Wednesday, May 18AutechreUntilted (Warp), this British anti-dance duo’s new one, is as tangled and near-unlistenable as anything else they’ve done, and no, that’s not a compliment. SND and Rob Hall open. Neumo’s, 8 p.m. $15/$17Earlimart + Okkervil RiverL.A.’s Earlimart and Austin’s Okkervil River are an evenly matched pair: around since the mid-’90s, folky-punky-country-ish-rocky, with devoted audiences and profiles that have buoyed a lot over the past couple years. Richard Swift opens. Crocodile Cafe, 9 p.m. $10Sharon Jones and the Dap-KingsSEE FEATURE, P. 47. Chop Suey, 8 p.m. $10MurgatroidMurgatroid’s tuneful pop might make you think of Canada’s Barenaked Ladies, Ben Folds with a really awesome cartoon-drawn backing band, or Tom Waits hosting a sing-along. It isn’t that the local four-piece isn’t original and heartfelt, just that their nuanced narratives remind listeners of their favorite grown-up pop-rock. Rainbow, 9 p.m. $5Thursday, May 19Dose One + Gust BurnsDose One’s an MC on the defiantly challenging (not always successfully) post-hip-hop label Anticon; Burns is a 27-year-old, Tacoma-reared pianist, composer, and improviser who’s been making noise (literally and figuratively) on the local improv scene. This ought to be an interesting pair-up. Gallery 1412, 8 p.m. $15/$20Michael FranksThe soft-pop/smooth-jazz (with hints of Brazilian music) maestro best known for his late-’70s/early-’80s work returns for a four-night stand. Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. $30.50/$32.50 Also Friday, May 20–Sunday, May 22HorsesFresh off a tour supporting Iron and Wine, former Carissa’s Wierd member Ben Bridwell’s outfit Horses is enjoying a whole lot more notoriety, as well as a recently signed deal with Sub Pop. Witness them serve up the results of all this positive reinforcement before it goes to their heads. War Room, 9 p.m. $5Smoosh + DJ Cherry CanoeThis week, the Showbox has a lock on terrific benefit shows, starting with this one, the proceeds from which go to what the venue’s calendar refers to as “a good little boy with autism,” put on by Friends of Arthur. Smoosh begins at 9. Showbox, 6:30 p.m. $10 under age 12 at the door only/$25. All agesLoudon Wainwright IIIHis inveterate sardonicism has always been there, but the political edge he’s been flexing is relatively new. Both are all over the new Here Come the Choppers! (Soverign Artists), and so is his way with a lyric. Triple Door, 7:30 p.m. $27Friday, May 20DJ IceyFlorida’s funky breaks have never been especially hip, but they get bodies moving like no one’s business. No one’s better at them than Orlando’s Icey; if you want an unpretentious night of dancing, he’s as good a bet as any. Dig Dug open. Element, 9 p.m. $10/$15 after 11 p.m.A Drink for the Kids: Tinkle: David Cross + Todd Barry + Jon Benjamin + the ThermalsThe Showbox keeps on giving (literally) with this run of benefits for VERA Project and the Service Board. Tonight, three comedians (Cross is the best known but Barry’s the funniest) and Portland’s great pop-punks the Thermals: $500 and $1,000 gets you reserved tables up front, but the rest of us can probably make do with standing near the back. Showbox, 8 p.m. $20–$1,000Mark Farina”Mushroom Jazz,” as Farina’s always called his tweaked, mellow house, has always been an iffy concept, not to mention music. Still, when his DJ sets hits a sweet spot, he can be darn engaging. Chop Suey, 9 p.m. $15Senate ArcadeCall ’em whatever you want—post-Slint metallic indie with hints of math rock and emo, for example—but this local trio sound strictly like themselves, and are good at it. Verona headline; Juhu Beach open. High Dive, 10 p.m. $5Luke SolomonAlong with Justin Harris, Solomon comprises Freaks, one of the most aptly named groups in dance music. 2003’s The Man Who Lived Underground (Music for Freaks) is one of the best, and strangest, house albums of the past few years. Trinity, 9 p.m.Saturday, May 21. . . And You Will Know Us by the Trail of DeadMogwai aside, the most boring loud-guitar band to cross our desks in living memory, from their endless name to their unmemorable songs. If you’ve ever wondered what a fuzz box set to “zzzz” sounded like, here you go. The (International) Noise Conspiracy and We Are Wolves open. Showbox, 6:30 p.m. $14 adv./$16 All ages Also at Easy Street Records Queen Anne, 20 Mercer St., 206-691-3279, 6 p.m.Sunday, May 22A Drink for the Kids: Tinkle: David Cross + Todd Barry + Jon Benjamin + the New PornographersFor the concept, see Friday. The New Pornographers have a new album coming out in August; since Electric Version was one of 2003’s best albums, we’re pretty excited, and hope to hear the new stuff here. Showbox, 8 p.m. $20–$1,000Fish Out of Water: Toshi Makihara + Susie Kozawa + Liz FalconerInstinct suggests that the sculptural drumming of revered Japanese-American percussionist Toshi Makihara will be Fish Out of Water’s focal point, but then again, with Elizabeth Falconer’s koto (she’s an American master of it) and Susie Kozawa’s just-use-whatever-makes-a-good-noise sound art, it’s likely that you’ll focus on all three at once. Gallery 1412, 8 p.m.Juliette Lewis and the LicksIt’s our own fault that movie stars become pop stars—it’s our own fault that they even try. Our cult of celebrity breeds it. But do we really have to pay to see Juliette Lewis prove that she’s more than just an actress in order to atone for our sins? El Corazon, 7 p.m. $10/$12Monday, May 23The GossipThe Gossip’s basal blues-rock makes for a damn fine live show. And between Beth Ditto’s soulful singing, Kathy Mendonca’s primitive drumbeats, and Nathan Howdeshell’s confident guitar swagger, fiends will get their fix for a while. Chop Suey, 8 p.m. $10Tuesday, May 24Stephen MalkmusSEE SW THIS WEEK, P. 45. Sonic Boom Capitol Hill, 514 15th Ave. E., 206-568-2666, 7 p.m. FreeSam PrekopOnce upon a time there was a music called “easy listening.” Then in the ’90s, some indie rock started sounding like it, and it became more critically respected than it had been. The Sea and Cake were one of the bands responsible for this shift, and ex–S&C member Prekop keeps it going in his solo work. Pit Er Pat open. Neumo’s, 8 p.m. $13 adv./$15SightingsSightings’ Arrived in Gold, a slab of pulsing, screeching soundscapes, does well to capture the panic and tension of someone working more than an hour past his deadline to think of something to say about Sightings. Funhouse, 9:30 p.m. $7