Blonde Redhead / Wednesday, November 24
Todd Cole
No Age . . . or smiles.
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The disappointment was palpable and heavy this July when, at the last minute, Blonde Redhead cancelled their highly anticipated set at the Capitol Hill Block Party due to an illness in the band. The dreamy New York shoegaze-pop trio retains a devoted following of captivated fans, even though their latest album, September's Penny Sparkle, is something of a disappointment. The band's soothing melodies are still there, and Kazu Makino's glittering vocals still take precedence, but much of Penny Sparkle is just too restrained and low-energy, ironically lacking the sparkle of their previous releases, 2007's exquisite 23 and 2004's spellbinding Misery Is a Butterfly. Regardless, there are some standouts on the new album—like the excellent lead single, "Here Sometimes"—and seeing them play anything from 23 or Misery is worth the ticket price alone. With Olof Arnalds. Showbox at the Market, 1426 First Ave., 628-3151. 8 p.m. $20 adv./$23 DOS. All ages. ERIN K. THOMPSON
J. Cole / Wednesday, November 24
It's hard enough to catch the eye of a guy like Jay-Z doing just about anything, so to be the first artist signed to Hov's Roc Nation label as both an MC and a producer—that's impressive. But North Carolina–born J. Cole deserves his own spotlight. Lyrically, he's responsible for aggressive 16-bar flows and cerebral verses that refrain from succumbing to tired-sounding verbal laziness, and sonically he's classic yet impressively nuanced. Fresh off his stellar Friday Night Lights mixtape and in advance of delayed debut full-length Cole World (now expected sometime in December), you can bet on a set filled with the earnest, honest, pure music that catapulted J. Cole to hip-hop's forefront. With K. Michelle, CJ Hilton, Cool Nutz. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9442. 8 p.m. $21. All ages. NICK FELDMAN
The Brothers Balthazar Post-Thanksgiving Hootenanny / Thursday, November 25
I hate the holidays like Sarah Palin hates Planned Parenthood. I've learned it's all about timing your exit: you know, long enough after the Bacchanalian gorging to be polite, but before your stepmom/dad/nosy aunt gets loaded and starts ranting about how you shouldn't have broken up with your ex. So God bless the Blue Moon not only for staying open on the holidays, but for holding fun events you might actually want to attend. Billed as a Thanksgiving hootenanny with "the Brothers Balthazar," this event actually features a variety of rotating secret musical guests playing things like blues and rock and holiday standards. As the bar's booker Jason Josephes says, "I'm not saying former Monkees frontman Micky Dolenz is stopping by to sit in with them, but I'm also not saying that he isn't. Only one way to find out, kids!" Blue Moon Tavern, 712 N.E. 45th St., 675-9116. 9 p.m. Free. SARA BRICKNER
Knut Bell & the Blue Collars / Thursday, November 25—Saturday, November 27
Seasoned country musician Knut Bell has plenty to be thankful for, and he's the first to admit it. After a hellish few years battling a staggering assortment of personal demons both chemical and spiritual, the Skagit County native began a road to recovery and has arrived in a remarkable place of peace, but he's still armed with no shortage of badass showmanship onstage. This weekend's Thanksgiving shows at the Little Red Hen will no doubt spill over with a collective sense of euphoric gratitude—from both Bell and the Hen's salty and spirited regulars who will be dancing away any tryptophanic effects from the day's feast. Little Red Hen, 7115 Woodlawn Ave. N.E., 522-1168. 9 pm. $3–$5. HANNAH LEVIN
No Age / Friday, November 26
No Age's third LP, Everything in Between, is a big, beautiful racket. Drummer Dean Spunt and guitarist Randy Randall create crashing, expansive layers of sound that make No Age sound like a quintet instead of a duo, with the help of loads of screeching reverb. The music is propulsive, even urgent, but not so unruly that it bowls you over in a confusing, meaningless blast of noise. Actually, despite all the fuzz and feedback, songs like "Glitter" and "Common Heat" are solid and hooky, sometimes touchingly emotive, and always firmly defiant. "I don't fear God," Spunt sings on "Glitter." "I don't fear anything at all." With White Boss, HPP. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9467. 8 p.m. $12. All ages. ERIN K. THOMPSON
The Physics / Friday, November 26
Seattle's skies may have turned awfully gray, but if anyone can revive a feeling of good times and sunshine it's Justo, Thig Natural, and Monk Wordsmith. Both of the Physics' recent laid-back, soulful FreEPs—last year's High Society and this May's Three Piece—are must-have artifacts of the local scene, and the band's since been hard at work in the studio tackling their sophomore full-length, Love Is a Business. Even more uplifting, this show benefits All as One, an organization dedicated to empowering a self-sufficient people in Sierra Leone and supporting its orphaned children. After watching their Bumbershoot set back in September, I remain convinced the Physics are still one of the best feel-good hip-hop groups I've seen—in Seattle or elsewhere. With Sol, Jake One, Yirim Seck. Nectar, 412 N. 36th St., 632-2020. 8 p.m. $10. NICK FELDMAN
