Digitalism/Wednesday, August 3
Natasha Tylea
The two civilians of Wye Oak.
Robin Stein
Flexions.
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Digitalism's breakthrough single "Zdarlight" was a high-arcing, glittering electro anthem dressed up in the buzzy, digitally distorted crunch of its "bloghouse" milieu. Along with a pair of disco-friendly remixes, it quickly became an essential weapon in many a discerning DJ's crates circa the middle of the previous decade. Since then, the group has released two full-lengths, 2007's Idealism and this year's I Love You Dude, that attempt to fruitfully stretch their simply effective formula across albums' worth of songs, including some sporadically satisfying forays into more traditional pop songcraft. I won't lie: These albums are not vital home listening—but Digitalism's outsized hooks, rock-band stage presence, and speaker-shaking drum thump still make them a worthy live spectacle. With Gesaffelstein, Jackbeats, The Dowlz. Showbox at the Market, 1426 First Ave., 628-3151. 8 p.m. $30 adv./$35 DOS. All ages. ERIC GRANDY
KMFDM/Wednesday, August 3
For nearly three decades, German electro-industrial outfit KMFDM has voiced dismay against war, violence, censorship, and oppression. The latter proved especially apparent in December 2010 when the track "Rebels in Kontrol," from the band's 17th studio album, WTF?!, was streamed on the band's website in support of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The song garnered 75,000 hits in only 48 hours. Lead by multi-instrumentalist Sascha Konietzko, who spent a portion of the mid-'90s living in Seattle, KMFDM's brand of edgy, danceable heavy metal fused with synth and sampling has helped shine light on the industrial-metal scene. Though Konietzko is the only remaining original member, the group's newest album got a taste of success when the single "Krank," released March 8, debuted at #15 on the Billboard Singles Chart. With Army of the Universe, 16 Volt, Human Factors Lab. El Corazon, 109 Eastlake Ave. E., 381-3094. 8 p.m. $22 adv./$25 DOS. All ages. JOE WILLIAMS
Pizzafest/Thursday, August 4-Saturday, August 6
The creators of Pizzafest 2011 declare it a celebration of "all things good in this world," those things being pizza, beer, rock 'n' roll, bubble gum, dancing, sunglasses, summer, and giving your brain a break. Pizzafest is three nights packed to the gills with great bands who all have a good-time party vibe in common, including King Tuff, making his Seattle debut, and and much-missed faves Coconut Coolouts, in a Pizzafest-only reunion. Pizzafest would of course be nothing without its delicious, circular namesake. Big Mario's will supply slices for sale, grub for the bands, and the pizza for an obscene pizza-eating contest that not only offers a sweet cash prize but big-time bragging rights. With TacocaT, Pudding Pops, Tit Pig, Stickers, Apollos, Manic Attracts, Slutever, Shannon and the Clams, The Trashies, The Audacity, Rayon Beach, LoveTan, John Wesley Coleman III, Personal and the Pizzas, Peach Kelli Pop, Apache, Dizzy Eyes, Christmas Island, Cowabunga Babes, Witch Gardens. Funhouse, 206 Fifth Ave. N., 374-8400. 7 p.m. Thurs. ($6); 8 p.m. Fri. & Sat. ($12). Three-day pass, $25. MA'CHELL DUMA LAVASSAR
Future Islands/Friday, August 5
Baltimore-based trio Future Islands plays the sort of programmed, beat-heavy electronic music that's in vogue right now. Where they stand out from the rest of the pack is, first, in their substantial lyrical content, heavy on both poetic pathos (from "As I Fall," the closer of Future Islands' In Evening Air: "Tame your thoughts and let me in/Break your callous ways and press me to your skin/Save a rose") and narrative imagery ("Tin Man" references Wizard of Oz characters). The second anomaly is theatrical frontman Samuel T. Herring, whose sandpapery vocals answer the question of what it would sound like if Tom Waits sang pop tunes, and who pushes Future Islands beyond adjectives like "airy" and "ethereal" that tag a lot of electronic acts and into a sphere of punk-spiked, heftier dance music. With SPORTS. Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave., 441-7416. 8 p.m. $10. ERIN K. THOMPSON
Phish/Friday, August 5-Saturday, August 6
Like the Grateful Dead, Phish is prone to 15-minute improvisational jams and has a huge cult following, and their shows are a boon to black-market sales of Taddy Porter and nitrous. But though they play what many would consider classic hippie music, Phish's crowd has always been more Flaming Lips than String Cheese, and over a nearly 30-year lifespan (including one significant sabbatical), they've either collaborated with or covered acts as dynamic as Primus, Jay-Z, Alison Krauss, Ween, Neutral Milk Hotel, Prince, and the Beatles. If the Dead is a bag of mushrooms with some killer herb on the side, Phish is a gram of coke at a craft-cocktail party in a sculptor's studio. Hence, if any jam band is to receive credit for bridging the hippie/hipster divide, it's Phish, not the Dead. Gorge Amphitheater, 754 Silica Rd. N.W., Quincy, 628-0888. 5:30 p.m. $50. All ages. MIKE SEELY
*EDITOR'S PICK* Flexions/Friday, August 5
Earlier this summer, the Capitol Hill boutique and art space Cairo announced that they'd be adding a record label to their list of entrepreneurial ventures. Cairo Records' inaugural release is the new LP from local trio Flexions, Golden Fjord, which was released August 2 and is being celebrated tonight. Flexions—Robin Stein on bass, Tyler Swan on drums, Devin Welch on guitar, backing keys, and the occasional melodica (Fleet Foxes' Morgan Henderson also makes a guest woodwind appearance on Golden Fjord)—have also released a music video for the fantastic "Seething Mass," a percolating, stormy little track that's a good representation of the rest of the album. It's a little shadowy, a little sinister, but also courses with the kind of propulsive rhythm and zealous energy that makes for the best groove music. With Metal Chocolates, Seven Colors. Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St., 324-8000. 9 p.m. $7. ERIN K. THOMPSON
