Best Bets at DC Music Venues

The Pogues
Sun and Mon Mar 9 & 10 @ 9:30 Club (sold out, but worth scalping)
Legendary celtic rock band the Pogues play the 9:30 Club. See them before hard-drinking lead singer Shane McGowen’s liver finally gives out.
Sound like: The Clash with tin whistles and an Irish accent
Sample track: “If I Should Fall from Grace with God”
http://www.pogues.com/

The Bob Mould Band
Sat Mar 15 @ 9:30 Club ($20)
As the creative force behind Husker Dü and Sugar, two of the most important alternative rock bands ever, DC-resident Bob Mould is a legend. His nearly three decades contribution to music have earned him a well-deserved rest on his laurels. But, now, even at 47 years old, Mould is still making pretty good new music. In an age when past-their-prime rock legends routinely cash in on their faded glory with reunion tours and embarrassingly mediocre albums, Mould’s new album, District Line, is a really worthwhile listen. Sure, it doesn’t break a whole lot of new ground, but it rewards the listener with well-written, enjoyable songs worthy of the man whose name appears on the album cover.
Sounds like: Pavement, Sugar
Sample track: “Stupid Now”
http://www.bobmould.com/

The Raveonettes
Sat Mar 29 @ Black Cat ($15)
After a departure to a more mainstream sound that included an annoyingly sugary cover of “My Boyfriend’s Back” on 2005’s Pretty in Black, the Raveonettes returned to their low-fi roots on their most recent release Lust, Lust, Lust, matching thickly distorted instrumentation with compelling melodies and Sune Rose Wagner’s gorgeous vocals.
Sounds like: Sigur Ros meets the White Stripes
Sample track: “Aly, Walk with Me”
http://www.myspace.com/theraveonettes

Caribou
Sun Mar 30 @ Rock and Roll Hotel ($12/$14)
At once futuristic and a relic from the hippie era, the neo-psychedelic sound of Caribou makes the Age of Aquarius sound new again.
Best suited for fans of: Panda Bear, 5th Dimension
Sample track: Melody Day
http://www.myspace.com/cariboumanitoba
http://www.caribou.fm/

Yeasayer
Thr Apr. 10 @ Black Cat
I can’t help but gush, Yeasayer is really really cool. Their melodious, electro-infused, layered, beat-driven sound is absolutely infectious and one of the most interesting things I have heard in a long time. To say this band is eclectic is an understatement. On songs like “Waiting for Summer,” the Brooklyn-based band pull influences as disparate as funk and traditional Indian music together to create a novel new sound that you won’t soon forget. Most of the time, Yeasayer sounds futuristic, but sometimes you hear things buried in their songs that harkens back to sounds first heard in the 1970s. On “2080,” the third track from Yeasayer’s debut album, All Hour Cymbals, an otherworldly soundscape evolves into a rhythmic guitar riff joined by a simple drum line that builds into a chorus with harmonies reminiscent of Blue Oyster Cult. A chanted second chorus is a cherry on top of an already great song. To pin this band down to a genre is no easy task. The band’s own label for their sound, “Middle Eastern-psych-pop-snap-gospel,” works about as well as anything. However you want to describe them, Yeasayer is one of the most important bands in music today.
Suitable for fans of: Spiritualized, Brian Eno
Sample track: 2080
http://www.myspace.com/yeasayer
http://www.yeasayer.net/

Hot Chip (w/ Free Blood)
Fri. Apr. 11 @ 9:30 Club ($20)
UK electro-pop outfit Hot Chip put the fun in funky with danceable, accessible songs that have made them an underground sensation in Britain and are earning them a growing following in the states.
Sample track: “Ready for the Floor”
http://www.myspace.com/hotchip

VHS or Beta
Fri. Apr. 11 @ Rock and Roll Hotel
VHS or Beta is the darker side of new new-wave. They sound like the 80s were new all over again. Viva synth…
Sounds like: Joy Division, the Killers
Sample track: “The Melting Moon”
http://www.myspace.com/vhsorbeta

The New Pornographers (w/ Okkervil River)
Tues. Apr. 15 @ 9:30 Club (sold out, but worth scalping)
What better way to spend tax day than with Canadian indie-rock super-group the New Pornographers. Neko Case’s pretty looks and prettier vocals is worth the price of admission alone. Opening act Okkervil River were one of my favorite discovery’s of the last year. Don’t miss them.
New Pornographers Sample Track: “Electric Version”
Okkervil River Sample Track: “Our Life is not a Movie or Maybe”
http://www.thenewpornographers.com/
http://www.myspace.com/okkervilriver


Rogue Wave
Wed. Apr 16 @ 9:30 Club ($15)
With fragile, pretty songs like “Eyes,” Rogue Wave seems destined to become regular accompaniment to weepy scenes on movie soundtracks. But, on songs like “Publish My Love,” they prove they can also employ their talent for melody in the service of rock and roll.
Sounds like: Death Cab for Cutie, The Shins
Sample track: “Eyes” or “Publish My Love”
http://www.myspace.com/roguewave

Kate Nash
Thr. Apr 17 @ 9:30 Club($15)
British chart-topper Kate Nash’s debut album features catchy, wry, songs that put the emphasis on infectious melodies. Like the Streets and last year’s sensation Lily Allen, Nash’s vocals are delivered with a thick working-class English accent that make them sound different from everything else you’re listening to.
Sounds like: Lily Allen
Sample track: “Foundations”
http://www.myspace.com/katenashmusic

tapes ‘n tapes
Wed. Apr 23 @ 9:30 Club ($15)
If the Smithsonian ever did a museum exhibit on indie-rock and wanted to chose a single band to typify the genre, bands like Pavement or the Pixies would be obvious picks, but tapes ‘n tapes wouldn’t be a bad choice either. When you hear tapes n’ tapes, you immediately recognize the irreverent, low-fi aesthetic that we associate with the indie-rock genre. While tapes ‘n tapes has a familiar feel for those who grew up listening to Sugar and Sebadoh, they throw the listener enough curveballs to keep it interesting. Case in point, the driving polka beat on “Insistor,” the second track on their debut album The Loon.
Suitable for Fans of: Pavement, Sebadoh, Pixies
Sample track: “Insistor” and “Cowbell”
http://www.tapesntapes.com/tapes

Destroyer
Fri. Apr 25 @ The Black Cat ($12)
Destroyer is the solo project of Dan Bejar, mad genius and one of the driving forces behind the New Pornographers. He can't sing worth a damn and he looks like that guy Richard Reid who tried to blow up an airplane with his shoe, but he sure can write a song.
You’ll like this band if you like: New Pornographers, musicians who look like terrorists
Sample track: “European Oils”
http://www.myspace.com/destroyer

Tokyo Police Club
Tue Apr 29 @ Black Cat ($13)
Tokyo Police Club don’t even have a full-length album yet, but the blog hype around this band has been swirling since their 2006 EP A Lesson In Crime, which influential NYC music blog Brooklyn Vegan has called “one of the most well received 16 minutes of music in recent history.” Their sound mixes the harder darker indie-rock sounds associated with bands like Interpol with a deconstructed experimental element reminiscent of Sonic Youth. With a full length studio album, Elephant Shell, due out soon, the interest in this band among the indie-rock literati is reaching a fevered-pitch.
Sounds like: Interpol meets Sonic Youth
Sample track: “Nature of the Experiment”
http://www.myspace.com/tokyopoliceclub

British Sea Power
Thu May 8 @ Black Cat ($13)
Manchester, England band British Sea Power wears their brit-pop roots in their name and in their music. The ghosts of great Manchester bands past like the Stone Roses can be heard here…maybe a little Pixies in there too….
Sounds like: Coldplay and Interpol
Sample track: “Please Stand Up”
http://www.myspace.com/britishseapower

The Black Keys
Mon and Tue May 12 & 13 @ 9:30 Club(soft sale, not yet announced, click here to purchase)
http://theblackkeys.com/