Hubbub

Tuesday, November 18: M83

The French electronic performer M83 (once a duo, now Anthony Gonzalez on his own) is one of those musicians best enjoyed in a solitary mode, and preferably through a good set of headphones. But when he comes to town, we don’t mind sharing. His layered, gauzy electronic melodies are nostalgic, soothing lullabies for the night-owl set that opts for dancing over dreaming when it’s dark out. The tracks on his latest album, Saturdays = Youth, deliberately evoke both early-’80s anthemic synth pop — the kind that brings to mind Don Johnson in no hurry to give chase, or Molly Ringwald slam-dancing through public-school hallways — and a moonlit Mediterranean seaside nightclub. Brooklyn trip-rockers School of Seven Bells join him tonight at the Middle East Downstairs (472 Mass Ave, Cambridge, 617.864.3278). Doors open at 8 p.m.; tickets are $15 and available at www.ticketmaster.com or at the Middle East box office.

Friday, November 21: Radioland

For too long, underground dance music has been relegated to tiny spots that are practically as under the radar as the beats themselves. But the crowds that come out to join the parties aren’t nearly as small as the spaces they pile into. So local DJs and promoters Soul Clap, Taste, and Maximal Productions joined forces to bring true house and techno performers to the masses through their Radioland events at the Estate (One Boylston Place, Boston, 617.351.7000). The latest installment includes an appearance by UK-based globe-trotting DJ duo Peace Division. Before the main event begins, Radio-land resident DJs Jay Prouty and Maximal Production’s Brent G will spin. Tickets are $15 in advance at www.theestateboston.com and $20 at the door; the 21-plus event runs from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Saturday, November 22: Sondre Lerche

Sondre Lerche counts A-Ha, the Beach Boys, Elvis Costello, and Cole Porter as his influences. That might explain why the Norwegian troubadour became such a hit among American indie-rock devotees when he released his first album in 2002 at the tender age of 19. He’s since released three more albums, and he gained a broader recognition last year for his contributions to the soundtrack to Dan in Real Life. His live shows integrate the infectious power pop of boy-band acts (not to mention the doe-eyed look), complex jazz riffs, and a knack for finely crafted songs, which range from the beautifully sad to the toe-tappingly, clap-along snappy. Tonight he breezes into the Paradise Rock Club (967 Comm Ave, Boston, 617.562.8800) at 9 p.m. Doors open at 8; tickets ($17) are general admission.

Friday, November 21 – Sunday, November 23: Brainwaves Festival

Before indie and electronic music fans turned to Pitchfork or their favorite blog for their daily soundwave fix — heck, before anyone knew what a blog was — there was brainwashed.com, an online haven for music geeks. Founder Jon Whitney mounted the first Brainwaves Festival in 2006 to celebrate the site’s 10th anniversary. It was so well-received, he’s doing it again at the Regent Theatre (7 Medford Street, Arlington, 781.646.4849). The multimedia, genre-bending bonanza boasts a lineup that ranges from Meat Beat Manifesto to shoegaze bands to influential avant-garde noise acts to local performers like chanteuse Marissa Nadler. As with any proper festival, this one lasts three days — but no camping provisions are required. For a full schedule, visit www.brainwavesfest.org. Three-day passes are $77.50; check the Web site for single-day-pass availability. Get them at the Regent Theatre.

Sunday, November 9: Rhys Darby

Rhys Darby is from New Zealand. He’s our favorite thing to come out of New Zealand since ... okay, so we can’t remember the last thing from New Zealand that we ran out to see/buy/hear/taste. So as far as we’re concerned, Darby is an accidental ambassador for Kiwi cultural life. Best known for his portrayal of Murray, the incompetent band manager on HBO’s Flight of the Conchords, Darby does a mean beat box and a spot-on impression of a helicopter propeller, and he can channel a tyrannosaurus so well that you’ll think you’ve crawled through a wormhole to Jurassic Park. Don’t expect a crash course in an exotic nation’s history when he appears tonight at 7 p.m. at the Wilbur Theatre (246 Tremont Street, Boston. 617.248.9700). Do expect tales of a less-than-idyllic boyhood, disclosure of mermaid fantasies, and plenty of laughs. Tickets ($25) are available at www.ticketmaster.com or 617.931.2000.

Sunday and Monday, November 16 & 17: Tina Turner

Decades before the maven of sexy shoes, Carrie Bradshaw, was even the flicker of a rhinestone glimmer in Candace Bushnell’s eye, Tina Turner was singing as she sauntered in impossibly tall spikes. Not only did she strut, she danced and kicked guitarists across the stage. Now, almost 70 years young, she’s still clocking in among the top-five grossing female touring acts in the world. (Yep, the world.) As long as this diva keeps her career as a private dancer on the side and is willing to tease her hair, don sequins, and prance across stadium stages, we’ll line up to see her and firmly proclaim: we don’t need another hero. The legend keeps on rolling for two nights at the TD Banknorth Garden (100 Legends Way, Boston, 617.624.1000). The show is at 7 p.m. on Sunday and 7:30 on Monday. Get tickets ($59.50 to $152.50) at www.ticketmaster.com or 617.931.2000.

Sunday, November 9

A solid bar band is hard to resist, not least because they’re kinda hard to come by. That’s because the really good ones don’t stay bar bands for very long, even if their reputation as such sticks with them forever. Take, for instance, the Hold Steady, which will forever be branded as “the best bar band you’ll ever hear,” even though they had to move to a bigger label by the time they released their third album in 2006. (Their fourth, Stay Positive, came out in July.) Fronted by Craig Finn, who’s as influenced by classic rock as he is early punk and beat poetry, is a rocker for the This American Life set. Hold Steady’s songs are well􀀐crafted feats of lyricism about things you’d expect bar bands to sing about: crazy broads, lonely nights on tour, and growing up in Mississippi. But as their latest album title suggests, they err on the side of optimism. They bring their beer-sodden sunny disposition to the Orpheum (One Hamilton Place, Boston, 617.679.0810). Drive-By Truckers joins them. Get tickets ($25 to $27.50) at www.livenation.com. Doors are at 6:30 p.m.; the show starts at 7:30.

Tuesday, November 11: Alejandro Escovedo

Wednesday, October 29: Soul Touch

Do some soul searching with Brooklyn-based DJ Cosmo Baker when he makes his first local appearance in nearly two years at Soul Touch at the Middlesex Lounge (315 Mass Ave, Cambridge, 617.868.MSEX). He’ll spin soul and funk music in his signature hip-hop-infused style, mixing in classics like James Brown with more modern sounds from Wu-Tang Clan, beginning at 9 p.m. For a $5 cover charge, you’ll get a night of hot beats with a cosmic touch from a world-renowned DJ whose musical background includes training on the violin, guitar, bass, piano, and drums.

Monday, November 3: Matt and Kim

We’ve tried to imagine the vows Matt and Kim wrote for their wedding. We think it went something like: “I, Kim, take Matt to be my lawfully wedded keyboardist, vocalist, and husband, and I promise to always thwack out exuberant rhythms on my drums to bolster his yelps and earnest crooning, on the road and off.” “I, Matt, take Kim to be my percussive anchor and wife, and I promise to always keep it real with the New Wave riffs on my keyboard.” The couple’s catchy romps, which have a tendency to set off energetic hand-clapping from the crowds, borrow from both the raw energy of the Ramones and the synth-heavy emo of New Order. It’s a match made in rock-and-roll heaven. Go fall in love tonight at the Middle East Downstairs (472 Mass Ave, Cambridge, 617.864.3278). Doors are at 7:30 p.m. Get tickets ($10) at www.ticketmaster.com or at the Middle East box office. 

Thursday, October 30: Ingrid Michaelson

Remember when Burke left Cristina at the altar at the end of season three of Grey’s Anatomy? Of course you do, because that’s when you first heard the sweet, sad crooning of Ingrid Michaelson. When the TV show’s music scouts found Michaelson’s MySpace page, the young Staten Island native was an unknown teacher at an afterschool theater program and living with her parents. On the execs’ request, she wrote “Keep Breathing” for the show, and in short order, another song appeared in an Old Navy commercial; she released an album on her own label and garnered comparisons to Lisa Loeb and Norah Jones. Then her second album, Boys and Girls, landed on the Billboard charts, making her the only unsigned artist with Billboardworthy record sales. Now she’s fresh back from a European tour with Jason Mraz and making the rounds in the US. She stops at the Paradise Rock Club (967 Comm Ave, Boston, 617.562.8800) tonight at 9 p.m.; doors are at 8. Get tickets ($15; $17 at the door) at www.livenation.com.

Thursday, October 30: Of Montreal

 

Once upon a time, before indie rock appeared in beer and Apple commercials, it was impolite and raw and it dragged inner demons out on the dance floor kicking and gagging. At least that’s how Kevin Barnes, frontman for Of Montreal, likes to tell it. On his band’s albums, Barnes (who’s actually from Athens) has straddled all sorts of musical styles, setting sinister, morbid lyrics to buoyant pop melodies and, later in their discography, serving up funk and discokissed electronica. They just released their ninth project, Skeletal Lamping. Tonight they’ll mix it up with Gang Gang Dance at the Orpheum Theatre (1 Hamilton Place, Boston, 617.679.0810). Doors are at 7:30 p.m. Get tickets ($20 and $25) at www.ticketmaster.com.

Wednesday, October 15: Carrie Underwood

Juice Newton unflinchingly and triumphantly blurred the lines between country music and pop. Years passed. Then more years. And then along comes a little prime-time broadcast exercise called American Idol. Next thing we know, Carrie Underwood, just barely legal, is judged the best, and before long her debut album sells six million copies, the chart toppers start flowing, she’s inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. Whether or not her number-one single “All-American Girl” was a salute to her vehicle of fame, we’ll never know, but she sure does sound wholesome, doesn’t she? Underwood’s pop hits blend Midwestern honesty and firmly assert that girls assert themselves. All-American, indeed. She’s appearing tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Agganis Arena (925 Comm Ave, Boston, 617.353.4628). Get tickets ($33.50 to $53.50) at http://www.ticketmaster.com or 617.931.2000.

Sunday, October 12: Vivian Girls

The late Henry Darger, painter, writer, hermit, and artsy perv, wrote about young sisters he called the Vivian Girls in his posthumously published 15,145-page epic The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What Is Known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glandeco-Angelinnian War Storm, Caused by the Child Slave Rebellion. They suffered at the hands of brutes. The art-punk female trio from Brooklyn who perform as the Vivian Girls seem ready to kick some brute ass. But for all their hard-driving garage-rock sensibility, their songs are rounded out with the sugarcoated sparkle of 1960s girl bands and sweet, angelic harmonies that remind us of everything from Brit bands like Heavenly and Shop Assistants to the Pixies to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Unlike Darger, they keep it real. They’re at Great Scott (1222 Comm Ave, Boston, 617.566.9014) tonight at 9 p.m. Tickets are $12; get them at www.ticketweb.com.

October 10: Dr. Dog