Little Dragon/Wednesday, January 12
Sarah Cooper
Little Dragon: Bubbleheads from Gothenburg.
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Gothenburg, Sweden, has proved to be an unlikely boon to the international pop community—it's the home of José González, Jens Lekman, The Knife, and of course Ace of Base. Despite what her name implies, the singer Yukimi Nagano was born and raised in Gothenburg and formed the electropop quartet Little Dragon with three high-school friends (keyboardist Håkan Wirenstrand, bassist Fredrik Wallin, and drummer Erik Bodin). Nagano is a professed R&B aficionado, and the band's dance-floor electronica—as heard on 2007's self-titled debut and 2009's glossy Machine Dreams—is notable for its warm undertones of colorful soul. Little Dragon spent much of 2010 supporting Gorillaz's massive international Plastic Beach tour, which should have provided more than ample prep for their current headlining U.S. outing. With Billygoat, SunTzu Sound. Nectar, 412 N. 36th St., 632-2020. 8 p.m. $12. ERIN K. THOMPSON
My Goodness/Wednesday, January 12
It's a fact: Anytime you fuse blues and punk, it's going to sound awesome. The White Stripes? The Kills? Black Keys? Come on. It's a combination guaranteed to exude spirit, fire, and soul. The Seattle guitar-and-drum duo My Goodness is one such killer combo. It's unfortunate that all you can hear right now of Joel Schneider's ripping guitar riffs and tough vocals and Ethan Jacobsen's vigorous rhythms are a few songs on their MySpace page, but the duo recently told us that their self-titled debut should be out sometime in February. Until then, they're kicking off 2011 with some good deeds at SW's Happy Hour for Hope tonight at the bar/all-veggie restaurant Highline (proceeds will benefit Brotherton Cadillac's "Race for a Ride" charities), where they'll turn up their amps for a heavy and heady set. Vegans, bring your earplugs. Highline, 210 Broadway E., 763-2696. 7 p.m. $5 suggested donation. ERIN K. THOMPSON
Dashboard Confessional/Thursday, January 13
The year was 2000, and throngs of teenagers were discovering just how difficult their lives really seemed to be. Enter Chris Carrabba and his outfit Dashboard Confessional's debut record Swiss Army Romance. Via quietly stripped-down guitar chords and lovelorn vocals, the Boca Raton, Fla., native related tales of the women he loved and almost exclusively lost. A decade later, songs like "Screaming Infidelities" stand as anthemic embodiments of impressionable teen years, and the record is just as much a desperate, piercing therapy session as it was a decade ago. Some Dashboard lyrics may seem like platitudes today, but that's probably because repetitions of Carrabba's records created the cliché. With Chris Conley of Saves the Day, Lady Danville. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9442. 7 p.m. $25. All ages. NICK FELDMAN
Gabriel Mintz/Thursday, January 13
Gabriel Mintz is a purebred eccentric. He has stringy Kenny G hair and wire-rim glasses and talks in a hippie patois. He has been known to office-hop in Pioneer Square in search of free cheese (no joke), and dresses as though he were caught in a tornado—if that tornado contained clothes from Nordstrom Rack instead of dust particles, Judy Garland, and Bill Paxton. He is clearly unconcerned with looking cool, as evidenced both by his appearance and willingness to sing backing vocals during a Peter Cetera cover band's short set at the Blue Moon on Christmas Eve. He also participated in a cream-puff-eating contest at the Little Red Hen, where his pregame liquor consumption earned him the nickname "Rumple Mintz." When performing his own music, he's like Robert Plant and Jimmy Page combined, minus the harem of comely seductresses. With Elba, The Quit. Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave., 441-7416. 8 p.m. $8. MIKE SEELY
The Hood Internet/Thursday, January 13
If it weren't for the infectious, processor-heavy creations of a certain laptop DJ called Girl Talk, odds are outfits like The Hood Internet would still be floating their wares around the web. But the Chicago-based duo—Steve Reidell, aka STV SLV, and Aaron Brink, aka ABX—are expert selectors when it comes to matching your favorite rap lyrics with your favorite indie-rock jams. Jay-Z and LCD Soundsystem, Clipse and Matt and Kim,The Pack and Crystal Castles . . . even clever plays like juxtaposing Lil Wayne's "Fireman" and Modest Mouse's "Fire It Up" or combining the intriguing weirdness of Lil' B and Gold Panda have found their way into the repertoire. Though they may not have Girl Talk's complexity, The Hood Internet's game is already leaps above dorm-room mashups. With DJ Sharadawn. Nectar Lounge, 412 N. 36th St., 632-2020. 8 p.m. $10. NICK FELDMAN
The Allman Butters/Friday, January 14
Sound on the Sound founding editor Abbey Simmons is not only a graceful, passionate writer and a tireless local-scene champion, she's the sort of figure who inspires great affection from the music community at large, so the Blue Moon will no doubt be packed tonight in honor of her birth. Simmons is known for her sonic soothsaying powers, having been the first to discover bands such as The Head and the Heart and Drew Grow and the Pastors' Wives. This evening's bill includes one of her first finds, playing under the pseudonym "The Allman Butters." These kids are big enough to have sold out the Showbox last month, so plan to get there early. With Pickwick, Kelli Schaefer. Blue Moon Tavern, 712 N.E. 45th St., 675-9116. 10 p.m. $5. HANNAH LEVIN
