LEONARD COHEN
(Rose Garden, 1 Center Ct) Read our article on Leonard Cohen.
THE POSIES, BRENDAN BENSON, AQUEDUCT
(Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie) It's a little bit surprising that the Posies' Blood/Candy, is as good as it is, considering the band's previous two releases, Success and Every Kind of Light, were merely decent at best. Blood/Candy recalls the greatest parts of the Posies' two biggest contributions to the power pop genre, the alt-pop touchstone Dear 23, and the grungier—but just as pretty—Frosting on the Beater. Aesthetically, the album is a cross between the two; it's not too sweet, and not too raucous. And of course, every song off Blood/Candy is catchy as hell: The soaring "She's Coming Down Again" are chief songwriters Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer at their Graham Nash-iest, and "Cleopatra Street" could make McCartney jealous. When people bemoan, "They don't write songs like they used to," they likely aren't referring to the Posies. MORGAN TROPER
BILL FRISELL
(Everyday Music, 1313 W Burnside) Guitarist Bill Frisell's strength has been his ability to look beyond the ever-receding hairline of jazz to incorporate folk and country picking into his playing. Over a long and prolific career he's recorded dozens of albums, mostly for the upscale boutique-folk Elektra subsidiary Nonesuch Records, finding a delicate and melancholy sound that is uniquely American. His first album with Savoy Jazz, entitled Beautiful Dreamers, is a collaboration with drummer Rudy Royston and Corvallis-born violist Eyvind Kang, documenting a trio that's been playing together since 2008. Meanwhile, Frisell stops into the downtown Everyday Music for a special in-store solo acoustic performance, followed by a Q&A session. NED LANNAMANN
Jeffrey Jerusalem, as well as a link to the complete show listings, after the jump!