Parson Red Heads ~ Thursday, February 4
Bil Zelman
The Album Leaf turns over a new one, Saturday at Neumos.
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Maybe it's because their name reminds me ofone of my all-time favorite records, Willie Nelson's legendary Red Headed Stranger, but I delved into Parson Red Heads' music expecting it to be a somewhat tougher, traditional country band. Instead it delivers sweetly melodic country pop that steals a little from the Jayhawks andheavily from the jangly, SoCal country pining of yesteryear, which can come off as simply dreamy or extremely off-putting depending on how you take your country and western. Fans of bands like the Moondoggies and Fleet Foxes will be into the band's ultra harmonies and major musicianship, but if you want something to swill whiskey and break shit to, this ain't it. With Thorstone, Pearly Gate Music, Low Hums. Comet Tavern, 922 E. Pike St., 322-9272. 9 p.m. $7. MA'CHELL DUMA LAVASSAR
Trainwreck ~ Thursday, February 4
See Rocket Queen.
Alice in Chains ~ Thursday, February 4 and Friday, February 5
See feature.
Do Make Say Think ~ Friday, February 5
Like, say, the plodding ponderousness of Pelican or the anarchic squall of Godspeed, a good number of the instrumental post-rock bands treading the boards these days have a certain seriousness about them. Although Toronto's instrumental titans Do Make Say Think aren't exactly post-rock's answer to The Polyphonic Spree, there's an animated agility to their music that's refreshingly joyous. Although far from "loose," DMST melds brass and string sections with thudding drums and expansive guitar lines in a way that feels quite organic and alive. In concert, these eight Canadians bring their full sonic force to bear on audiences, coming across more like a shaggy, smiling hipster attack orchestra than a bunch of dour rockers trying to make a point. With Years, Charles Spearin (the Happiness Project). Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St. 9 p.m. $12 adv./$14 DOS. JASON FERGUSON
Editors ~ Friday, February 5
British quartet Editors made an impression in 2005 with their debut, The Back Room, an aggressive swirl of power chords, brilliantly tense snare drums, and Tom Smith's imperious vocals (on the hit single "Munich," he barks, "You'll speak when you're spoken to"). The music's sharp, industrial quality made it contemporary and engaging—the group was recently named the second-biggest band of the decade by the UK's Daily Mail (behind the Arctic Monkeys). It's interesting, then, that with last fall's In This Light and on This Evening, its sound has taken an abrupt new turn, with a gloomier, almost Gothic tone. Smith's vocals, damp and snarly, have become even more Ian Curtis–like, and songs like "Papillon" and "You Don't Know Love," absent any pronounced guitars, are instead completely dominated by dark, ominous synthesizers and monastic backing vocals. It's definitely going to make some Depeche Mode fans happy. With Princeton, Black Nite Crash. Showbox at the Market, 1426 First Ave. 8 p.m. $21 adv./$23 DOS. All ages.E. THOMPSON
St. Vincent ~ Friday, February 5
Annie Clark, the multi-instrumentalist and vocalist best known as St. Vincent, is a lesson in contradictions. Her song "Marry Me"—the title track on her 2007 release—is a perfect example of her ability to combine ill-fitting elements into a pitch-perfect song. It's a piano ballad with heartfelt vocals for the first few bars; it then changes to a bouncy tempo before Clark introduces sporadic, beat-keeping handclaps. The lyrics portray either an empowered woman taking control of her own romantic life or the depressing fear that lasting love might not be possible: "Most mainly want to win the game they came to win/They want to come out ahead/But you, you're a rock, with a heart like a socket/I can plug into at will." "Marry Me" is both experimental and precise, lovely yet alienating—just like the rest of St. Vincent's songs. With Wildbirds & Peacedrums, Fences. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9442. 8 p.m. $13. PAIGE RICHMOND
The Album Leaf ~ Saturday, February 6
After 10 years in the game, the Album Leaf's Jimmy LaValle is trying something new: This month's A Chorus of Storytellers is the first of his five studio albums to be recorded with a full band. Until now, The Album Leaf on record has been 100 percent LaValle, though he's toured with a rotating cast of band members. For Chorus, however, he brought his current lineup into the studio and focused on composition, artfully arranging flows of keyboard and violin, guitar and synthesizers, and the occasional floaty vocal melody into the sonic dreamscapes that are his songs. You can tell this is a guy who hangs around Sigur Ros a lot. The songs also reflect LaValle's dabbling in the TV and film industry—the music is sweeping, orchestral, and thus totally cinematic. With Sea Wolf, Anomie Belle. Neumos, 925 Pike St. 709-9467. 8 p.m. $13 adv. E. THOMPSON
The Dwarves ~ Saturday, February 6
Still relishing nudity and mayhem 20 years after their 13-song, 14-minute Sub Pop debut Blood Guts & Pussy, with its infamous album cover, the Dwarves haven't changed much. In 2007, they released a feature-length DVD surrounding a photo shoot with Suicide Girls, and their records continue to be profane stabs of anarchic punk. Fronted still by singer (and occasional novelist) Blag Dahlia and mysterious guitarist HeWhoCannotBeNamed, the band has made sure to live up to its nightmarish reputation at every turn. And though it can seem like a one-joke act, the joke shows no signs of wearing thin. Boasting a lineup that tells you all you need to know, this El Corazon bash is the second one celebrating the venue's fifth anniversary. With Zeke, the Spittin' Cobras, Neutralboy, and the Triple Sixes. El Corazon, 109 Eastlake Ave. E., 381-3094. 8:30 p.m. $13 adv./$15 DOS. DOUG WALLEN
