Look now, the live music calendar is beefing up. Bands and live music fiends are coming out of hibernation. Here’s where you’ll find ‘em this week…
Shabazz Palaces, The New Parish, Tuesday
Shabazz Palaces operates in the genre we’ll call “What…the…f--hmm…I dig it.” The Seattle-based trip-hop-whatever group gets that vague label by obscuring vocals with tripped-out watery effects and experimenting with otherwordly beats and rhythms. The group’s live shows are highly conceptual productions. Case in point: a 2011 show that pitted the band in a late-night TV context. Expect the unexpected, audibly and visually.
Trampled by Turtles, The Fillmore, Thursday
You’re welcome in advance (#speakingof):
Trampled by Turtles is easily one of the premiere Bluegrass/folk bands in the biz. But the notoriety hasn’t come easy — the Minnesotan quintet has been touring the nooks and crannies of America for about a decade, digesting our collective personality and sensibilities and making wondrous Americana art in the process. We usually find TbT in the context of the outdoor festival circuit, so it’s with great anticipation we welcome them into one of country’s great indoor spaces.
Few Americans know about this dude, but that won’t last long. Stott is nothing short of a sonic engineer genius. His psychy, club-friendly jams are hallucinations disguised as songs, and the music press is encouraging such behavior (Pitchfork and others called Luxury Problems one of the Top 50 Albums of 2012). The Manchester-based dub/house producer will fit right in at Mighty, which many folks in the know claim has the best acoustics for house music in San Francisco. Get your ticket and see this dream artist-meets-venue event for yourself.
Pinback, Bimbo's 365 Club, Saturday
San Diego’s Pinback has evolved ever so slightly and gracefully from slowcore to mediumcore indie rock veterans. The mid-career band is a Bay Area staple by now, and we’ve yet to tire of their mature ways. Rob Crow, Zach Smith do their dueling vocal thing while drummer Chris Prescott negotiates the in-between, a formula that never seems formulaic. The band’s 2012 album Information Retrieved has flown mostly under the radar, but it’s easily one of the band’s finest entries into an incredibly consistent and impressive discography. In short, they’re back, in multiple senses.
Yo La Tengo, Amoeba Music, Saturday
Upcoming must-listen album alert! Yo La Tengo’s soon-to-be released album Fade hits the people January 15, and all indications point to this being another landmark YLT record. The legendary indie rockers have already released a few songs (see below), including the track “Before We Run,” which recalls the classic ethereal quirk of Yo La Tengo past (think I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One and And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out, required listening for any self-respecting YLT fan). The band is in full-on promo mode and will be signing albums after the in-store appearance. Get in line.
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