Friday 3
C-RAYZ WALZ New Yorker C-Rayz Walz is an off-kilter and explosive rapper with a knack for delivering eccentric punch lines, which pepper his new album, Year of the Beast (Definitive Jux). MTV recently selected Walz to coach an aspiring battle MC for an episode of the reality show Made, and given his harsh disses–“Keep playing the role, get your head bent / ‘Cause you’re so pussy you could get pregnant”–he should be fun to watch. Sometimes his quirkiness crosses over into outright weirdness, as in this couplet from “Say Werd”: “My symmetry is of scientifical slaughter / Attacking your nerve endings in alphabetical order.” He sounds best over beats that match his playful ebullience, as on “First Words Worse,” where trumpets mingle with his voice to create a compelling head-nodder. The new album’s a huge improvement over his 2003 solo debut, Ravipops (The Substance); I imagine he’ll bring the same manic energy to the stage that he does to the studio. The order from headliner down: J-Live, Vast Aire, C-Rayz Walz, Vordul Mega, Karneige, 4th Pyramid. 9 PM, Abbey Pub, 3420 W. Grace, 773-478-4408 or 866-468-3401, $15 in advance, $18 at the door, 18+. –Kabir Hamid
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FEATURES I’m always suspicious of major-label bands that arrive sounding fully formed, as this small-town Tennessee quartet does on Exhibit A (Universal). But under the polish and the hype, there’s an unpretentious giddiness in their exuberant, keyboard-moistened Cars-Buzzcocks sound. And when they have a good line like “You turned me on to the idea of growing old,” singer-guitarist Matt Pelham pounces on it and doesn’t let it go. The 22-20s open. 10 PM, Double Door, 1572 N. Milwaukee, 773-489-3160 or 312-559-1212, $10. –Monica Kendrick
BANG! BANG! These locals (not to be confused with the other, punctuationless Bang Bang, from Detroit) still don’t seem to have the attention span for a full-length album, but I’m not so sure that’s a bad thing–they’re very much what used to be called a “singles band.” And as their second EP, the new Electric Sex (Morphius), also includes two playful videos, you can’t say they’re slacking. The five songs shimmy and jitter and hop in place aggressively in a Hot Hot Heat-meets-the-B-52’s sort of way; the urgent yelp of guitarist and front man Jack Flash, which would definitely be too much of a good thing by itself, is relieved or underlined (or undermined) in spots by mountain-lion-on-helium squealing from bassist Gretta Fine. The Firebird Band and the Countdown open. 10 PM, Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western, 773-276-3600 or 800-594-8499, $8. –Monica Kendrick
MUDTOYS Patrick Hamilton and Mark Briggs, the core of this elusive local band–live shows are rare–work with drum machines and tape loops as well as live instruments, but their music is pleasantly, creakily organic. Their songs, a couple dozen or so of which are available for free on their Web site, are sometimes lazy and mellow, often dolorous and droning, and after a while a bit repetitive. But when the longer tracks get a good head of steam going they wield a fuzzy, noisy wallop, like a Jesus & Mary Chain that’s all psycho and no candy. Tough & Lovely and the Singles open. 10 PM, Subterranean Cafe & Cabaret, 2011 W. North, 773-278-6600, $8. –Monica Kendrick
Monday 6
The Mike Keneally Band headlines. 8:30 PM, Schubas, 3159 N. Southport, 773-525-2508, $15, 18+. –Peter Margasak
