The 10 Best Concerts in Dallas This Week: M83, Slayer and More

As Dallas now turns its attention to all things black and orange with the beginning of October, it may be hard to put off those trips to the wonderfully tacky, seasonally popular Halloween stores popping up all over the place. But with the first week of the spooky month offering up so many great shows, maybe those green wigs and talking skeletons can wait just a bit. Local Natives want to show off their new sound, Conor Oberst just wants you to listen and Slayer wants to appeal to your kids.

Local Natives
With Charlotte Day Wilson, 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 3, at House of Blues, 2200 N. Lamar St., 214-978-2583, or houseofblues.com, $25.
L.A. indie rockers Local Natives have shifted slightly from their usual sound with the release of their third album, Sunlit Youth, earlier this year. For years, the band was thrown into the same ring of emotive indie rock as Fleet Foxes or the National but these days they're polishing things up a bit with the addition of some synth and electronica. Diamond Victoria

Band of Horses
9 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4, at House of Blues, 2200 N. Lamar St., 214-978-2583, or houseofblues.com, $32 to $45.
Band of Horses is one of the few bands of the late 2000s to rival the popularity of indie deities Arcade Fire. Their single off the debut record Everything All the Time, “The Funeral,” has made its way onto a plethora of television shows and movies. The band managed to maintain their momentum despite being mired by a series of lineup changes that left frontman Ben Bridwell reeling. Their followup album Cease to Begin saw international success throughout the U.S. and Europe, helping their accessible brand of sweeping indie-folk become a mainstay in alternative music circles. After their third album, Infinite Arms, was hailed as an album of the year and even nominated for a Grammy in 2011, Band of Horses went largely quiet, with only a live album to show while Bridwell worked on a collaboration with Iron & Wine’s Sam Beam. However, last June the band finally released new material in the form of Why Are You OK , an album that has been met with a surprisingly positive critical response. Now more than a decade into their career, Band of Horses can still bring powerful, fun indie folk music to bear. Taylor Frantum


Saint Motel
8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 5, at House of Blues, 2200 N. Lamar St., 214-978-2583, or houseofblues.com, $25.
Saint Motel is among the bands that have recently taken the sting out of the designation "pop music." By virtue of making high-quality music and occasionally embodying the stereotypical metrosexual modern dude, the band has won fans beyond the tween base. This is pop music for anyone who related to High Fidelity — "I don't wanna listen to old sad bastard music, Barry" — and is planning to dance to the point of being completely un-shaggable on Saturday at House of Blues. Stephanie Grey


M83
With the Tennysons, 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6, at House of Blues, 2200 N. Lamar St., 214-978-2583 or houseofblues.com/dallas, $45.
After kicking off their tour last spring with an early stop here in Dallas, Anthony Gonzalez and his band M83 swing back through for a victory lap with Kaela Sinclair in tow. The singer and keyboardist from Denton joined the band for the French group’s Junk Tour. They have played what seems to be every major festival and country, as well as late-night shows like Jimmy Kimmel and Jools Holland, touring behind their latest album, Junk. The followup to Grammy-nominated Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, it douses a heavy coat of sugary pop to their previous shoegaze sound for more hooks without scarfing the dreamy expanse. If New Order and My Bloody Valentine had a baby it might be M83, but nine albums into a run that includes multiple movie soundtracks, Gonzalez has established a legacy that overshadows those initial influences and is evident in their live show and latest album. Wanz Dover

Conor Oberst
With Pearl Charles, 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7, Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave., 214-824-9933 or granadatheater.com, $35.50 or $42 at the door.
Not to be out done by the show fellow sad-sack singer Ben Gibbard put on at The Bomb Factory in September, Conor Oberst is coming through Dallas with quite possibly his most moving album to date. Ruminations is the product of a 48-hour recording session in 2015 with Oberst, former Bright Eyes cohort Mike Mogis and longtime engineer Ben Brodin. After a tumultuous two-year period in which Oberst battled accusers, brain cysts and high blood pressure, Ruminations is a return to form for Oberst, as he airs out his demons in his iconic warbling voice, backed by a toned down triumvirate of traditional folk music staples: a piano, acoustic guitar and harmonica, complete with Dylan-esque neck holder. Tracks like “Counting Sheep” recount the struggle of the 36-year-old’s recent troubles as he attempts to reconcile his fears, while avoiding the appearance of neediness or troubling the people around him. Bring a spare handkerchief to this one, or at least a long-sleeved shirt you won’t mind staining with tears, as Oberst breaks it down to help build you up. Nicholas Bostick

Slayer
With Anthrax and Death Angel, 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7, at Gas Monkey Live!, 10110 Technology Blvd. E., 214-350-1904 or gasmonkeybarngrill.com, $39.99 to $1,500.
Slayer is at a point in their career where it's not weird for parents to bring their kids to shows. The generation who loved Reign in Blood and Seasons in the Abyss as teenagers still love what this band does, and they're happy to share it with younger generations. That doesn't mean Slayer has softened their edge. Down to original members Kerry King and Tom Araya, along with longtime members Paul Bostaph and Gary Holt, the songs remain crushing and blistering. Tunes from their latest album, Repentless, fit right in with the sound they have cultivated since the '80s, so there won't be any curveballs. Along with legends Anthrax and Death Angel as support, Gas Monkey Live! plays host to a night of metal that has lasted over decades of trends and still resonates with people young and older. Eric Grubbs


Young the Giant
With Ra Ra Riot, 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8, at South Side Ballroom, 1135 S Lamar, 214-421-2021, or southsideballroomdallas.com, $27.50.
Young the Giant is made up of guys who started playing music at a young age and have already amassed more indie-rock cred and mainstream clout than most players who have been at it twice as long. After winning an online contest in 2009, they got to open for Kings of Leon in Chicago, which opened a lot of doors. The band, which changed its name from the Jakes in 2009, displays quirky indie-rock rhythms mixed with Sameer Gadhia's soulful, lounge-singer croon, creating moving and poignant ballads with just a hint of danceability. Andy Thomas


B-52s
9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8, at The Levitt Pavilion, Founders Plaza, 817-543-4301, levittpavilionarlington.org, $40.
The B-52s are living proof that sodium bloat and poor chopstick skills are not the only things that come from Chinese restaurants. The band formed in 1976 at such an establishment in Athens, Georgia, and named itself after the Southern slang term for exaggerated bouffant hairdos. The group played its first gig at a friend’s house on Valentine’s Day and has been pumping out its unique brand of party-ready, funkified, surf-inspired pop music to a broad spectrum of fans ever since. Camille Lamb


Cold War Kids
With The Strumbellas, 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8, at House of Blues, 2200 N. Lamar St., 214-978-2583, or houseofblues.com, $25.
It's been a decade since Cold War Kids hopped onto the indie rock scene. But with a new lineup and musical direction, they've reinvented themselves entirely. In 2006, they released Robbers and Cowards and from it came the hits including "Hang Me Up to Dry" and "We Used to Vacation." But with their latest album released in 2015,  Hold My Home, the band, whose original members only include lead singer Nathan Willett and bassist Jonnie Russell, has stepped away from the roosty, bluesy sound they became known for and into something a little more polished. DV


TLC
8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 9, at South Side Music Hall, 11335 S. Lamar St., 214-421-2021 or gilleysdallas.com, $65.
Classic hip-hop groups are having a heyday in 2016, with a wave of '80s and '90s acts (both great and not so great) reuniting for nostalgic tours — and TLC is no exception. One of the era’s most successful R&B and hip-hop groups, and the highest-selling American girl group of all time, TLC was formed in Atlanta in 1992 and dropped their debut album, Ooooooohhh… On the TLC Tip, the following year. From that point on came a run of No. 1 singles, platinum albums and Grammy awards, including for 1996’s CrazySexyCool. But that world-beating success was tragically cut short by the death of Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes in a car accident in Honduras in 2002. So, as is so often the case with tours like these, it’s far from perfect, but remaining members T-Boz and Chilli have soldiered on. And with songs like “Ain’t 2 Proud to Beg,” “Creep,” “Waterfalls,” “Red Light Special” and “No Scrubs,” they’ll at least still have plenty of hits to fall back on. Aria Bell