Wednesday, Oct. 8

DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist Play Afrika Bambaataa When DJ Shadow dropped his first album, Endtro

ducing, in 1996, it was a landmark for both electronic music and hip-hop. Composed almost entirely out of samples, it changed how producers looked at creating music and stirred controversy within the industry. But DJ Shadow was far from the first to change the game. Teaming up with Jurassic 5’s Cut Chemist, Shadow is on a mission to educate his fans on the brilliance that is funk god Afrika Bambaataa—and the power of his influence within the industry—by spinning vinyl from the master’s very own record collection: a 40,000-disc catalog housed at Cornell University. With Edan & Paten Locke, Supreme La Rock. The Neptune, 1303 N.E. 45th St., 877-784-4849, stgpresents.com/neptune. 9 p.m. $36.50. All ages. DUSTY HENRY

Yasiin Bey, aka Mos Def, whom you’re just as likely to remember these days for his role in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy as for his storied discography, has ended his long hiatus from music with a new single, “Let’s Go.” As one of hip-hop’s intellectual heavyweights from back in the day, his influence has been sorely missed in the contemporary scene. The Trinidadian-born rapper is taking a break from acting, writing, and political activism to bring his lilting cadence back to stages from London to Seattle. Expect to hear a lot from his jazz-influenced, heavily philosophical Black on Both Sides collaboration with Talib Kweli. With Lilla, Raz Simone. Showbox SoDo, 1700 First Ave. S., showboxpresents.com. 9 p.m. $31.50/$35 DOS. 21 and over. JENNA NAND

Chris Smither has been building his blues-guitar repertoire since the 1960s, but has remained on the outskirts of the mainstream for the majority of his career. Despite never seeing widespread acclaim, he’s remained remarkably consistent. His latest album, Still on the Levee, sounds like a gloomy folk record he may have released in his heyday. He may not be as influential as contemporaries like Bob Dylan, but he’s built a discography of similar hidden gems with a small but dedicated and ever-growing fan base. With Milton. Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. N.W., 789-3599, 
tractortavern.com. 8 p.m. $25. 21 and over. DH

Thursday, Oct. 9

Disco and house music are known to be vibrant and bubbly. English group Fujiya & Miyagi

adheres to that rule with its upbeat rhythms and ascending synth lines, but with one major departure: lead vocalist David Best’s monotone vocals. His sing-talking stays consistent from track to track in his band’s repertoire, maintaining much the same cadence and inflection, aside from the occasional whisper. As musical madness swirls around him, his tone is unaffected by it all—adding a touch of darkness to otherwise feel-good music. With Magic Touch, Noddy. Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St., 324-8005, chopsuey.com. 8 p.m. $13 adv./$15 DOS. 21 and over. DH

Paloma Faith’s recent dabbling in acting is fitting for her entire persona. The pop and soul vocalist’s music harkens back to the music of the ’50s and ’60s, a time when musicians were often also actors, entertainers, and iconic, well-rounded showpeople. Faith’s music feels akin to theirs: big, with horns and crashing pianos. It’s easy to call her a throwback act, but it’s more like she’s joining the lineage of artists like Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe who could not be contained to one artistic medium. With Liam Bailey. The Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave., 441-4618, thecrocodile.com. 8 p.m. SOLD OUT. All ages. DH

Hollow Earth West Coast electronic music showcase Bay Area producer Collin McKelvey uses analog synthesizers to create abstract soundscapes. His music is far from accessible, delving into relentless jams of repeated glitches and obscure vocal samples. But it’s not about immediate reward; it’s made for listeners to immerse themselves in all the weirdness. The tracks slowly fall apart, descending into chaos, stretching the listener’s perception of what makes a “song,” sometimes feeling more like ambient noise. It’s the ideal soundtrack for an impending robot apocalypse: haunting and weird, yet hard to look away. Also with RM Francis, Kaori Suzuki, Jonathan James Carr. Hollow Earth Radio, 2018 #A E. Union St., 905-1250, hollowearthradio.org. 9 p.m. $5–$10. All ages. DH

Friday, Oct. 10

Seattle’s Lonesome Shack wallows in the rickety despair of the blues, and its sparse arrangements embody the sorrow in vocalist Ben Todd’s warble. The band’s latest record, More Primitive, sees it reveling in gorgeous, depressing melodies. Despite being a downer, it’s a comforting listen. As the summer ends and the season changes, get cozy at home and wrap yourself in Lonesome Shack’s melancholia. With The Horde and the Harem, San Juan. Sunset Tavern, 5433 Ballard Ave. N.W., 784-4880, sunsettavern.com. 9 p.m. $8. 21 and over. DH

Saturday, Oct. 11

Throughout his expansive punk career, Montreal avant-garde musician Mark Sultan has gone by many names: Needles, Skutch, Blortz, and most recently BBQ. 
It was during his tenure as frontman for punk group the Spaceshits that he established a kinship with bassist Blacksnake (who would go on to reinvent himself as King Khan). The two eventually joined forces again under the moniker The

King Khan & BBQ Show, reimagining doo-wop in their own twisted image. In their hands, the soulful genre becomes a grimy, fuzzed-out affair. With Ausmuteants, Thunderpussy. The Crocodile. 8 p.m. $15 adv. All ages. DH

Portland-based melodic-rock trio Rags & Ribbons has the uncanny ability to sound much larger. The soaring vocal harmonies that kick off “Magnesium Dream,” from the band’s latest EP Magnesium Dreams, for instance, make it seem twice as big. Guitarist/vocalist Ben Weyerhaeuser and pianist/vocalist Jon Hicks’ choir backgrounds have a lot to do with it, but it’s also because of the way they, and drummer/vocalist Chris Neff, weave intricate layers of sound so effortlessly. Throughout the six-song EP, the band blends piano-driven melodies with heavier elements, building each song until, at its peak, it’s an arena-ready jam of Muse-like proportions. With Kiven, Ghost Parade, If Penguins Could Fly. El Corazon, 109 Eastlake Ave. E., 262-0482, elcorazonseattle.com. 7:30 p.m. $8 adv./$10 DOS. All ages. AZARIA C. PODPLESKY

Sunday, Oct. 12

Considering how cheery Of Montreal’s music sounds on the surface, it’s hard to imagine the psych-pop outfit drawing inspiration from the likes of Sylvia Plath and Neil Young. But that’s the brilliance of Of Montreal: The more gleeful it sounds, the more chance it has to be depressing. Even on its Outback Steakhouse–affiliated single “Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games,” vocalist Kevin Barnes unleashes pessimistic sentiments like “Let’s pretend we don’t exist.” For all its quirky guitar sounds and snappy drums, Of Montreal is genuinely in touch with the darker recesses of the human soul. With Pillar Point. The Paramount, 911 Pine St., 877-784-4849, stgpresents.org/paramount. 8 p.m. $20 adv./$22 DOS. All ages. DH

Monday, Oct. 13

They rose out of the Christian-music ghetto to become a mainstay on the Vans Warped Tour, release a host of Billboard Top 20 albums, and give us our rock-’n’-roll fix with hits like “Feel Good Drag,” but now Anberlin is going out on a high note. On the heels of the release of its raucous, chaotic final album Lowborn—which landed at #11 on Billboard’s Top 200, and which plays like a musical chronology of the genres and tones that defined every step of its career path—the band is currently in the midst of its final tour. Anberlin will call it quits at the end of the year, but not before rocking your socks off one last time. With The Weather. Showbox, 1426 First Ave., 628-3151, showboxpresents.com. 8:30 p.m. $22.50/adv., $25/door. All ages. BRIAN PALMER

Tuesday, Oct. 14

When Banks debuted the title track from her latest album, Goddess, earlier this year, she stressed her intentions for it. “It’s so important for women to embrace themselves and feel like goddesses,” she said. “Because every woman is a fucking goddess.” Lyrically her album is rooted in post-Beyonce feminism, with sleek, underground electronic production. Banks’ soulful and wistful voice moves calmly over downbeat rhythms, but has a backbone with lyrics like “She gave it all, you gave her shit.” There’s tenacity behind her Aaliyah-inspired vocals. With Movement. Showbox. 
9 p.m. $20 adv./$23 DOS. All ages. DH