BR. DANIELSON 7/30, EMPTY BOTTLE “Brother Danielson” is Daniel Smith, leader of offbeat Christian indie rockers the Danielson Famile, and his new Brother Is to Son (Secretly Canadian) has a lot in common with the Famile’s output: he continues to favor his squawky falsetto, and his earnest, gracefully demented pop sounds like it’s struggling to go in three different melodic directions at once. But Smith’s stuff seems downright minimalist next to the cacophonous frenzy of the full band, which is often seven strong and sounds more like fourteen. Smith’s father is a gospel songwriter and home remodeler, and lately Smith has been working as a contractor himself–which, to a Christian artist, is apparently an irresistible source of symbolism (see “Hammers Sitting Still”). After spending the evening in his company, you’ll never think about carpentry the same way again. Baby Teeth (see Critic’s Choice) open. THE COURT & SPARK 7/30, GUNTHER MURPHY’S Witch Season (Absolutely Kosher) is this Bay Area band’s third full-length, and I still haven’t made up my mind whether their art-gallery, record-collector approach to alt-country is a great idea or a terrible one–their careful pacing and finicky songwriting make Calexico sound raw. The music is sweetly moody and melodic, but it seems so many times removed from actual country that I can’t enjoy it as much more than background–like Poco and the Eagles, it’s a guilty pleasure, like letting yourself get misty-eyed about the west while looking out the window of your LA ranch home. JG EVEREST 7/30, SUBTERRANEAN This Minneapolis multi-instrumentalist has just released his debut, Hush Money (Firetrunk), a painstakingly lush collection of songs layered with guitar and keyboard loops, sweeping synth and effects-pedal washes, and pretty, breathy faux-naive vocals. I don’t pick up any urgency here–there’s nothing revolutionary happening, no sense that Everest absolutely had to make this music–but the sound of the album is so enthralling that I don’t much care. Supposedly he can approximate it onstage too, though I don’t know how he’ll cover for the guest drummers on the CD. Pedal Steel Transmission headlines; the Scotland Yard Gospel Choir plays second. PAL 8/1, BOTTOM LOUNGE This local band has recently put out a three-song seven-inch, Audio Peace Treaty (Carte
