Crosby & Nash/Wednesday, March 30
C.J. Foeckler
Three hip dudes equal one Yellow Ostrich.
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The convergence of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young has historically brought out some of the worst in each of those enormous talents, both personally and musically. But when separated from the pack, two of those guys—David Crosby and Graham Nash—actually make each other shine. Both men have strong songwriting skills and sweet, crystalline voices that blend gracefully and create a breezy, high-altitude harmonic atmosphere. While they can veer toward the sappy in some of their more political and environmental songs, they are at their best when they turn inward, evoking an elegant melancholy and introspective regret, the kind middle-aged men are much better at conveying than the youngsters Crosby and Nash were in their heyday. WaMu Theater, 800 Occidental Ave. S., 381-7555. 8 p.m. $40–$60. All ages. BRIAN J. BARR Also see Q&A.
Talib Kweli/Wednesday, March 30
Go to Google and type in "Talib Kweli" and "underappreciated" and see what you get. Over 700,000 results. While debates over whether an artist has received his due are great fodder for message boards and nerd-lists, they distract from the work itself. Kweli has been churning out fairly consistent records for more than a decade. His ninth and latest, Gutter Rainbows, is built on Kweli's quick, punctuated flow and learned, consciousness-raising rhymes. Though he once flirted with the mainstream, Gutter Rainbows finds Kweli going truly indie—it was produced and channeled completely outside the commercial recording industry, a hard-core move that still landed him a #1 slot on iTunes and a #29 spot on Billboard. That said, I wouldn't cry too hard for Kweli—he's not Jay-Z or 50 Cent, and that's OK with him. With Grynch. Showbox at the Market, 1426 First Ave., 628-3151. 8 p.m. $20 adv./$25 DOS. All ages. BRIAN J. BARR
Tit Pig/Wednesday, March 30
Thanks to the much-hyped ascendancy of Odd Future at SXSW, I've been reading a lot of think pieces this past week about offensive art and our responsibilities toward listeners and consumers. To which Tit Pig, Seattle's most willfully confrontational new band, would presumably say "Shut the fuck up, pussy." Onstage, it's hard to make out the particulars of frontman Sean "Prawn" Evoy's screaming hardcore rants, but that might be for the best. Evoy, often shirtless and baring a grotesque chest tattoo, sings about anything from gay cruising to Nazi war criminals, and you might not actually want to know where his sympathies lie on such subjects. Easier to understand are the fast riffing and aggro rhythms of his backing band, which, along with Evoy's deadpan incitements to violence between songs, have been known to stir up a most irresponsible mosh pit. With moody Seattle synth rockers Red Liquid. With Unstoppable Death Machine, the Downstrokes. Comet Tavern, 922 E. Pike St., 323-9853. 9 p.m. $7. ERIC GRANDY
Milagres/Thursday, March 31
Kill Rock Stars' latest signees' fluent indie-pop is already a favorite in their native New York, thanks to the band's self-released debut, last year's Seven Summits. Milagres is already at work on that album's follow-up, Glowing Mouth, due out in September. The single of the same name has already been released, and it's absolutely luminous. Frontman Kyle Wilson's vocals are liquid-smooth; his falsetto shimmers over the tune's pleading melody, buoyed by piping organs and moving synth lines. It's a rare and lovely kind of ambience, and if the remainder of the album is this beautifully measured and contemplative, we're in for something really special. With U.S.F., Tumble Dry. JewelBox/Rendezvous, 2322 Second Ave., 441-5823. 10 p.m. $6. ERIN K. THOMPSON
Yellow Ostrich/Thursday, March 31
Alex Schaaf started recording music on his own as Yellow Ostrich in his Wisconsin dorm room; last summer he relocated to Brooklyn and recruited former members of We Are Scientists and Beirut to play in his band. Yellow Ostrich's new full-length, The Mistress, still sounds very much like a homegrown affair—clattering drums, disheveled, lo-fi guitars, and Schaaf's raw, wailing vocals. The primitive sounds work just so with the music's simple melodies, especially after factoring in the youthful, imaginative quirks of Schaaf's songwriting—The Mistress' best song is about riding into the ocean on a whale's back; another is titled "Hahahaohhoho" and goes pretty much like that; another contains just two sweetly short lines—"I think you are great/I think you are great!" With Say Hi, Blair. Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave., 441-7416. 8 p.m. $12. ERIN K. THOMPSON
Smooth Sailing/Friday, April 1
It's a crying shame that tonight, local art-metal sextet Smooth Sailing must compete against the staggering lineup that is the Metalliance Tour at El Corazon. Having one's CD-release party fall on the same evening that St. Vitus, Helmet, Red Fang, and Crowbar (among others) roll into town must be a shade heartbreaking, but if these kids truly live up to their potential, the night they had to go toe-to-toe with their formidable predecessors will be but a humorous footnote. XOXO is hands-down one of the best local metal releases of 2011: a challenging, beautiful sprawl of intensely technical metal that hits the ears like a satanic symphony penned by Slint and conducted by Godspeed! You Black Emperor. With Anadonia, Into the Storm, Oven Rake. Sunset Tavern, 5433 Ballard Ave. N.W., 784-4880. 10 p.m. $8. HANNAH LEVIN
