OF MONTREAL, JANELLE MONAE
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) Of Montreal's live shows are exuberant, horrifying, delightful things, with their catchy, weird-ass pop serving as the soundtrack for a production that looks like a school play on acid. Even better? Janelle Monae is opening, turning the Roseland into a sci-fi wonderland with her spacey, bass-y epics. ERIK HENRIKSEN
BEST COAST, SONNY AND THE SUNSETS, THE RESERVATIONS
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) It might be clichÉ to compare Best Coast's debut LP Crazy for You to Tiger Trap, but a fuzzy female-led indie pop band suggests few other comparisons. There are serious similarities: charged female vocals, washed-out guitars, and unabashed "I-like-you-but-I'm-not-sure-these-feelings-are-mutual" lyrics. But the sound is lazier than the Trap's and the music is almost defiantly immature and lo-fi as well. Crazy for You's standout track, "Boyfriend"—which is actually sort of melodically reminiscent of the chorus to the Rubinoos song "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" and Avril Lavigne's so-similar-she-got-sued "Girlfriend"—is a reminder that tasteful simplicity and directness are often more effective than lyrical complexity. So yeah, Best Coast's Bethany Cosentino may not use many tier-three words, but who cares when the tunes are so damn infectious? MORGAN TROPER
SUPER XX MAN, KEEP YOUR FORK THERE'S PIE, MIKE COYKENDALL
(The Woods, 6637 SE Milwaukie) The latest installment from Super XX Man—actually one Scott Garred, who's been recording as Super XX Man since 1995—is named Vol. XIII White Bed and serves as a touching farewell to Mr. XX Senior. Garred's father succumbed to cancer in 2008, and that loss is all over White Bed, a generous, heartfelt, and uplifting tribute that showcases Garred's nimble skill with a tune and a lyric. That's not the only goodbye on White Bed, either; "Peter and Paul" is about a "high torque super pooch named Harriet" who is no longer with us. It's a testament to Garred's songwriting skill that, despite these goodbyes, White Bed isn't a bleak, forlorn listen. Rather, it's an excellent record, an affecting and even joyful one that never gets bogged down in sentimentality. NED LANNAMANN
Allo Darlin', Wow and Flutter, Deerhunter, Joe Pug, Mississippi Man, and Cynthia Nelson, as well as a link to the complete show listings, after the jump!