Natalie PortmanaE™s Shaved Head, Thursday, July 9: Party people always come in crowds aE“ take Natalie PortmanaE™s Shaved Head, a posse of five kids who love all things neon and funky. NPSHaE™s hook-filled electropop shook up Seattle last year with the release of Glistening Pleasures, an exultant array of vocals, keyboard, claps, guitar and shakers. Fast-forward a year and the band has now completed a tour with Lily Allen, won praise from Village Voice and SPIN and inked a deal with Warner Bros. Records. Outwardly, NPSHaE™s dance tracks are nutty little odes to everything from voyeurism (aEœYou should really close the blinds/Whose fault is it, yours or mine?aE) to the doaE™s and donaE™ts of facial hair (aEœEat with it, but donaE™t get messy/The only rule is, keep it classyaE), but somehow the songs are able to relate back to tangible themes of youthful rapture and coming of age. Whatever your interpretation, itaE™s music that always makes for a bitchinaE™ party. With Hey Champ, Glint. The Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave. 441-7416. 8 p.m. $12 adv. Note by ERIN THOMPSON

Blutonium Boy, Friday, July 10: German jock Blutonium BoyaE™s granite-hard sound is made for after-hours parties: only the truly twisted are capable of appreciating it. This isnaE™t to say that heaE™s unlistenable, but it is to say that his interpretation of electronic music is tough stuff. It drives deep and stays there. Thing is, heaE™s probably just as well known for his forays into trance under the alias DJ Session One, which may be his way of admitting that the fascistic, power-mad style he rocks under his other moniker is even difficult for him to swallow. His bass-centric productions made him a hit on the European rave circuit, and one suspects that much of his fan base still comprises many of these folks: all-night wackos whacked on pharmaceuticals. Which means that, yes, Blutonium Boy knows how to put on a show that appeals to more than just your ears. With Flarup, Used and Abused, DJ Ryle, Nympho, J Renegade. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St. 709-9467. 8 p.m. $20. All ages. Note by KEVIN CAPP

Girl in a Coma, Friday, July 10: ItaE™s quite fitting that Joan Jett and Morrissey were both instantly impressed by Girl In a Coma. (Jett signed them; Morrissey invited them to open for him.) Like both of those icons, Girl In s Coma keeps one foot planted in crunching punk-n-roll and the other in dreamy pop. The difference: frontwoman/songwriter Nina Diaz possesses a powerhouse voice that rivals rockaE™s all-time greats. DiazaE™s sultry, rich singing is extraordinary unto itself, but she also excels at throat-scratching grit, mixing the two styles so that they go together as naturally as chocolate and peanut butter. Diaz allegedly knocked her two bandmates dead with her abilities at the ripe old age of 12. Now 21, the wisdom and craft in her songs still belies her age. She titled the bandaE™s 2007 debut, Both Before IaE™m Gone, for example, after James DeanaE™s quote about learning to be an artist and a person. With Veritas, Miss Derringer, Roxy Epoxy & the Rebound, Pedestre. El Corazon, 109 Eastlake Ave. E. 381-3094. 8 p.m. $8 adv., $10 dos. All ages. Note by SABY REYES-KULKARNI

Pterodactyl, Friday, July 10: Bass-less Brooklyn trio Pterodactyl donaE™t waste any time before tearing into flinty, precision psych rock worthy of Oneida, to whose Brah Records imprint the band is signed. Swarming with spitfire guitars and overactive drumming, every song is a mad jumble of off-kilter warbling and smeared reverb, which is exactly as much disorienting fun as youaE™d expect. Between a self-titled outing in 2007 and this yearaE™s more evolved Worldwide, Pterodactyl have refused to suffer the primitivist confines suggested by their name, instead pursing an artful ruckus thataE™s reliably packed with intricate melodies and shuddering shifts. Dig into a fraught anthem like aEœFirst DazeaE aE“ free for the grabbing at pterodactyl.info aE“ and just see if you donaE™t feel yourself coursing with restless energy afterwards. Now picture Pterodactyl live, with such eerie vocal harmonies and math-damaged density climbing ever towards the heavens. With Man Party. Comet Tavern, 922 E. Pike St., 322-9272. 8 p.m. $6. Note by DOUG WALLEN

The Veils, Friday, July 10: Sophisticated and tuneful yet incurably downcast, LondonaE™s the Veils have an intriguing frontman and mainstay in Finn Andrews, son of XTC keyboardist Barry Andrews. A trio of albums on Rough Trade, including last springaE™s Sun Gangs, have made the most of AndrewsaE™ tortured unease, all while the backdrop has shifted from baroque torch songs to jerky post-punk and ruddy rock. Joining the Veils on this tour are L.A.aE™s Foreign Born, who landed on Dim Mak in 2007 with a proper issuing of the bandaE™s self-released debut, On The Wing Now. Yielding the indelible opener aEœUnion Hall,aE it promised great things. Now on Secretly Canadian, the quartet comes dangerously close to fulfilling that promise on the new Person To Person, which doles out charming licks of both Afrobeat and aE™80s Britpop like Orange Juice and Aztec Camera. Still syrupy with reverb, Foreign Born are up there with White Rabbits in the race to match the WalkmenaE™s brooding appeal. With the Other Girls. Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St. 324-8005. 9 p.m. $10 adv., $12 dos. Note by DOUG WALLEN

Robin Pecknold, Saturday, July 11: If Fleet Foxes represents the post-Napster generationaE™s reclamation and reimagining of wide eyed aE˜60aE™s folk mysticism and the lyrical American pastoral, FF frontman Robin Pecknold is the thing itself. Functioning as a living fakebook of classic American folk-rock, PecknoldaE™s solo work (frequently performed under the moniker White Antelope) doesnaE™t put much stock in creation, instead preferring to pay homage through subtle reworkings of timeless classics such as DylanaE™s aEœIt AinaE™t Me Babe.aE Fleet FoxesaE™ proclivity toward baroque embellishment is strikingly absent in PecknoldaE™s solo material, both by design and delivery. ItaE™s hard to craft elaborate song structures complete with contrapuntal harmonies when youaE™re creating songs for voice and acoustic guitar. Besides the physical limitations, Pecknold seems intent on a sparser sound with this material, focusing on the essential elements of a song, rather than on its sonic possibilities. Distillation is a tricky thing, though; when everything else is evaporated off, the resulting spirit is subject to heightened scrutiny. Picking such iconic artists for his solo oeuvre is, in that regard, a risky venture with huge promise. With Throw Me The Statue. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St. 709-9467. 8 p.m. $15. Note by NICHOLAS HALL

The Slackers, Saturday, July 11: Ska is one of those musical genres that hasn’t changed much in the last two decades. Sure, there are variations within the genre itself. Some ska bands are punk-influenced, while others carry a heavy reggae beat; some bands feature a near-orchestra of backing horn players and others feature only a trumpet; and some abandon their ska mantle when it’s convenientaE”No Doubt, I’m looking at youaE”and pick it up again years later. But listening to the Slackers latest release, Self Medication, it’s clear that the New York-based six-piece hasn’t changed its game since the release of Redlight in 1997. Lead singer Vic Ruggiero tinkles his keyboard and sings stories about world-weary and sometimes criminal characters while a trombone and sax chirp out steady beats. It’s reggae-rocksteady-sultry ska aE” unwavering and uncompromising. With Skavenjah, the Diablotones, Rude Tuna, Dicktionhead. El Corazon, 109 Eastlake Ave. E. 381-3094. 7 p.m., $15 adv., $17 dos. All ages. Note by PAIGE RICHMOND

Azure Ray, Sunday, July 12: The opening lyrics of November, the title track of Azure Ray’s 2002 EP, have been weirdly prophetic for the the dreamy, lyrical pop duo. So I’m waiting for this test to end/So these lighter days can soon begin/ I’ll be alone but maybe more carefree/Like a kite that floats so effortlessly/ I was afraid to be alone/Now I’m scared that’s how I’d like to be, sings Maria Taylor, backed by Orenda Fink, her partner in sad, soft, imaginative songwriting. Two years later, Taylor and Fink aE” who started recording music together nearly 20 years ago, when both women were 15 aE” went their separate ways. Alone, they made music unlike their collaborative efforts. Taylor joined fellow Saddle Creekers Now ItaE™s Overhead, playing trance-y guitars. Fink claimed to have a spiritual awakening in Haiti that influenced her band Art in Manila. But the band reunited last year, and are now working on new album. Again, the words from November ring true: So, I’m about to give this one more shot/ And I’ll find it in my self. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St. 709-9467. 8 p.m., $12 adv. Note by PAIGE RICHMOND

Fear Before the March of Flames, Sunday, July 12: Even armed with a clever, roll-off-the-tongue bandname like Fear Before The March Of Flames and snappy songtitles such as aEœHey Kid. IaE™m a Computer. Stop All the Downloading,aE it was only a matter of time before this Denver metalcore outfit had to cease hiding behind its wit and grow a heart. Which is exactly what the band did by its third album, The Always Open Mouth. Sure, songs about doing lines of coke out of a partygoing coedaE™s exploded ribcage certainly have their place, but Fear BeforeaE™s crunching assault hits harder now that the band (which shortened its name in time for last yearaE™s self-titled fourth album) has let its guard down enough to reveal earnest concern as the source of its agitation. Alongside peers like Between The Buried And Me, Fear Before has demonstrated a mind-boggling knack for evolution that has, in the span of just a few albums, profoundly transcended the more genre-typical approach of overstimulating the senses. With Oceana, Memphis May Fire, Of Machines, This Time Next Year. Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St. 324-8000. 7 p.m. $12 adv. All ages. Note by SABY REYES KULKARNI

Indian Jewelry, Monday, July 13: No doubt Texas combo Indian Jewelry makes intoxicating recordings: Relentlessly severe post-punk and menacing drone-rock are occasionally shot through with crosscutting electronic noise, tribal drumming, and No Wave horn skronk. The bandaE™s attention-grabbing compositions reference Suicide, the Velvet Underground, Throbbing Gristle, early Butthole Surfers, and Swans, among others. But to see them live is a life-altering experience: I recently witnessed them play a sub-street level record store in Philly, pitch-black save for a couple strobe lights that slow-motioned the two-guy, two-girl ensemble as they unleashed their primal, hypnotic noise-groove assault. It felt like being swallowed by a whale, in the best possible way. With Psychic Ills, Backward Masks. Funhouse, 206 Fifth Ave N. 374-8400. 9:30 p.m., $7. Note by MICHAEL ALAN GOLDBERG

The Handsome Family, Tuesday, July 14: ItaE™s easy to play the Gothic country card when discussing the Handsome Family, given Brett SparksaE™ tar-like singing and his wife RennieaE™s knack for tragic lyrics that often linger on murder ballads. In a nod to the coupleaE™s 20th wedding anniversary, however, the Sparks have turned their keen attention to love songs on their recent eighth album, Honey Moon. It suits them, and within the usual heightened Americana vibe thereaE™s a renewed reverence for lost classics befitting a long-running band that actually knows who Jim Reeves and the Mills Brothers are. aEœMy FriendaE is set to a late-night organ crawl, aEœWhen You WhisperedaE manages yet another heartsick duet in a long line of them, and most memorably, aEœDarling My DarlingaE ekes emotional resonance out of bizarre lyrics about the mating rituals of insects. Whether performing as a duo or a larger ensemble, the Handsome Family are, now more than ever, an underrated musical institution that feels like a secret shared in hushed tones. With Daniel Knox. Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. NW, 789-3599. 9 p.m. $12 adv., $15 dos. Note by DOUG WALLEN

Men, Tuesday, July 14: Contrary to popular belief, Le Tigre has not broken up aE“ theyaE™re simply on a long-ass sabbatical, as leader Kathleen Hanna explained in a MySpace blog post this spring, and the trio has reportedly been in the studio with none other than Christina Aguilera within the past month (canaE™t wait to hear that collaboration). Still, it might be a while before Le Tigre reactivates, and in the meantime you should enjoy Men aE“ the equally feminist and sociopolitical disco-pop/electro-rock outfit formed in 2007 by HannaaE™s bandmates JD Samson and Johanna Fateman that sometimes comes across like an even more LGBT-friendly New Order. Of late, the Men live configuration has been Samson along with Michael O’Neill and Ginger Brooks Takahashi, while FatemanaE™s taken a more behind-the-scenes (i.e. sheaE™s not really touring these days) writing/production role. Regardless, when Men take charge itaE™s bound to be a hell of a party. Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St. 324-8000. 8 p.m. $10 adv., $12 dos. Note by MICHAEL ALAN GOLDBERG