Jega, Wednesday, August 12: Now that we're a decade removed from the '90s electronica boom, electronic artists seem free to create ear-pleasing fusions without the pressure to innovate. Case in point, Manchester-via-L.A.'s Dylan Nathan, AKA Jega. Returning to the scene with Variance, a sprawling new double-album (on u-Ziq's Planet Mu label) that was nine years in the making, Jega's programming touch shows the natural ease of an artist who isn't self-conscious about his musical vocabulary. Whether that has any bearing on how deeply electronica has sunken into the culture at large is up for debate, but Variance is so smoothly executed it's easy to miss how masterful Jega is at extracting brilliant melodies from his soundscapes. His fondness for breakbeats aside, at its most expansive Jega's latest work evokes images of one-time labelmates Boards Of Canada re-interpreting the Blade Runner soundtrack. Which is to say that Variance is a work of considerable dramatic beauty and power, but ultimately shaped by Jega's signature sense of discretion. With Obelus, ndCv. Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St. 324-8000. 9 p.m. $7. Note by SABY REYES-KULKARNI

The Dutchess and the Duke, Thursday, August 13: One of the most infallible signs of genius pop songwriting occurs when the writer expresses a commonaE”if not universalaE”human emotion, using phrasing that sounds so classic and familiar that the listener is convinced theyaE™ve already heard the sentiment expressed elsewhere. Dutchess and the Duke mastermind Jesse Lortz has this gift in such a rich degree that one fears it has a brief shelf life. When he and his collaborator Kimberly Morrison harmonize on the line aEœI canaE™t win, I canaE™t lose, and everything I do is wrongaE on the opening track, itaE™s at equal turns optimistic, downtrodden, and fiercely forthright. The duoaE™s sophomore album Sunrise/Sunset is so strong, it gives off a whiff of potency that makes you want to pay attention, simply because something this beautiful canaE™t possibly endure beyond this release. IaE™d love to be wrong, because this is easily one of the best local records of the year. With Fences. Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. NW, 789-3599. 9 p.m. $10 adv, $12 dos. Note by HANNAH LEVIN

The Dodos, Friday, August 14: Piss off hipsters using the transitive property. If A, The Dodos' most well-known song, Fools, was used in a Miller Chill commercial last year, and B, hipsters who attend free Dodos shows have been known to leave right after the final beat of Fools is played, then C, a hipster is as laughably facile as a Corp.-Corp. manufactured bottle of douche beer. Now that those posers are gone, here's why you should stick around for the whole of The DodosaE™ appearance at the Mural: because their indie-Afro-folk-pop sounds more authentically at home in the open air. Because percussionist Logan Kroeber's from-the-heart fervor is entrancing to watch. Because he and singer/guitarist Meric Long have added electric vibraphonist Keaton Snyder to the line-up, giving their pulsating tribal sounds pleasant new depths. Because you can bring your boomer parents, who will say that The Dodos' music reminds them of their CD copy of Paul Simon's Rhythm of the Saints. Because they'll likely show off new material from their upcoming, buzzed-about album, Time to Die. Because the Mural's beer garden doesn't serve douche beer. With Army Navy. Mural Amphitheater, 300 Harrison St. 6 p.m. All ages. Free. Note by ROSE MARTELLI

Or, the Whale, Friday, August 14: Or, The Whale has a remarkable knack for sounding small. At first glance, this seems a slight to the folksy Bay Area septet, but it's really a testament to their canniness at composition and arrangement. Seven players can get a bit unwieldy, the additions serving to weigh the sound down rather than anchor it, but that couldn't be further than the truth on Or, The Whale's eponymous sophomore album. The sound is lush and full, yet allows for space and subtlety when appropriate. Album opener aEœNo Love BluesaE weaves between the two, with vocal harmonies fading in and out on the chorus as the verses alternate between simple vocals and guitar, and a full band sound with banjo and pedal steel filling in the gaps. aEœCount the StarsaE is a slow simmer, focused entirely on the amazingly compatible vocals of Alex Robbins and Lindsay Garfield, with bass and drums providing rudimentary structure. Pedal steel lines and simply strummed acoustic guitar barely brush the surface. Even the feedback-heavy aEœBlack RabbitaE, which does double duty as pseudo-psych and Neil Youngish country stomp, avoids feeling excess. Of course, the group still has seven members, so you never know when things will just explode with sound. With Conrad Ford, Jack Wilson. Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. NW, 789-3599. 9:30 p.m. $8. Note by NICHOLAS HALL

Red Fang, Friday, August 14: If future Queens of the Stone Age leader Josh Homme had chosen to invite Black Flag founder Greg Ginn and Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler to his legendary Desert Sessions back in the late aE˜90s, the results probably would have sounded much like Red Fang today. Watching them peel the paint off the walls at the Comet last month felt akin to being fortunate enough to catch Metallica play a small club while touring in support of their debut, Kill aE˜Em All. Opener Little Cuts is the extremely promising new punk project led by Dave Hernandez (Scared of Chaka, the Shins), with help from bassist Drew Church (the Cops and countless other local bands) and drummer Curtis James (Excuse 17, the Old Haunts). TheyaE™re followed by AustinaE™s Lions, longtime tourmates of Red Fang who have also shared the stage with logical matches such as Blue Cheer, Nebula, the Misfits, and Russian Circles. Anyone who appreciates the flashpoints where metal and punk intersect would be an utter fool to miss this show. Sunset Tavern, 5433 Ballard Ave. N.W. 784-4880. 10 p.m. $8. Note by HANNAH LEVIN

Rock the Bells, Friday, August 14: With Reflection Eternal, Slaughterhouse, Supernatural. Showbox at the Market, 1426 First Ave. 628-3151. 7 p.m. $28 adv, $30 dos. All ages.

YACHT, Friday, August 14: Perhaps, like me, you first stumbled across YACHT -- a.k.a. Oregon native and long-time musician Jona Bechtolt, whoaE™s been in bands since junior high -- a couple of years ago when he opened for LCD Soundsystem at the Showbox. Unsure at first what to make of the wide-eyed, bushy-haired twentysomething as he sang and spastically danced around the stage to the quirky electro jams coming out of his beat-up white I-Book, the crowd steadily warmed up to his tunes and stage presence, and by the end of his short but memorable set, people were cheering him wildly. A bit has changed in the two-plus years since. Bechtolt brought his girlfriend, vocalist/programmer Claire Evans, into the YACHT fold. The duo signed to DFA Records, which just issued their new LP, See Mystery Lights. They developed a strange affinity for triangles (see: their logo, album artwork, and press photos). And theyaE™ve turned YACHT into a mysterious, quasi-mythical/mystical, manifesto-spouting band-cum-art project somewhere between Daft Punk and Lansing-Dreiden. Still, on the music front, not much has changed: ItaE™s still an odd, charming, and energetic mix of minimal electro, dance-punk, and indie-pop. With Bobby Birdman. Vera Project, 305 Harrison St. 374-8372. 7:30 p.m. $11. All ages. Note by MICHAEL ALAN GOLDBERG

Pine Hill Haints, Saturday, August 15: Alabama iconoclasts Pine Hill Haints released a small mountain of obscure records this decade before jumping to K for 2007aE™s Ghost Dance. Its title is a nod to the troupeaE™s self-described genre of aEœghost music,aE and that album exposed a wider audience to leader Jamie BarrieraE™s hard-bitten drawl and able trafficking in bygone sounds. His wife Katie plays washboard and mandolin, while other members contribute a shoestring backdrop of accordion, snare, singing saw, and so-called aEœwashtub bass.aE The HaintsaE™ new To Win or to Lose is as good a place as any to start, touring diverse terrain as it does. aEœBordello BlackwidowaE could only be described as back-porch calypso, whereas aEœJe Passe Devant Ta PorteaE detours into breezy French singing and aEœNever CryaE is a conspiratorial slice of rockabilly. ThereaE™s at times a Pogues-ish quality to BarrieraE™s ragged throat and love of traditional tunes, but he comes into his own on such creepy standouts as aEœRevenge of the Spider Web BoyaE and aEœHow Much Poison Does It Take.aE With Dirty Birds. SlimaE™s Last Chance Chili Shack and Watering Hole, 5606 First Ave. S, 762-7900. 9 p.m. Note by DOUG WALLEN

Rocky Votolato, Saturday, August 15: ItaE™s hard to imagine SeattleaE™s music scene without Rocky Votolato. His seminal Makers was a masterpiece of acoustic songwriting, and despite its exquisite, low-key beauty, was all about death. 2007aE™s The Brag and Cuss then took a near 180, with its themes of travel and memories reflecting an optimism about life, as well as showcasing a full band and a style that was more country than folk, perhaps resonating back to VotolatoaE™s Texas roots. It will be interesting, then, to see what direction his new album, due early next year, will take aE“ and fans will get to find out at his current West Coast tour, where he will preview several new songs. Although his shows sell out across the country, Votolato is a perennial favorite here in Seattle aE“ he is at once tenacious and gentle, heartbreaking and enlightening, accessible yet highly personal. Previous Votolato shows have benefited education reform and Puget Sound restoration aE“ all the proceeds from this show will go to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), currently campaigning to save the worldaE™s remaining elephants. With the Terrordactyls. Triple Door, 216 Union St. 838-4333. 8 p.m. $15. All ages. Note by ERIN THOMPSON

Sounds Outside, Saturday, August 15: Players in SeattleaE™s creative-music scene can most often be heard in two types of venues: austere, low-budget rooms like Gallery 1412, or high-minded, august recital halls like the Good Shepherd Center. ThataE™s why the Sounds Outside festival is such a welcome antidote. For once, you get to enjoy some of SeattleaE™s most remarkable musicians while stretched out the lawn with a breeze between your toes. And itaE™s free! This second and final concert of the fest features several players from Monktail, the collective that spearheads the eventaE”including a strange and beautiful trio led by clarinetist Beth Fleenor. Other woodwind innovators on the bill include Greg Sinabaldi, whoaE™ll have a quintet of top Seattle jazz partisans, and the indomitable Skerik, leading a saxophone quartet. The day closes with a 7 p.m. show from Bert Wilson, the wheelchair-riding alto-sax legend from Olympia, who rarely resurfaces, and whose performance at the Bellevue Jazz Festival almost thirty years ago is burned into my memory. If ColtraneaE™s Live In Seattle was one of the most creatively scary things ever to happen in this city, then WilsonaE™s show that day was likewise for Bellevue. Frankly, this lineup would be essential listening even if you had to pay money to spend the afternoon in a metal folding chair in an airless cube. The fact that you donaE™t makes it unmissable. Cal Anderson Park, 1635 11th Ave. 1 p.m. Free. All ages. Note by MARK D. FEFER

Emiliana Torrini, Monday, August 17: In 1999, singer Emiliana Torrini burst out of her native Iceland with the ethereal, trip-hoppish Love in the Time of Science, which garnered rave reviews and earned inevitable comparisons to BjA¶rk (which had more to do with geography than vocal or musical style), as well as Beth Orton, and Liz Fraser. However, tragedy struck shortly after when her boyfriend was killed in an auto accident, and she dropped out of music entirely for several years to deal with her grief. Eventually, she was pulled back into writing and recording first via collaboration with Thievery Corporation, and then by director Peter Jackson, who asked her to pen the closing theme (aEœGollumaE™s SongaE) for Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Finally, in 2005, she released her stunningly lovely second album, FishermanaE™s Woman, and now sheaE™s built on that comeback with the equally gorgeous Me and Armini, which, like its predecessor, offers plaintive folktronica and breezy pop, plus a bit of the electronic bite of her debut. With Anya Marina. Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave. 441-7416. 8 p.m. $15 adv. Note by MICHAEL ALAN GOLDBERG