 14
If future Queens of the Stone Age leader Josh Homme had chosen to invite Black Flag founder Greg Ginn and Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler to his legendary Desert Sessions back in the late '90s, the results probably would have sounded much like Red Fang today. Watching them peel the paint off the walls at the Comet last month felt akin to being fortunate enough to have caught Metallica play a small club while touring in support of their debut, Kill 'Em All. Opener Little Cuts is the extremely promising new punk project led by Dave Hernandez (Scared of Chaka, the Shins), with help from bassist Drew Church (the Cops and countless other local bands) and drummer Curtis James (Excuse 17, the Old Haunts). They're followed by Austin's Lions, longtime tourmates of Red Fang who have also shared the stage with logical matches such as Blue Cheer, Nebula, the Misfits, and Russian Circles. Anyone who appreciates the flashpoints where metal and punk intersect would be an utter fool to miss this show. Sunset Tavern, 5433 Ballard Ave. N.W., 784-4880. 10 p.m. $8. HANNAH LEVIN
