The Short List: This Week’s Recommended Shows

Mount Eerie ~ Wednesday, October 14

"Wind's Dark Poem," the opening track from the double-album sprawl of Mount Eerie's recently released Wind's Poem, sounds a lot like a maelstrom. Heavily distorted guitars, thick washes of feedback, and crashing cymbals all whip around Phil Elverum's voice, which sounds a bit like a lost soul who's not really trying to be heard above the cacophony, as if he's speaking calmly from the center of the tornado that's about to toss him into the heavens. This dynamic interplay is how Elverum is able to indulge his black-metal ambitions without losing the intimate voice that so typifies Mount Eerie's recordings. Of course, not all of Wind's Poem is so brash. "Through the Trees" sounds a lot like a half-forgotten lullaby, with a gentle organ, softly brushed drums, occasional guitar, and an ethereal presence that only works because it feels so organic and personal, like the sound of your own breathing. These two tracks really act as signifiers for the entire album. Some songs are bracing and almost assault the ears, others are so gentle that you can almost forget that they exist external to yourself. The most amazing moments are when these two elements are inexplicably combined, which Elverum manages to do repeatedly here. A masterful album. With WHY?, No Kids. Vera Project, 305 Harrison St., 374-8372. 7:30 p.m. $13. All ages. NICHOLAS HALL

The Oregon Donor (CD release) ~ Wednesday, October 14

It must be hard to be a musician from Anacortes, given that you will always live in the daunting shadow of the prodigy that is John Van Deusen of the Lonely Forest. It's almost like being from Aberdeen and starting an angsty grunge band. That said, there's always room for more indie rock bands in the Northwest (right?), and the Oregon Donor recalls several of the area's established favorites—say, an earlier-era Minus the Bear or a less thrashy Thermals. The foursome formulates textured and jam-heavy songs complete with jerky guitar riffs, frontman Christopher Edwards' rubbery vocals, and a plethora of extended proggy interludes. The group's been working hard recording and playing shows for years now, and earlier this month finally released their third full-length, A Pageant's End. Tracks like "Morse Code" and "Hostages" highlight the Oregon Donor's friskier side, with picked-up, jittery tempos and echoing layers of vocal harmonies—definitely the band's sound at its best. With the Femurs. Sunset Tavern, 5433 Ballard Ave. N.W., 784-4880. 9 p.m. $7. E. THOMPSON

Spiral Stairs ~ Wednesday, October 14 and Thursday, October 15

Now that news of the Pavement reunion is out of the bag, there's an electric buzz of excitement surrounding any activity by the band's individual members. If going to see Scott Kannberg, aka Spiral Stairs, once came with the painful baggage of mourning and wishful thinking, it doesn't have to anymore. But before we get ahead of ourselves, Kannberg has a new album coming out within days of his two local appearances. Of course, his opening slot for Bob Mould reads on the marquee like a summit meeting between two of indie rock's most celebrated icons, but watching Kannberg perform for free at a record store for an all-ages crowd is much more in keeping with the spirit he brought to Pavement in the first place. While Pavement eventually came to be dominated by leader Stephen Malkmus, Kannberg perfectly played the part of Malkmus' ideal creative foil, and his edgier, more out-there sensibility clearly helped shape the band's legendary sound. Like Malkmus, Kannberg has benefited greatly from taking a less-self-conscious approach to his post-Pavement output. His stuff was always pleasantly loose, even sloppy, but these days he sounds like he's having a lot more fun. And, yes, he does do Pavement tunes. Wednesday at Sonic Boom Records, 2209 N.W. Market St., 297-2666. 6 p.m. Free. All ages. Thursday with Bob Mould at Neumos, 925 Pike St., 709-9467. 8 p.m. $15 adv. SABY REYES-KULKARNI

Monsters of Folk ~ Thursday, October 15

With Jim James, Conor Oberst, and M. Ward in the fold, Monsters of Folk includes three of the most recognizable voices in indie pop, and an argument could be made that combining the three of them inside one self-titled record would somehow magnify the experience of one of the artists' day jobs. But it doesn't quite work that way. What we get on an album that tries so hard to share the spotlight is an abbreviated go—a revue, if you will—with each of the dudes. There are moments of levity—"The Right Place" is a charmer, on par with anything the boys have done alone—and hearing each voice step up to the microphone provides a handful of Traveling Wilburys moments. All that said, Monsters is sure to take on a completely separate life on stage, with five bodies of work to pull from, plenty of ego, and a proclivity for musical hyperbole, as the band's name implies. The Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St., 877-STG-4TIX. 8 p.m. $28–$40. All ages.CHRIS KORNELIS

Digital Leather ~ Friday, October 16

Though the name conjures something like biker techno, Digital Leather is closer to synth-punk, which still fits the name rather neatly. Burping synths, ping-pong beats, and fuzz-coated choruses guide multi-instrumentalist Shawn Foree to noisy, romantic epiphanies that can't help but be infectious. Visiting the same post–Jesus and Mary Chain realm of shoegaze and goth spillover as fellow fresh faces Crocodiles and Cold Cave, Digital Leather has landed on Fat Possum's swelling lineup to release the debut album Warm Brother, following a half-live, half-studio record on the ever-hip Goner Records. Foree has also covered/remixed the Raveonettes and expanded his one-man act into a full touring outfit, inspiring Jay Reatard to sign on as the band's manager. Before you accuse him of tapping the zeitgeist, note that Foree has been pursuing Digital Leather in one form or another since 2002. Hopefully he'll still be kicking it after the global fascination with bleary lo-fi comes to an end. With the Girls and Virgin Islands. Comet Tavern, 922 E. Pike St., 322-9272. 9 p.m. $6. DOUG WALLEN