The Fiery Furnaces ~ Wednesday, November 18
David McClister
Those Darlins have got “darling” down to a science.
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The Fiery Furnaces can't seem to decide what kind of band it wants to be. From the beginning, its sound has been informed by the simple and evocative melodies of finely crafted pop songs, but the band also has a penchant for playing with the basics, taking a straightforward tune and sending it skittering in a thousand directions at once. The tug of war between the band's classicist inclinations and experimental aspirations is a constant, but on the most recent several releases, it seems the mad scientists have been winning. This past summer's I'm Going Away pulls the band in the other direction. If the Fiery Furnaces needed proof that it hasn't gone too far afield, this album is certainly it; it's focused on simplicity and the perfection of form. Fortunately, the Friedberger siblings couldn't completely eliminate the quirkiness that so typifies even their most straightforward efforts. Melodies occasionally turn serpentine, form studies turn in on themselves, and stabs of jazzy mayhem punctuate the overall soft sound. With Cryptacize, Dent May. Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St., 324-8005. 8 p.m. $15. All ages. NICHOLAS HALL
Russian Circles ~ Wednesday, November 18
A bit like fellow Chicagoans Pelican, the instrumental trio Russian Circles simultaneously draws from two traditions: the post-rock of Slint, Polvo, Mogwai, et al., with all the attendant knottiness, dynamics, and unorthodox melodies and structures; and the progressive metal of Tool, Neurosis, and Isis, who offer heaviness and crunch, though often in atmospheric, experimental ways. Formed nearly five years ago, Russian Circles play with the tightness, awareness, and nuance of a band that's been together three times as long. As exhilarating and epic a live rock act as you'll see, they'll dazzle you with beautiful passages and wallop you with doomy ones—often within the same song. Oh, and if that bassist looks familiar, that's because it's Brian Cook of These Arms Are Snakes and Botch fame. Bottom line: If you ever fell hard for Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Explosions in the Sky, or Mono, and yet secretly wished they were just a tad heavier, you will not want to miss Russian Circles. With Young Widows, Helms Alee. Neumos, 925 Pike St., 709-9467. 8 p.m. $12 adv.MICHAEL ALAN GOLDBERG
Reptet ~ Thursday, November 19
On its 7" vinyl debut, Agendacide, Seattle jazz ensemble Reptet enlists two of the genre's most underrated virtues: brevity and tuba. Sure, brevity is a given on seven inches, but it's worth noting that Reptet is putting its best foot forward with Agendacide, a record that teases at a poppier, more accessible Critters Buggin' before revealing itself as a smoother orchestra equipped with lush sax solos that give way to coordinated hysteria on all fronts. But in just 12 minutes, Agendacide doesn't give Reptet away, leaving enough to the imagination to make this record-release show something worth anticipating, not predicting. With Orkestar Zirkonium, DJ Derek Mazzone. Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. N.W., 789-3599.CHRIS KORNELIS
Thunderheist ~ Thursday, November 19
Happy accidents have been the origin of some of the world's greatest recipes, discoveries, and a majority of its siblings. In what could have been the greatest of uh-oh moments, a mis-shared computer file, Canadian electro-hop duo Thunderheist were born. Best known for their track "Jerk It" (featured in The Wrestler) and a video (produced by Seattle team That-Go) that won the Grand Jury Prize at SXSW '09, producer Grahm Zilla and MC Isis began their collaboration via the Internet: She accidentally received an incomplete mp3 of a Zilla track and rhymed over it, making musical magic. The act's self-titled debut is chock-full of infectious dance grooves, clever rhymes, and a smart, party vibe that can turn your boring shindig into an off-the-hook freak fest with just one press of the play button. Catch them while they're still flirting with the underground. With Winter Gloves, DJ Colby B. Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St., 324-8005. 8 p.m. $10. MA'CHELL DUMA LAVASSAR
Built to Spill ~ Thursday, November 19 and Friday, November 20
Like all great bands, you know Built to Spill within seconds of hearing them. The great Idaho concern creates music as sprawling, soaring, and wonky as the Western U.S. territory they call home. Their latest album, There Is No Enemy, offers some of their most muscular and anthemic work balanced with some truly lovely balladry. "Aisle 13" shoots for the sky much as "The Plan" did on Keep It Like a Secret, with Doug Martsch's aimless guitar solo lagging perfectly behind the beat (Martsch is a master of I'll-get-there-when-I-get-there detachment). Overall, they sound familiar and well-worn—a good thing when it comes to Built to Spill. After all, since Martsch & Co. practically invented their own musical language for the modern West, they have every right to keep speaking it. With Disco Doom, Finn Riggins. Showbox at the Market, 1426 First Ave., 628-3151. 8 p.m. $20 adv./$25 DOS. All ages. [Friday's show is sold out.] BRIAN J. BARR
Lovvers ~ Friday, November 20
Kept primitive and aggressively lo-fi, songs often hover around the two-minute mark on Lovvers' new album OCD Go Go Go Girls. The English quartet may be signed to Wichita, home of the Cribs and Bloc Party, but such bratty nuggets point to the recent proto-punk revival. They can sound a bit like Jay Reatard, only with hooks—and there are some killer hooks—and Shaun Hencher's sloppy shouts utterly buried. With songs so short and similar, the album blurs into a there-and-gone haze. The almost-title-track "OCD Go Go Girls" is the standout, the lead single, and also the longest track at 3:47. Elsewhere there's the titular Minutemen ode of the laid-back instrumental "D. Boon" and the shambling slow burn of "Golden Bars Blue." Lovvers can seem like they're trying too hard to not try at all, but it's about time some Brits answered Times New Viking and Wavves. With The Intelligence, Past Lives, Crime Wave. Comet Tavern, 922 E. Pike St., 322-9272. 9 p.m. $6. DOUG WALLEN
