John Abercrombie Quartet and Trio 3, Friday, November 6:Like Bumbershoot, the Earshot Jazz Festival sometimes presents painful choices. Tonight is one of those nights, as the festival offers two great bands several miles apart. On the other hand, the groups are pretty musically distant as well, so it shouldnaE™t be too hard to decide where you belong. If you like the ECM tradition of expansive, cerebral music thataE™s both wistful and austere, guitarist John AbercrombieaE™s quartet will serve you at the Triple Door. If youaE™re craving something rougher-edged, with ties to the searing free jazz of the 60s, the all-star Trio 3 of Oliver Lake, Reggie Workman, and Andrew Cyrille will give you some hard knocks. Triple Door, 216 Union St., 838-4333. 7 & 9:30 p.m. $24. 7 p.m. show all ages. Poncho Concert Hall at Cornish, 710 E. Roy St. 726-5066. 8 p.m. $18. All ages. Note by MARK D. FEFER

The Raveonettes, Friday, November 6:It is a rare feat for a band to simultaneously play homage to their influences, sound current and not nostalgic, and maintain an element of originality. These are some of the finer points of The RaveonettesaE™ latest, In & Out of Control, an album that, on its surface, is a high school soundtrack complete with bubble gum, a summer tease, and synthesizers. It would have taken Phil Spector a symphony in his days outside of prison to create what electronic Danes Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo have accomplished here. But The Raveonettes aren’t trading in teen pop. Their sweetener is in the raw, and belies an album full of dark undercurrents such as overdose in the single aEœLast Dance.aE And nobody’s keeping any secrets on aEœBoys Who Rape (Should All Be Destroyed).aE It’s hard to disagree with the beats or the missives. With the Crocodiles. Neumos, 925 Pike St. 709-9467. 8 p.m. $15 adv. Note by CHRIS KORNELIS

Holiday Shores, Friday, November 6:Suddenly and out of nowhere, a whole generation of young bands is looking towards the beach for inspiration. ItaE™s a coast-to-coast phenomenon, from San FranciscoaE™s Girls to New JerseyaE™s Real Estate to San DiegoaE™s Wavves. But the subject doesnaE™t yield the air of innocent escape it once did. Dotted with drugs and misfits, it can actually be a sinister setting for the above bands. Sitting between these poles of warm nostalgia and tingling paranoia are Holiday Shores, a Florida outfit named for an idyllic street near the ocean. Led by Nathan Pemberton, the band has made its full-length debut with ColumbusaE™d The Whim, a collection of nifty, somewhat retro guitar-pop gems. There are heavy helpings of reverb, vintage keys, and vocal harmonies, lending a wintry feel to PembertonaE™s summer-pitched musings. Despite some fleeting earmarks, though, Holidays Shores donaE™t really sound like other bands. ItaE™s as if Pemberton is too immersed in his own little world to take cues from anyone outside of it. With Evangelicals. The Vera Project, Warren Ave N, 956-8372. 7:30 p.m. $8-9. Note by DOUG WALLEN

Bishop Allen, Saturday, November 7:Justin Rice and Christian Rudder of BrooklynaE™s Bishop Allen both moonlight as actors in their spare time aE“ most notably, both appeared in last yearaE™s otherwise-awful Nick and NorahaE™s Infinite Playlist. It follows appropriately, then, that the duoaE™s ultra hip music is perfect for scoring a cute indie film aE“ kicky, catchy, and generally cheery. Their newest album, GrrraE¦, proves that Bishop Allen has a definite handle on pop music and its broad appeal. The record is packed with swingy bass lines, soft shakers and innocuous melodies sung in RiceaE™s charming tenor, and whether the songs are addressing existential crises (as on aEœDimmeraE aE“ aEœAm I dimmer everyday?/ Am I just a little glimmer/ Like a tiny bobbing head of an ocean swimmer?aE) or sweet romances (as on aEœTrue or False,aE an adorable love song about taking your shoes off and having tea with your lover), theyaE™re all undeniably hooky and winsome. ItaE™s truly music for the masses. With Throw Me the Statue and Darwin Deez. Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St. 324-8000. 9 p.m. $10 adv./$12 DOS. Note by E. THOMPSON

U-District Jazz Walk, Saturday, November 7:Over the past year, David Pierre-Lewis has managed to achieve what few club owners even attempt: HeaE™s gotten the kids into jazz. His LUCID Jazz Lounge on the Ave. has become a regular hang for twenty-somethings drinking in the retro bohemian atmosphere and soaking up local jazz acts like Hardcoretet and organist Ron Weinstein. Thursday nights is the Hang itselfaE”Josh RawlingsaE™ and Evan Flory-BarnesaE™ jam session, formerly at Lo-Fi. To celebrate the one-year anniversary of the space, Pierre-Lewis has organized a night of concerts up, down, and around the Ave.aE”everyone from the Galway Arms to A-Pizza Mart is participating, with 23 local bands on board. Guitarist Leif Totusek will get your evening started right at Curio Confections, while Rawlings and Flory-BarnesaE™ band will close out the night at LUCID itself. 5241 University Way NE. lucidseattle.com/jazzwalk, Event runs until 2 a.m. Free ($5 wristband pays the musicians and gets you discounts on food and drink). Note by MARK D. FEFER

Verellen Amp Night, Saturday, November 7:Verellen amps are the custom-built, low-end loving beauties designed and manufactured locally by Helms Alee frontman Ben Verellen. I really canaE™t say enough good things about Verellen himself; heaE™s a mad scientist Viking with a huge heart and an even bigger brain. His handiwork is fetishized by players who appreciate his signature synthesis of warmth, depth and unfathomable volume, which typically means artists who traverse in material that is hard, heavy, or otherwise intricately noisy. TonightaE™s bill includes VerellenaE™s own band, as well as Helms Alee drummer Hozoji Matheson-MargullisaE™ metal-minded duo, Lozen, and Verellen Amplifier investors Mico de Noche, whose new split 10aE with Brothers of the Sonic Cloth is quite possibly one of the best local metal releases of the year. Given the small confines of the Rendezvous, earplugs are mandatory for this one. Jewelbox/Rendezvous, 2322 Second Ave. 441-5823.10 p.m. $TK. Note by HANNAH LEVIN

Headlights, Sunday, November 8:Ethereal and deeply emotional, HeadlightsaE™ new album Wildlife is not so much a departure for the band as it is a fuller realization of its ultimate intentions. While much of HeadlightsaE™ work to date has been noticeably poppier and more upbeat, it has always carried an undercurrent of emotional depth and sonic dreaminess. This time around, the band captures that ruminative quality, encapsulating it in wistful keys and chiming guitar figures, with the ever-furtive sound of Erin FeinaE™s vocals acting as foil when the melody and meter veer toward purer pop territory. That dichotomy informs the best moments on this album; when the two sides coalesce, resulting in catchy tunes that leave you smiling despite a nagging sense of melancholy. As is always the case with HeadlightsaE™ music, even its headiest songs offer moments of pure pop bliss. With Anni Rossi, Pomegranates. Sunset Tavern, 5433 Ballard Ave. N.W. 784-4880. 9 p.m. $10. Note by NICHOLAS HALL

Devo, Sunday, November 8 and Monday, November 9:When Devo was at its peak nearly 30 years ago, founding members Gerry Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh sublimated their political ire into biting social commentary. At the time, the bandaE™s ironic restraint and knack for humorously-tinged performance art worked in favor of the furious undercurrent blazing beneath the music, and the fact that DevoaE™s work didnaE™t explicitly announce its motivations only bolstered the power of the message: that human civilization is devolving before our very eyes. (Hence the band name.) Casale and Mothersbaugh were both present during the infamous Kent State shootings in 1970, and Casale cites the incident both as a crucial turning point in his life and as the seed of discontent from which the band sprung forth. And while DevoaE™s run on a major label may have constituted a small coup, the band learned quickly that it wasnaE™t going to be able to undermine the ruthless corporate machinery it. Moore Theatre,1932 Second Ave. 443-1744. 7:30 p.m. $38-$75. All ages. Note by SABY REYES-KULKARNI

These United States, Monday, November 9:ItaE™s been a good handful of years for honest-to-goodness American rock music. Among the many bands who have gained notoriety eschewing sub-genre-isms and arty sonic excess, These United States stands out as the most unrelentingly positive of the bunch with its latest album, Everything Touches Everything. Much of the album feels like one long rave-up, with crescendos everywhere. Punchy, chunky riffing; straightforward beats; lyrics that can be heard and largely understood; and a sense of well-wishing largesse define the albumaE™s sound. ItaE™s a big album, with big aspirations and giant touchstones. ThereaE™s Springsteen in here, and Neil Young, too, in order to get a bit of country into the mix. This is music that wants nothing more than to bleed its enthusiasm into its audience, and it largely succeeds. The only disappointments come when the band gets mired in downtempo philosophizing. TUS can pull that off, too, it just doesnaE™t quite fit in this set of grin-splitting barn-stormers. With Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson. High Dive, 513 N. 36th St. 632-0212. 8 p.m. $8 adv./$10 DOS. Note by NICHOLAS HALL

Pinback, Tuesday, November 10:Text TKTKTKWith Joe Jack Talcum. Neumos, 925 Pike St. 709-9467. 8 p.m. $17 adv. All ages. Note by HANNAH LEVIN

The Mountain Goats, Tuesday, November 10:Mountain Goats mainstay John Darnielle has a recurring, if uneasy, relationship with Christianity. After the death and illness in recent years of several people close to him, he turned to hymns, niche Christian artists, and of course, the Bible. The latteraE™s impact on the Mountain GoatsaE™ new The Life Of The World To Come is obvious: every song is named for a Biblical passage. The lyrical content is a bit more diverse, showcasing DarnielleaE™s longstanding ability to speak volumes with just a word or two. Musically itaE™s a mixed bag as well, pairing whispered ballads with gently rolling folk-pop and hints of fuller rock, thanks to returning bassist Peter Hughes and drummer Jon Wurster. Even DarnielleaE™s bristling vocals are smoother as he arrives at something closer to actual singing. For all his iconoclastic ways, the beloved songsmith always conjures at least one great single on his near-annual albums, and the one this time around is aEœGenesis 3:23.aE With Final Fantasy. Showbox at the Market, 1426 First Ave. 628-3151. 8 p.m. $20. Note by DOUG WALLEN

Little Dragon, Tuesday, November 10:When it comes to inventive pop music, no country’s got the goods quite like Sweden, and one of their brightest offerings is the dreamy electronic collective Little Dragon, who comes to Seattle this week for the first time. Frontwoman Yukimi Nagano, of Japanese-Swedish-American descent, last came to town as a supporting vocalist for fellow Swede Jose Gonzalez, and sings with a transfixing, ragged delicacy on Machine Dreams, the band’s sophomore release. Creating its own sonic micro-universe between the electro-punch of The Knife and the rich introspection of Gonzalez, Little Dragon’s compositions are ambient jewels rooted in folk and jazz, wrangled by a drum machine, and dusted with an unmistakeable Nordic fancy. With DJ Topspin. Nectar, 412 N. 36th St. 632-2020. 8 p.m. $10 adv. Note by HOLLIS WONG-WEAR