Rock Picks

Also playing Wednesday:

GREAT NORTHERN, SARA LOV, BUDDY at the Bordello; TOUCH ME HOOKER at the Cat Club; WATSON TWINS at Largo; AUTOMATIC, EJECT, RENDERS at Safari Sam’s; SIXTH CHAMBER at Viper Room.

Interpol (Photo by Pieter van Hattem)

J.F.A.: Locals only (Photo by Lance Dalgart)

El-P: The big Sleep

The Monolators: Weird & wonderful

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More About

• Mr. T
• Ethan Buckler
• Bro Ali
• John Payne
• Punk Rock

THURSDAY, MAY 24

The Health Club at Mr. T’s Bowl

At the very end of the recent DVD compilation 40 Bands/80 Minutes, after 80 minutes of arty-noisy combos and following 20 minutes of bonus footage of similarly atonal cacophony, something resembling a melodic song finally emerges from the post-punk wreckage like a flower rising from the ashes of a brushfire. That song is by the Health Club, the last (and arguably best) band on the whole megillah. The L.A. trio also have post-punk influences in the way Katya’s bass lines and Gerard’s guitar patterns intersect with an angular, Joy Division majesty, but the songs on the Health Club’s Rarities & Outtakes CD stand out with bright hooks that contrast their gray, minimalist settings. “Summer Rolls” and “Calm Down” chug along with drummer Gabriel’s sludgy tempos, a wall of fuzz and Gerard’s deadpan Jesus & the Mary Chain–style vocal delivery. Gerard laments the disappearance of beautiful inspiration on “The Muse From Venus,” and he finds himself caught up in the intricate architecture of his girlfriend’s fishnet stockings, reveling in their whispery, tactile sensation on “Fragile.” The Health Club are bursting with potential, and tonight you won’t have to wade through 39 other bands to hear them. (Falling James)

Also playing Thursday:

UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF GIANTS, YOUNG LOVE at El Rey Theatre; ERYKAH BADU at Grove of Anaheim; FUXEDOS, BANG SUGAR BANG at Alex’s Bar; PECULIAR PRETZELMEN, MELO-M at the Bordello; MACY GRAY at the Key Club; THE CLIENTELE at Knitting Factory; GO BETTY GO, GLASSELL PARK 3 at the Scene; DIVISION DAY, MAE SHI at Spaceland.