The Globes/Wednesday, May 18

Much is made of the Globes’ youth, but only because it makes the band’s songwriting abilities, instrumental proficiency, and killer live show all the more impressive. Such maturity was evident on 2010’s Sinter Songs EP, and their upward trajectory continues with the recently released Future Self, a debut LP that immediately brings to mind the band’s more seasoned Barsuk labelmates—one part Maps & Atlases’ off-kilter experimentation and another part Menomena’s warped pop sensibilities. It’s a record that, in spite of the band’s collective technical expertise, never feels overly cerebral or esoteric. Instead, it acts as a testament to the Globes’ ability to explore form and texture while still creating visceral, hard-hitting rock. Sonic Boom Records, 2209 N.W. Market St., 297-2666. 6 p.m. Free. All ages. ANDREW GOSPE

Kathryn Calder/Thursday, May 19

New Pornographer Kathryn Calder released her solo debut album, Are You My Mother?, nearly a year ago, but she’s just now getting around to touring in support of it. It’s understandable—Calder’s been through some emotionally trying times of late. She wrote the album as a tribute to her terminally ill mother, Lynn (the songs were recorded in Lynn’s living room), who passed away shortly thereafter. Are You My Mother? is a fragile wisp of a record, composed mainly of Calder’s pristine voice floating atop simple, sparse piano melodies. Songs like “Arrow” and “Slip Away” are delicate, sometimes even timid, but in such a setting, those qualities seem fitting. The album is a lovely and undeniably touching portrait of love and grief; hopefully, presenting the music to an audience will provide Calder solace and catharsis. With Karl Blau, Mal de Mer, Himalayan Bear. JewelBox/Rendezvous, 2322 Second Ave., 441-5823. 10 p.m. $10. ERIN K. THOMPSON

Jimmy Eat World/Friday, May 20

While the heyday of emotive, melodic indie pop has seemingly peaked (seriously, how many more reunion tours of also-ran late-’90s bands do we really need to see?), very few of those artists managed to dominate FM airwaves and define that genre as well as Jimmy Eat World. Quietly chugging along for nearly 18 years, the Arizona quartet found their sound early and have been nothing if not consistent in their product: Jim Adkins’ strong, sentimental vocals atop sweeping, concise rock anthems. Their most recent record (2010’s Invented) finds the band mixing more choppy, bleepy electronic elements into their songs, as well as finding new songwriting inspiration, basing most of the record’s lyrical content on character sketches derived from the photographs of Cindy Sherman and Hannah Starkey. With Kinch. Showbox SoDo, 1700 First Ave. S., 628-3151. 7 p.m. $25 adv./$28 DOS. All ages. GREGORY FRANKLIN

KEXP Hood to Hood/Friday, May 20

Community involvement—from a focus on local music to those slightly annoying (though vitally important) on-air fund-raising drives—is a large part of KEXP’s ethos. Enter the Hood-to-Hood Challenge, which since 2006 has pitted various Seattle neighborhoods against each other in a fund-raising competition. Ballard won the contest for the third time this past summer, and will be rewarded with a host of live music events, centering on an all-day live broadcast from the Sunset Tavern that is free and open to the public. The broadcast will feature performances from the likes of David Bazan and Shabazz Palaces between DJ spots from station mainstays like Cheryl Waters and Kevin Cole, but more than anything, it will demonstrate KEXP’s community connections coming full circle. With Marshall Scott Warner, the Black Crabs, Joan as Police Woman, Buffalo Tom, Point Juncture, Yuni in Taxco. Sunset Tavern, 5433 Ballard Ave. N.W., 784-4880. 7 a.m. Free. ANDREW GOSPE

STAG/Friday, May 20

Keith Bartoloni is a bartender at Hazlewood, Ballard’s smallest and most alluring cocktail bar (and not just because co-owner Drew Church is a preternaturally alluring physical specimen, but that’s part of it). Bartoloni recently broke his leg and, as is the unfortunate norm in the insurance-challenged service industry, needs help covering medical expenses. Enter STAG, a forceful, no-bullshit rock quintet made up of erstwhile members of Alcohol Funnycar, Sanford Arms, and Red Jacket Mine. They’re part of a formidable bill at the Tractor that also features local faves the Cops (featuring Church on bass). A percentage of proceeds will go to assist Bartoloni in his recovery, and the show itself is part of a veritable neighborhood festival that night commemorating Ballard’s victory in KEXP’s Hood-to-Hood challenge. It’s the sort of occasion that will allow you to pound a ton of cheap beer and feel good about doing it. With the Golden Blondes, the Chasers, the Mutiny Fires. Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. N.W., 789-3599. 9:30 p.m. $10. MIKE SEELY

Princess/Saturday, May 21

Seattle metal outfit Princess’ music is that of brutal, carnivorous, auditory assault. They already sound like the after-party in hell or the house band from Carrie’s prom, so how about making the next record cover a mangled tiara and some ladylike white gloves spattered in such a way as not to reveal whether Her Highness was the crime’s victim or perpetrator? Or how’s about a pile of severed and mutilated My Little Pony heads? Or Princess’ glorious logo tagged on some ancient wallpaper in smeary, drippy, red glitter letters (poured nail polish, perhaps?) for that Shining effect? Or something so altogether sweet and unicorny it’ll fool little tweens into buying the record and unsuspectingly having their faces shredded off? With Argonaut. Cafe Venus/Mars Bar, 609 Eastlake Ave. E., 624-4516. 9 p.m. $6. MA’CHELL DUMA LAVASSAR

Pure Ecstasy/Saturday, May 21

The Austin trio Pure Ecstasy makes music that matches their name—it’s swooning; it’s heavy on the reverb; it’s ideal listening for droopy-eyed late nights and bleached-out early mornings; it’s inevitably going to get tossed into the unfairly overarching chillwave bucket. None of those should be reasons to pass over this promising young band, though—blissful singles like last year’s “Easy” and “Voices” (the band has yet to release a full-length, much to fans’ impatience) have palpable melodies, pleasantly jangling guitars, and robust bass lines, and frontman Nate Grace sings with warmth and welcome. The music evokes less dead drone and haze than, simply, utter serenity. With This Will Destroy You, Sleep Over. Vera Project, 305 Harrison St., 956-8372. 7:30 p.m. $9. All ages. ERIN K. THOMPSON

Ms. Lauryn Hill/Sunday, May 22

Following the commercial and critical success of her debut album, 1998’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, the singer dropped out of the public eye, shunning fame and the music industry to focus on motherhood. The new material she released following her debut, like 2001’s MTV Unplugged No. 2.0, met with reactions ranging from blasé to harsh. What’s impressive is that though all this went down a decade ago, Hill still has a die-hard cult following that includes First Lady Michelle Obama, Denzel Washington, and even—wait for it—John McCain. But her widespread appeal makes sense. Hill’s music is deeply personal and grapples with issues of universal importance: love, heartbreak, pregnancy, religion. Luckily for her fans, the singer is due for a return to the limelight she has so long steered clear of. Last year a song called “Repercussions” leaked from her studio, and this spring she earned rave reviews for her electrifying performance at Coachella. The audience at tonight’s concert won’t be as star-studded as the festival’s, but really, when you’ve got Lauryn, who the hell else do you need? Showbox SoDo, 1700 First Ave. S., 628-3151. 7 p.m. $65 adv./$75 DOS. All ages. ERIKA HOBART

The Twilight Singers/Sunday, May 22

While none of Greg Dulli’s post–Afghan Whigs endeavors have gotten as much attention as that early ’90s act, the Twilight Singers has been the Ohio-born artist’s most reliable outlet for his creative strengths. Where the Gutter Twins (his side project with gifted, gravel-gargling curmudgeon Mark Lanegan) can slip too deeply into romanticized hedonism, teetering on the point of cliché, the Twilight Singers is a platform for concise songwriting that keeps the focus more on Dulli’s voice, both literally and figuratively. That element—half arrogant Lothario, half vulnerable romantic, all running through his rich, ragged croon—is the dichotomy that makes Dulli perpetually fascinating for his fiercely loyal audiences. With Margot & the Nuclear So & So’s. Showbox at the Market, 1426 First Ave., 628-3151. 8 p.m. $20 adv./$21 DOS. HANNAH LEVIN

Naughty by Nature/Monday, May 23

Few hip-hop acts from the early ’90s had greater success crossing from the ‘hood to the ‘burbs than the East Orange, N.J., trio of Treach, Vin Rock, and DJ Kay Gee. After Naughty by Nature broke out with the Jackson 5–sampling, adultery-advocating hit “O.P.P.” (you know, “O is for other, P is for people scratching temple . . . the last P, well, that’s not so simple”), they followed with one of rap’s most epic party anthems in “Hip Hop Hooray” and went on to sell more than 3.5 million copies of their six albums. With that history, the title of the trio’s first original-lineup album in more than a decade is perfectly fitting: Anthem Inc. And if a recent Daytrotter appearance is any indication, NBN’s skills (especially Treach’s machine-gun delivery) are as sharp as ever. With Jay Barz, J’Mar, Southside. Showbox at the Market, 1426 First Ave., 628-3151. 7 p.m. $22 adv./$25 DOS. NICK FELDMAN