Danny Brown plays The Fillmore Silver Spring tonight.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1
Danny Brown, Maxo Kream, Zelooperz, Innanet James @ Fillmore Silver Spring. 8 P.M. $25. All ages, accessible venue.
Danny Brown may perform like a party monster, but on the inside he is conflicted. Brown’s breakthrough, XXX, brought festival ready rap jams, but with 2013’s Old, Brown looked inward and his writing became more paranoid. With this year’s Atrocity Exhibition, Brown has crawled even further in. Atrocity Exhibition is a record about the party taking over and ruining lives. Eschewing pop turns like on the back half of Old, Atrocity Exhibition stays in its lane, the exception being the one stand out posse cut, “Really Doe”, one of the best rap songs of the year. On it, Brown trades verses with Ab Soul, Kendrick Lamar, and an on-point Earl Sweatshirt. As with Brown’s previous records, the beats are nervy with a mix of guitars and atmospheric sounds, making the record an uneasy listen. Brown is one of the few rappers who can make party rave-ups and introspective eerie music at the same time, making him essential to the rap game.
U Street Music Hall: Mr. Little Jeans. 7 P.M. $18. All ages, accessible venue.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2
Girlpool, Yohuna @ Rock and Roll Hotel. 7 P.M. $13. All ages, accessible venue.
Girlpool are the twee duo of Cleo Tucker and Harmony Tividad. The two play guitar and bass while eschewing drums all together. Like a K Records band from the early 90’s, Girlpool trade in sincerity by keeping things simple and lo-fi. The members are still in their teens, but they cover unexpected topics. Girlpool’s songs may be spare, but they can fill an empty room.
9:30 Club: Eric Hutchinson, Humming House, and Matt Mackelcan. 6 P.M. $25. All ages, accessible venue.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3
Echostage: Foals, Bear Hands, Kiev. 7 P.M. $35. All ages, accessible venue.
Black Cat: El Ten Eleven, Bayonne. 7:30 P.M. $15. All ages, accessible venue.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4
Flock of Dimes, Your Friend @ U Street Music Hall. 7 P.M. $15. All ages, accessible venue.
Jenn Wasner cannot be contained to one project. The singer, one half of Baltimore’s Wye Oak, is always writing songs. While Wye Oak was on a break, Wasner got a chance to perform solo under the moniker, Flock of Dimes. After years of playing shows, Wasner released the first full-length Flock of Dimes LP, If You See Me, Say Yes. While not as much of a departure as her synth-pop record, recorded with John Eherns under the name Dungeonesse, Flock Of Dimes tracks could fit into the Wye Oak wheelhouse. Wye Oak hasbeen making longer, less direct songs over the years, so it is welcome return for Wasner to showcase her ability to turn a 3-minute track into a 7-minute odyssey.
9:30 Club: Lapsley and Aquilo. 8 P.M. $15. All ages, accessible venue.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5
Kero Kero Bonito @ U Street Music Hall. 7 P.M. $15. All ages, accessible venue.
Kero Kero Bonito was formed when two school friends who were studying in London, Gus Lobban and Jamie Bulled, put an ad out looking for an ex-pat Japanese singer who could sing in both Japanese and English. Enter Sarah Perry, who rounds out the threesome with her earnest vocals. Over the years, KKB has been releasing tracks in the lead up to their debut, which arrived last month. KKB takes 90’s pop music and infuses it with J-Pop, much like their peers in PC Music, but with less art-y intentions. The band’s debut Bonito Generation, is a twelve song pop record about everything from loving your parents (“Hey Parents”), to wanting to do absolutely nothing (“Break”). KKB is young and its songs have the perspective of many 20 somethings who have just left college and are trying to get their life together.
DC9: Sorority Noise, Free Throw, Ratboys. 6:30 P.M. $16. All ages, inaccessible venue.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6
Tegan & Sara, Torres @ 9:30 Club. 7 P.M. Sold Out. All ages accessible venue.
Tegan & Sara has successfully transitioned from alternative rock group to pop group within two albums. Though the makings were there on 2007’s The Con and 2009’s Sainthood, it was 2013’s Hearthrob, made with superstar producer Greg Kurstin, where the duo crossed over. With this year’s Love You to Death, Tegan & Sara is not looking back.
Verizon Center: Maxwell, Mary J. Blige, Ro James. 6 P.M. $49.50-$199.50. All ages, accessible venue.
