Corinne and Jeremiah Rosethorn, formerly of nomadic psych-folk/doom trio Mythical Beast, now reside near Coyote, N.M. They describe their new Not Not Fun-signed project, Ether Island, as “rock and roll.” And it is. But if you peer deeper into their soundscape, it’s also dark, melodic, reverberating and tinged with post-punk and soul inflections. It’s the kind of eldritch composition that could only be midwifed in a haunted country church. (And yes, there’s a hint of Lynchian disturbance in the red ants crawling around in their recordings.) Experience the art of Ether Island, along with groove-centric, left-field pop foursome YOU, Navajo queer No Wave/post-punk/surf twosome Discotays and poppy indie rock outfit Bellemah at Burt’s Tiki Lounge (313 Gold SW) on Saturday, April 12. This 21-plus gig illuminates at 10pm, and there’s no cover.
Four Up Bathing In Dark Water
Will Wiesenfeld aka Baths
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Charming, mercurial noisemaker Will Wiesenfeld aka Baths hails from El Lay. His latest, Obsidian, differentiates itself from debut album Cerulean; if the latter was a glitchy pool party, the former melds a thoroughly danceable electro sound with confessional lyrical themes unearthing grime from glitter. Think of Obsidian as the musical equivalent of the smells of cotton candy, warm leather and cold steel juxtaposed with early photography by Joel-Peter Witkin. If the preceding sentence doesn’t pique your interest, this show probably isn’t for you. Then again, it’s almost worth attending simply to witness openly gay nerd/hunk Wiesenfeld fending off drunk ladies after his set. Catch Baths, along with Anticon roster-mate/Algerian alt.hip-hop trio Young Fathers and local “cloudrap” act BK Beats, at Sister (407 Central NW) on Sunday, April 13. This 21-plus party revs up at 9pm, and tickets are $10.
Four Up
Slick Rick
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Hip-hop icon Slick Rick brings his legendary self back to Burque this week. He’s perhaps most well known for his 1985 collab with Doug E. Fresh, “La Di Da Di,” and 1989’s “Children’s Story.” Whether you can actively recall these songs or not, they’ve informed hip-hop in the decades since their respective releases. The sampling inherent in hip-hop always reminds me of that much-memed Jean-Luc Godard quote, “It’s not where you take things from—it’s where you take them to.” Party with Slick Rick, Sleep—founding member of Oldominion, half of alt.hip-hop duo The Chicharones, and did y’all know he grew up in Farmington?!—Xperience (XP) and DJ Shakedown at Sister (407 Central NW) on Monday, April 14. This 21-plus concert kicks off at 8pm, and presale tickets are $18.
Four Up In Case Of Middle Cyclone
Neko Case
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Were you one of the Americana fans saddened by the cancellation of Neko Case’s sold-out gig in Santa Fe last September? Fans of the rockin’ alt.country priestess ought avoid the last-minute rush and ensure admittance to Case’s concert at The Lensic (211 West San Francisco St.) on Monday, April 14. The recital—also featuring San Franciscan psych-folk/baroque pop duo The Dodos—starts at 7:30pm, and presale tickets range from $39 to $44. When reviewing Case’s latest, Alibi writer M. Brianna Stallings wrote, “Neko Case’s lyrics are ornery: primal yet polished, contrary and labyrinthine. Most of her material addresses a humanity that seeks to—but never can—divorce itself from its animalism. With The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You, the beasts are loosed, and the people take center stage, resulting in Case’s most intimate, fearless album to date.” Convinced yet?
