[Monday, September 1] The title of SuperchunkaE™s 2001 album, HereaE™s to Shutting Up, has proved itself to be pretty prophetic aE“ since its release, the long-running North Carolina band that (along with Pavement and Sebadoh) helped define aE™90s indie-rock with its full-throttle, punk-informed guitar-pop has been on semi-hiatus. But when the band gets back together for these rare live appearances aE“ most of which have been benefit gigs aE“ they still bring an overload of volume, exuberance, grit, vitriol, melody, and joy to the stage, which makes this Bumbershoot appearance a must-see event. Samsung Memorial Mainstage, 7:45 p.m. Listen to Act Surprised.

[Monday, September 1] There isn’t a group in recent memory I’ve gone quite as completely and utterly gaga for as Seattle’s own Arthur & Yu. I’ve described them on separate occasions as aEœsatisfying as a warm stack of Sunday morning pancakes,aE as Mary F*ing Poppins (because they are practically perfect in every way) and as a band aEœKEXP would play until your ears bled with their brilliance.aE Blending the Hazelwood/Sinatra collaborations with the lo-fi panache of the Velvet Underground, the band’s core duo of Grant Olsen and Sonja Westcott (along with guesting players) have carved out their own niche of sultry mellow gold. Wells Fargo Stage, 6:45 p.m. Listen to There Are Too Many Birds.

[Monday, September 1] One of the fresher-faced denizens of the psych-folk scene thataE™s given us Joanna Newsom and Devendra Banhart, 23-year-old California native Mariee Sioux taps into both avant-folk tradition and Native American melody and mysticism with her finespun acoustic tunes. Chances are good sheaE™ll have a whole new batch of Mother Earth/Middle Earth songs to play for us this time. Wells Fargo Stage, 3:15 p.m. Listen to Two Tongues.

[Monday, September 1] Attendees at a Monotonix show should really be given a useraE™s manual upon arrival: wear sensible shoes and come prepared to tolerate random spittle, flammable drumsticks, spilt beer and an obscene amount of good cheer. The unbridled revelry and gleeful antagonism that this Israeli punk-cum-grunge trio peddles is the stuff rock aE˜naE™ roll dreams are made of and the combustible party-hearty ambience that booking agents both love and loathe. Exhibition Hall Stage, 2:30 p.m. Listen to Summers and Autumns.

[Monday, September 1] Barreling in on the heels of the recent prep school-rock avalanche of artists such as MGMT and Vampire Weekend, it’d be easy to write off Chester French as just another Ivy League duo who showed up a little late to the party. But the shining element that sets singer D.A. Wallach’s and instrumentalist/composer Maxwell Drummey’s dormitory recording project apart from the others is their desperate grasp on their nerd-dom: Chester French has no idea how hip they areaE¦ yet. Rockstar Stage, 12:45 p.m. Listen to She Loves Everybody.

[Sunday, August 31] It only took one track from Brother AliaE™s 2003 disc Shadows on the Sun, opener aEœRoom with a View,aE for me to realize I was in the presence of hip-hop greatness. For nearly 10 years now, Ali aE“ a 250-pound albino and devout Muslim aE“ has been one of the most potent voices in the underground. Last yearaE™s The Undisputed Truth was even better than Shadows aE“ some of the rhymes therein are angry and venomous, sure, but for all the grit, its fury never grinds the old-school hip-hop party to a halt. Exhibition Hall Stage, 8:45 p.m. Listen to Truth Is.

[Sunday, August 31] Hailing from Glasgow, edgy and effervescent Sons and Daughters ventured halfway across the globe to grace this yearaE™s Bumbershoot. Sons and DaughtersaE™ driving guitars and danceable beats make them one of the few live acts that inspire the urge to rock out and shake what your mama gave ya simultaneously. Rockstar Stage, 7:45 p.m. Listen to Chains.

[Sunday, August 31] It’s understandable that the offspring of any legendary musician would want to distance their own work and talent from that of their parents. But now try to imagine that you’re Bob Dylan’s son aE“ AND you have a penchant for folk music. Truly, it’s not easy being Jakob Dylan. But on Jakob’s debut solo album, Seeing Things, he leaves the full band behind, picks up a guitar and ends the fight, accepting what heaE™s rebelled from for so long. And you know what? He’s never sounded more like himself. Starbucks Stage, 7 p.m. Listen to Evil Is Alive and Well.

(Saturday, August 30) It’s a sincere pleasure to see a green local band bloom into consummate, confident performers, and Throw Me the Statue is a prime example of such heartwarming triumph. Whimsical monikers will only get a band so far, but the sunny confections Scott ReithermanaE™s brainchild produces are impressively reminiscent of Guided By VoicesaE™ smart approach to a perfectly poured pop cocktail. Rockstar Stage, 12:30 p.m. Listen to Lolita.

[Sunday, August 31] Canary Sing may be unsigned, and they may only have an EP to their name thus far, but if you’ve got a gig sharing the stage with esteemed spoken word poet Saul Williams (who will also perform on Saturday with a full band), you are obviously going about things the right way. For those who thought hip hop died, this is how it’s gonna be resurrected: not by some little dicks spitting hateful bullshit, but by tough, razor sharp women who rhyme about stuff that matters. Boeing Performing Arts Stage, 1:30 p.m. Listen to Angel.

[Saturday, August 30] A festival stage is a daunting place for a singular songwriter armed with only a guitar and his vocal chords, so when Portland-based country-folk savant Matt Ward began his set at ChicagoaE™s sold-out Pitchfork Festival in July, his understated presence was initially cause for concern. Any trepidations were laid to rest as he gradually added not only more musicians to the stage, but increasingly intricate layers of gossamer-thin guitar lines, stridently paced piano, and robust percussion that spun his initially humble back porch musings into gorgeous swells of epic pop tapestry. Rockstar Stage, 9:30 p.m. Listen to Outta My Head.

[Saturday, August 30] Aside from the melancholic beauty of 2002aE™s break-up opus, Sea Change, Beck hasnaE™t struck a chord that felt genuine since 1994aE™s Stereopathic Soulmanure. Thankfully, cracking open his latest effort Modern Guilt rewards the forgiving listener with ten deftly crafted pop songs that allude as much to classically clever aE˜60s songwriting as they do to whatever Scientology-fueled spacecraft dropped Beck on this planet in the first place. Samsung Mobile Mainstage, 9:15 p.m. Listen to Gamma Ray.

[Saturday, August 30] When Christa Bell first began performing, her material focused on her experiences as a black woman versus how hip-hop portrays black women. But after a few years, she felt it was too passive a route to take. aEœI got tired of responding to hip-hop,aE Bell says. aEœI decided to address what change women could make themselves, and that answer seemed to be to confront the shame and low self-esteem they had toward their own sexuality. Literary Arts Stage, 7:30 p.m. Listen to CoochieMagik.

[Saturday, August 30] Unearth’s 2008 double-disc DVD Alive at the Apocalypse convincingly documents the brutality of the group’s performances from the past decade. With a new CD called The March set to arrive in October, fans should also hear some fresh material. The MarchaE™s opening track aEœMy Will Be Done,aE which Unearth played during recent gigs, suggests itaE™s not straying far from its thrash-and-breakdowns sound, though the band might be clearing more room for harmonic solos. Exhibition Hall Stage, 6:30 p.m. Listen to This Glorious Nightmare.

[Saturday, August 30] London-based vocalist Estelle made headlines earlier this year when she accused the British music industry of promoting white soul singers such as Adele and Duffy at the expense of black artists. Estelle’s material, which is much more danceable and diverse than that of her aforementioned peers, reinforces her demand for a greater share of the spotlight. Fisher Green Stage, 5:45 p.m. Listen to No Substitute Love.

[Saturday, August 30] One of the first local bands I fell hard for upon moving to Seattle in the early 2000s was the Girls. How could anyone not aE“ they had more energy than third-graders hopped up on Halloween candy, better fashion sense than anyone in town except maybe Michael Maker or Purple Mark, and great, fresh-sounding songs that ram together Cars-style new-wave/power-pop, New York Dolls-style glam-rock and the good aE™ol Devo nerdy-herky-jerk. EMP Sky Church, 2 p.m. Listen to Transfer Station.

[Saturday, August 30] Neko Case’s long, distinguished career as an alt-country chanteuse began at the honky tonk end of the spectrum. But over the last eleven years, Neko Case’s music seems to have left the cowboy bars behind in favor of a folksier, cafe pop. And her last record, Fox Confessor Brings The Flood, bears almost no stylistic resemblance to her early work. But even though you can’t really call Neko a country singer anymore, she’s become a better minstrel, and one whose music is no longer as readily pigeonholed. Samsung Memorial Mainstage, 1 p.m. Listen to Hold On Hold On.