Color us among the many who were thrown for a loop by Penny Sparkle, the latest album from long-running Blonde Redhead.

With Misery Is a Butterfly (2004) and 23 (2007) having elevated the New York City trio beyond cult status, Kazu Makino and twin brothers Simone and Amedeo Pace took a different tack on their eighth album.

Gone is the dizzying rush of fuzzy guitars that swathed their sprawling pop songs, replaced by akilter melodies rendered in slow-motion electro. Their eighth album is a mood piece, and a rather downcast one at that, which could make for a roller-coaster set when Blonde Redhead hits the L.A. area for three shows this week: tonight at the Glass House in Pomona and Tuesday and Wednesday at the Music Box.

Elsewhere: Singer-songwriter Ed Vallance, the Englishman who moved to L.A. and now to Brooklyn to cultivate his dreamy pop, plays the Hotel Cafe behind his new EP The Summer Fire. … Texas-based emo kid Bryce Avary (of the Rocket Summer) brings his one-man tour tour to the Troubadour.

Also: Chasing Kings' residency at the Silverlake Lounge (with Sea of Cortez, the Colourist and Surfwitch); Black Apples' residency at the Echo (with LA Font, Oh Darling and So Many Wizards); Dirt Dress' residency at Spaceland (with Audacity, Cosmonauts and Tomorrow's Tulips); Spoek Mathambo and Rainbow Arabia at It's a School Night at Bardot; the Jeff Buckley Tribute at Largo to benefit the Silverlake Conservatory of Music; Captain Ahab at Pehrspace; Phil Alvin at the Redwood Bar; and El Ten Eleven's free in-store at Origami Vinyl.

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.