Mitski plays the Black Cat on Friday.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15
The Naked & Famous, XYLO, The Chain Gang of 1974 @ Lincoln Theatre. 6 P.M. $35. All ages, accessible venue.
The Naked & Famous made waves in 2010 with its single, “Young Blood”. The song was a synth-pop anthem with a highly catchy chorus that propelled the New Zealand band to festival main stages. The album, Passive Me, Aggressive You, also spawned the single, “Punching in A Dream”, another hit for the band. While it has yet to have a bigger single, TNAF continues to release records, including this year’s Simple Forms. Simple Forms doesn’t divert from the band’s formula of making arena ready synth pop that lifts spirits.
9:30 Club: Nicolas Jaar. 9 P.M. Sold Out. All ages, accessible venue.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16
PartyNextDoor, Jeremih @ Fillmore Silver Spring. 8 P.M. Sold Out. All ages, accessible venue.
Jeremih’s career has been a series of starts and stops. After a few bumps in the road, he is thriving. Following the release of his long delayed album Late Nights: The Album, which dropped in the dead of December last year, Jeremih released a mixtape, Late Nights: Europe. After scrapping his tour, Jeremih is now on the road with PartyNextDoor. PND is a hot property as he is riding the success of writing one of 2016’s biggest singles, Rihanna’s “Work”. His latest album, PARTYNEXTDOOR 3, is his biggest yet, with features from his frequent collaborator, Drake. While he has yet to find much traction on hip-hop radio, he has a rabid fan base, a part of the reason this show is sold out. The paring of the two artists is genius as each is at the height of their powers and there is a long-rumored collaboration in the works.
Songbyrd Music House & Record Café: Ian Sweet, Go Cozy, Hellrazor, Two Inch Astronaut 8 P.M. $12. All ages, inaccessible venue.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17
Hiss Golden Messenger, Phil Cook @ Rock and Roll Hotel. 7 P.M. $15. All ages, accessible venue.
Hiss Golden Messenger is the project of Durham, NC’s MC Taylor. Taylor has been releasing records under the moniker since 2008 and now has a vast discography, including two albums on his new label, Merge Records. This year’s Heart Like a Levee is one of his best. The idea for the record came to Taylor as he was trapped in his D.C. hotel during a 2015 snow storm. The album traces Taylor’s life after the release of his 2014 album and Merge debut, Lateness of Dancers. On the most recent recording, Taylor collaborated with Phil Cook of the band, Megafaun, which is opening the show.
Echostage: Two Door Cinema Club, Broods 7 P.M. $40. All ages, accessible venue.
9:30 Club: Wet, Demo Taped 6 P.M. $25. All ages, accessible venue.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18
Sloan @ Rock and Roll Hotel. 8 P.M. $20. All ages, accessible venue.
Sloan is one of the biggest selling bands in Canada, but hasn’t gotten much play in America. The four-piece started in the early 90’s—signed to DGC records, which was home to Sonic Youth and later Beck. The band’s first two albums, Smeared and Twice Removed, while big in Canada, did not do much here outside of college radio. The band’s 1996 record, One Chord to Another, is the start of the power-popper’s imperial phase, and was a major leap for the band. The album features some of Sloan’s most beloved songs, “Everything You’ve Done Wrong” and “The Lines You Amend”. They are currently touring for the album’s 20th anniversary and is playing it in full.
Mitski, Fear of Men, Weaves @ Black Cat 8 P.M. Sold-Out. All ages, accessible venue.
Mitski is a singer-songwriter from New York who got her big break with the release of her third record, Bury Me at Makeout Creek. Bury Me propelled Mitski out of basement venues and into larger clubs, and she has solidified her status as an indie rock darling with this year’s excellent Puberty 2. Mitski’s tracks take influence from the 90’s, particularly Liz Phair. The record takes grand themes and makes them accessible, like the depression of a one night stand (“Happy”) or finding her racial identity (“Your Best American Girl”). Puberty 2 also has the centerpiece, “Crack Baby”, a song about wanting to be happy with drugs as a stand-in. Mitski can be emotional and raw but with a playful smirk. While Mitski plays guitars on the album, live she plays bass, and it is always thrilling to watch.
Comet Ping Pong: Title Tracks, Light Beams 10 P.M. $12. All ages, accessible venue.
Fillmore Silver Spring: Evanescence 8 P.M. Sold Out. All ages, accessible venue.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19
Jim James, Twin Limb @ The Warner Theare 8 P.M. $33. All ages, accessible venue.
When front men go solo, the results can be disappointing. That is not the case with Jim James of My Morning Jacket. My Morning Jacket has always been experimental, from the psychedelic folk rock of Z’s to the mash of hard rock on Evil Urges. James’ first solo record, 2013’s Regions of Light and Sound of God, has some DNA of early My Morning Jacket but with more electronic and soul influences. His latest,Eternally Even, is protest music with cues from soul and psychedelia. James’ voice stays in his lower range, more talking than singing. His set will most likely be of just his solo material, but it is every bit as good as anything My Morning Jacket has produced.
Rock and Roll Hotel: Kingsley Flood, Fellow Creatures, Louis Weeks 7 P.M. $15. All ages, accessible venue.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20
Fillmore Silver Spring: Brandy 7 P.M. $49.50-$80. All ages, accessible venue.
Rock and Roll Hotel: K.Flay, Nightly, Layne 7 P.M. $14. All ages, accessible venue.
