This Week In Shows

THIS WEEK IN SHOWS

WEDS, DEC. 2

Jaguar Love, The King Left, Yes Giantess, Violent Soho
Mercury Lounge
8:00 PM, $10 adv/$12 do, 21+
People have said that Johnny Whitney of Jaguar Love sounds like “Robert Plant on steroids.” I was gonna say he sort of reminds me of Jay Reatard in a higher register. Either way, we’re talking shrieky, jolting energy. These guys make some catchy, noisy, uptempo pop with y’know, canned beats. Enjoy!

Werewolves, Strange Rivals, Heliotropes
Glasslands
8:00, $5, 21+
Never underestimate the power of the keys to take something dramatic and make it cinematic. I’m using the term “cinematic” very liberally to mean that you might find yourself playing out long scenes in your head while listening to Werewolves. Or maybe it’s their sneering vocals that do it, I don’t know yet. What I do know is that they’re dynamic performers and they’re playing Glasslands this Wedsnesday…

SAT, DEC. 5

Bowerbirds
Union Pool
8:00, $10, 21+
Did you know that the male bowerbird hops around with a flower in his beak in an attempt to woo a mate? How sweet! On the other hand, the male angler fish sniffs out the female, bites her, releases an enzyme that fuses the two at the blood-vessel level, and then atrophies until he is no more than a pair of parasitic gonads. The world is ugly, but if you want to linger on the more poignant aspects of life, why not get all acoustic and snuggly with Bowerbirds for the night? They’re also playing Bowery Ballroom with Elvis Perkins on Thursday, but I like to promote the more intimate, boozier, cheaper shows…

Or you can just head towards Kent Ave. and then decide…

Kites, Boogie Boarder, Nick Gazin, Sam Gascan, Ambergris, Graffiti Monsters
Death By Audio
8:00, ALL AGES
Listen up nerds: Saturday is the Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival. Just kidding, it actually sounds really cool: learn more about it here. The afterparty is at Death By Audio, featuring the illustrious 8-bit punk of Graffiti Monsters, and that band Boogie Boarder, which is just the right amount of abrasiveness to do DBA right. Rumor has it that all the musical acts are comic and zine artists too, which is really cool.

Stalkers, The Beets, War Party
Glasslands
9:00 PM, $5, 21+
No way, another party from New York Night Train and Panache Booking? For the sake of branching out, I should probably go elsewhere this Saturday, but you should definitely hustle your ass on over to everyone’s favorite sweat lodge for what is sure to be a sweltry holiday party with lots of late-night dancing. I’ve professed my love for Stalkers on multiple occasions – you can get my take on their show here – and lord knows we dig The Beets.

Air Waves, Talk Normal, U.S. Girls, Total Slacker
Secret Project Robot
8:00, $8, 21+
I think this is the most satisfyingly variegated show you’re likely to see tonight, fronted by some super cool women. Nicole Schneit of Air Waves writes songs that allow her voice to sound slightly beat-down but totally lovely, till you’re rooting for her to soar into that resounding clear note, and when she finally does…whoo! Sarah Register and Andrya Ambro of Talk Normal make caustic noise that hits you right in the gut, and this is their first show back in town after their month-long U.S. tour. Philadelphia’s Megan Remy, aka U.S. Girls, runs in the same vein as other hazy lo-fi blog favorites, except instead of sounding really bored, she sounds like some colorful creature – a weird indie rock hypnotist, maybe – dancing behind many veils of noise.

by Erin Sheehy