Blackfield
PHOTO BY GRAHAM TOLBERT
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@EL REY THEATRE
Just skirting the too lushly conceived side of prog-pop is Blackfield, the collaboration between Porcupine Tree mainman Steven Wilson and Israeli singer/multi-instrumentalist Aviv Geffen. The pair just released Welcome to My DNA, their third set of wide-screen epic anthems served up crisply focused and cliché-free. Underpinned with heavier lyrics than the genre is normally capable of, this is sumptuously arranged music that comes off very listener-friendly without panderingly dipping into the saccharine. Blackfield's delicate splendors come tightly wound, an effect owing much to Wilson's immaculately detailed production wizardry, which has flourished on so many recent endeavors, including Swedish prog-metal band Opeth's albums and the King Crimson catalog reissues; he also was Grammy-nominated for Best Surround Sound Album for Porcupine Tree's The Incident. —John Payne
Also playing:
THE BIRD & THE BEE at Bootleg Theater; LARRY KARUSH QUINTET at Blue Whale; LITTLE CAESAR at Key Club; KROQ WEENIE ROAST: RISE AGAINST, THE STROKES, LINKIN PARK at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater (Irvine); ANDY VOTEL, DAVID HOLMES, MAHSSA, JACKIE HOODOO, KEVIN FITZGERALD at Bordello.
sun 6/5
Sea of Bees
@THE TROUBADOUR
British folkie heartthrobs Stornoway get the top billing here (they're catchy, cute and should go well with the Mumford crowd), but what you really don't want to miss is opener Sea of Bees. Collecting the early DIY songs of innocence of one Jules Baenziger, a quirky young lady from the California Gothic land known as "the Central Valley," Sea of Bees' inspiring 2010 album Songs for the Ravens blew us and many others away. Grandaddy's Jason Lytle praised its "mysterious, wonderful and addictive qualities," and who are you to disagree with a guy who made one of Bowie's favorite albums? Get there early. —Gustavo Turner
Neil Innes
@MCCABE'S
You won't find a more brilliant pop songwriter in town this week than Neil Innes. The British singer-guitarist is best known for the satirical ditties he composed with Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, Monty Python and spot-on Beatles parody group the Rutles. But you'd be a fool to dismiss Innes as a mere jokester. Songs like "Blue Suede Schubert" and "Cheese & Onions" are wickedly clever, but other ostensible satires, such as "How Sweet to Be an Idiot" and "Let's Be Natural," trigger much deeper emotions and are mounted on the spines of gorgeous, sometimes heartbreaking melodies. It's no joke to say that some of Innes' Beatles homages are better than the real thing, and it's to his credit that he's finally moving away from indulging his fans' lust for a cheap Beatles fix and focusing instead on his wealth of underrated solo tunes. —Falling James
14 Iced Bears
@THE ECHO
Living in Brighton, England, in the late '80s, these mop-haired local lads were being mentioned in the same breath as Ride and even My Bloody Valentine. But while those bands mumbled their way into the mainstream, the Bears (like so many of their C86-y peers) stalled at shoegaze cult status before drifting apart in 1992. So there's a suitably psychedelic sense of déjà vu about their reformation, with their debut album lineup intact, and sudden spate of stateside shows. That their unruly guitars, unpretentious beats and skewed yet oddly optimistic melodies hold up so well after so much time suggests these were sincere expressions rather than cynical fashion statements the first time around. —Paul Rogers
Kaoru, G.E. Stinson, Alex Cline; Brad Dutz Quartet
@CENTER FOR THE ARTS EAGLE ROCK
Voice/percussion artist Kaoru returns from a long sabbatical to join electric guitarist G.E. Stinson and superdrummer Alex Cline for a re-look at the collective improv soundscapery they achieved on the Cloud Plate's Cryptogramophone several years ago. Kaoru employs various electronic boxes to extend the group's sound into fascinating, faraway places. The somewhat similarly inclined Brad Dutz Quartet features the percussion/marimba master along with Paul Sherman on English horn and oboe, Jim Sullivan on clarinets and cellist Chris Votek. Dutz is a virtuoso player and gifted composer whose frameworks for his daring ensembles always bring out a really far-reaching yet toe-tappingly hummable kind of new music. This show costs a paltry $10 for students and seniors, $5 for series performers, and there is plenty of free parking. —John Payne
Also playing:
SARAH JAFFE at the Coach House; STORNAWAY at the Troubadour.
mon 6/6
Adele, Wanda Jackson
@THE GREEK
Some bills are the product of backstage machinations and the corporate politics of industry networking, but tonight's lineup is an inspired pairing of two divas from different eras and genres. The young British songstress Adele is an engaging soul-pop stylist whose vocals reveal real warmth and charisma. Instead of mimicking her idols, Adele knows how to sell a song persuasively and intelligently without resorting to nostalgic tics. She's also wise and confident enough to allow country-rockabilly legend Wanda Jackson to open for her. Ms. Jackson is on a bit of a career resurgence thanks to her recent collaboration with Jack White, but the Oklahoma native has always been a fiery performer, from her days touring with her old pal Elvis Presley through to her more recent work with the Cramps and Elvis Costello. —Falling James
