Charlotte Gainsbourg / Wednesday, April 14 See B-Sides.
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Love Is All / Wednesday, April 14
Listening to the Swedish five-piece Love Is All gives you the same frenetic feeling that a sugar rush does. On the band's third full-length, Two Thousand and Ten Injuries, lead singer Josephine Olausson has toned down the screechiness of her vocals since the band's 2005 debut Nine Times That Same Song, but she still sounds like a bratty little girl giving you too much sass. The music is packed with buzzy guitars and a super-high energy level, but breaks from the standard pop-punk formula with quirks like a saxophone player and lightly bouncy melodies. Such twists give Love Is All's songs a snappiness and an edge over fellow Swedish female-fronted pop-punk outfit the Sounds. With Princeton. High Dive, 513 N. 36th St., 632-0212. 8 p.m. $10.ERIN K. THOMPSON
Florence and the Machine / Thursday, April 15
Few singers can cite both the Velvet Underground and Celine Dion as musical inspirations. But Florence and the Machine does so without batting an eye. London experimental-pop singer Florence Welch, notorious for her volatile style, borrows from all genres on her debut album Lungs. She garnered mainstream attention in America last year after her infectious (albeit disturbing) "Kiss With a Fist" was used in the shitteously awesome horror flick Jennifer's Body. "You smashed a plate over my head, then I set fire to our bed," she divulges, as casually as she would that she and her boyfriend visited a restaurant. The remainder of Lungs is as, if not more, capricious. A fucked-up relationship has never made such delightful song fodder. With Holy Hail. Showbox at the Market, 1426 First Ave., 628-3151, 8 p.m. $20. All ages.ERIKA HOBART
Horse Feathers / Thursday, April 15
While the music landscape might be saturated with folk acts, not many play music as delicately beautiful as Justin Ringle and his Portland-based Horse Feathers. The charm and delicacy of the Northwest instantly emerges from the Lewiston, Idaho, native's quavering voice and a songwriting skill that manages amazing things rhythmically without so much as a drum. After making a dramatic entrance with their 2008 debut House With No Home, the Kill Rock Stars signees are back with eagerly awaited sophomore release Thistled Spring. Filled with the same banjo- and violin-accented melodies—not to mention a familiar dreamy wilderness aura—these songs remind us of the reasons we live in the Northwest, or even the inland Northwest. With Megafaun, Breathe Owl Breathe. Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. N.W., 789-3599. 9 p.m. $10. NICK FELDMAN
Madeleine Peyroux / Thursday, April 15—Sunday, April 18
Had Madeleine Peyroux stuck around her Athens, Ga., birthplace, it's quite possible she would've gone down an entirely different musical path—but luckily for jazz enthusiasts, she relocated to France at age 13 and quickly discovered Parisian street music rather than rock 'n' roll. The Billie Holiday–inspired vocalist draws from influential songwriters such as Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen, and also runs the gamut lyrically by incorporating deeply personal narratives and referencing the work of Buddhist nun Pema Chödrön. Peyroux is currently touring on her 2009 release, Bare Bones, which ranges sonically from enchantingly slow pieces to exciting up-tempo rhythms. Jazz Alley, 2033 Sixth Ave., 441-9729. 7:30 & 10 p.m. $35. NICK FELDMAN
Zubatto Syndicate / Thursday, April 15
Asked to guess the headliner for what's being billed as the first-ever jazz show at the Croc, most people probably wouldn't come up with Zubatto Syndicate. But that's exactly what makes this an intriguing night. The 12-piece band debuted at Town Hall last fall with music that's solid and involving, but also on the sedate side. On guitarist/leader Andrew Boscardin's compositions—which lay down intricate patterns and odd-hued harmonies—the band delivered some great soloing, especially from alto player Clark Gibson, but without any of the Skerik-type energy that translates reliably to a rock club. These men and women play seated with music stands—or at least they did then. Can a Croc crowd respond to that kind of chamber approach? (Jazz or no, I feel confident this is the first-ever Croc show featuring a middle-aged woman on bassoon.) Hopefully yes, because this is a band that deserves a hearing. With Owcharuk 5, Waterbabies. Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave., 441-7416. 8 p.m. $8. MARK D. FEFER
Exene Cervenka / Friday, April 16
Somewhere Gone, Exene Cervenka's 2009 solo album, is a far cry from the rough-edged punk she wrote and performed with X. Back then—nearly 30 years ago—Cervenka's voice served as a more dramatic complement to John Doe's low rumble. But Somewhere Gone is a bona fide folk album, with tales of willow trees and Trojan horses. At times she's twangy and soft, channeling Tammy Wynette's melancholy on "Surface of the Sun." On other tracks, like "The Willow Tree," she sounds like Neko Case, her vocals pitch-perfect but still tough. Cervenka reaches far beyond her '80s punk past to the '50s, pulling out Jerry Lee Lewis–style piano for "Walk Me Across the Night." These songs may be simple and short, but they're just as powerful as the straightforward punk she trademarked decades ago. Easy Street Records, 20 Mercer St., 691-3279. 6 p.m. Free. All ages. PAIGE RICHMOND
