Memorial Day makes for a short week this week, which should come as a relief even if it does make Tuesday into something of a de facto Monday. (Can't win 'em all, am I right?) As we all trek back from our weekend getaways and shake off those barbecue-induced hangovers, we might as well steady ourselves with the prospect of a partial week full of concerts.
Seahaven With Foxing and Adventures, Tuesday, May 27, Three Links, 2704 Elm St., threelinksdeepellum.com, $10/$13 at the door Three Links will host a bill featuring some of the most promising bands that straddle the line between indie pop and emo. Seahaven recalls the low-key brilliance of the Weakerthans and Band of Horses on their latest, Reverie Lagoon: Music for Escapism Only. Their sound is calm at one point, but then jumps into breathtaking crescendos. The same can be said about Foxing. The St. Louis-based band turned a lot of heads last fall with their latest LP, The Albatross. Said album has been remixed and reissued by Triple Crown Records and it comes out the day of the show. Adventures from Pittsburgh, which features members of post-hardcore heroes Code Orange Kids, will open. Start your summer right with a show like this one. Eric Grubbs
Trans Am With New Fumes and Jack Dover, 8 p.m., Thursday, May 29, at Three Links, 2704 Elm St., threelinksdeepellum.com, $13/$15 at the door Did you think Trans Am was another stoner metal band and then got disappointed when you saw what they look like? They're still pretty heavy, even though their new album sounds like the way the Techno club in Terminator looks. In fact, this Bethesda trio were one of the pioneers of that minimalist early-'90s phenomenon known as post-rock. Maybe their set at Three Links on Thursday will draw from the math-ier, shreddier corners of their 24-year career, but even if they play Volume X (the new record) start to finish, it's not like you didn't burn one in the parking lot, Truckfighters fan. Steve Steward
The 1975 8 p.m., Thursday, May 29, at the House of Blues, 2200 N. Lamar St., 214-978-2583 or houseofblues.com/dallas, $27.58-34.75 With a name that practically screams retro, the 1975 is basically a pop band that gussies things up with ambient, electronic and indie-rock influences. Granted, Matthew Healy and crew do a fine job mingling seemingly disparate influences into a contemporary sound, but one has to wonder about all the bells and whistles. Nevertheless, songs such as "Sex," "Chocolate" and "The City" (all available on the band's 2013 debut, self-titled full-length) are incredibly catchy and thoughtful tunes that explore familiar themes in an unfamiliar way. Judging by the sound, the 1975 ought to be called the 1985, but with music this consistently intriguing, it's easy to give the band an extra decade to work with. Darryl Smyers
Dolly Parton 6:30 p.m., Friday, May 30 and Saturday, May 31, at WinStar World Casino, 777 Casino Ave., Thackerville, Oklahoma, 1-800-754-3000 or windstarworldcasino.com $75-125 Approaching 70, legendary country diva Dolly Parton is still a wonder to behold. Parton's voice has lost little of its power and her stage presence remains as indomitable as ever. Sure, she can be a bit overly earnest and downright corny, but the lady can belt out country and pop chestnuts like it's nobody's business. Parton wrote "I Will Always Love You" and her version has always been preferable to Whitney Houston's. In Parton's capable hands, the simple grace of the song is not overwhelmed by vocal pyrotechnics. It's worth the price of admission just to hear Parton handle "Jolene" and other gems from the '50s and '60s. DS
William Fitzsimmons With Leif Vollebekk, 7 p.m., Friday, May 30, at Kessler Theater, 1230 W. Davis St., 214-272-8346 or thekessler.org, $20-120 There's something intimately comforting about William Fitzsimmons' music. Of course, the relatively quiet, primarily acoustic-based arrangements of his songs and his lovely, delicate vocal ability create warmth that draws the listener close into his world. But there's more to it than that -- and no, it's not the Pennsylvanian's ever-ballooning beard, though that's impressive as well. Over the course of the past decade and six studio LPs, including this year's resplendent Lions, Fitzsimmons has been spectacular in his dependability. Not unlike fellow modern-folkies Josh Ritter or Joe Purdy, a singer and songwriter of this ilk that can be counted on to deliver gold, time after time, is a wonderful and yes, comforting, thing indeed. Kelly Dearmore tUnE-yArDs With Sylvan Esso, 8 p.m. Friday, May 30, at the Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave., 214-824-9933 or granadatheater.com, $25 Somehow Merill Garbus's tUnE-yArDs project has managed to get even more interesting with the release of its third full-length, Nikki Nack. It's an eclectic album that's awash in a fizzy energy that leaves the listener charged, elated and a little confused. The record's not a surprising step for an artist who doesn't so much defy the conventions of lo-fi folk as create them for a genre of her own making. Electro-pop duo Sylvan Esso are maybe the most can't-miss opener Dallas will see all year, as their mix of sugary vocals and catchy loops might become the earworms you hear at every party this summer. Jaime-Paul Falcon
Nothing With Superheaven, Unstoppable Death Machines, and Narrow Head, 8 p.m., Saturday, May 31, at Club Dada, 2720 Elm St., dadadallas.com, $10 There's little arguing that the golden days of shoegaze are well behind us, but its vital signs remain strong. While Ride and the Boo Radleys might not be doing much these days, My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive are back. Add to that Guilty of Everything, the impressive full-length debut from Philly-based group Nothing from earlier this year. The band is likely the softest signed to Relapse Records, though they ply their craft wonderfully loud with a great sense of melody and mood. Led by Dominic Palermo, who spent some time in the slammer due to a violent assault that led to an attempted murder conviction, Nothing recalls the pre-bald-Corgan-era Smashing Pumpkins without dipping into the overtly ethereal haze that stalls many others of their kind. KD
Protomartyr With Dark Rooms, 8:30 p.m., Saturday, May 31, at the Foundry, 2303 Pittman St., 214-749-1112 or cs-tf.com, Free You could complain that a post-punk band like Protomartyr belongs in some dank club and not on a stage in a rustic outdoor patio with picnic tables and giant Jenga, but hearing the jangly sturm and drang of this kind of music seems to beg for a view of the night sky, even if it's partially obscured by strings of lightbulbs. And anyway, it's not as if the Foundry never books loud bands; Protomartyr's urgent, amplified grit and angular guitar leads make their own atmosphere, yo. As a bonus, the kind of music fan who will tell you how much Protomartyr's singer reminds him of Peter Murphy probably hangs out at the Foundry all the time, so you'll have that to talk about. SS
97.1 The Eagle's BFD With Five Finger Death Punch and more, 2:30 p.m., Sunday, June 1, at Gexa Energy Pavilion, 1818 1st Ave., 214-421-1111 or gexaenergy.paviliondallas.com, $15-145 Unlike BFD's annual, less scary cousins Edgefest and KXT Summer Cut, the Eagle's annual hard-rock and modern-metal fest isn't made to be a day of genteel music in the sun. This year's edition, headlined by Cali's Five Finger Death Punch and generic Canadian post-grungers Theory of a Deadman, is the weakest fest in a couple of years. While Zakk Wylde's Black Label Society and Megadeath have topped the fest in the recent past, an argument can easily be made that this year's two most interesting acts will play really early. Taylor Momsen's vastly improved The Pretty Reckless has proven to be more than an actor's frivolous side-show and Tom Keifer, former lead singer of 1980s chart-toppers Cinderella, will be worth catching just to hear him use the vocal cord he almost lost many years ago. KD
Neon Trees With Small Pools and Nightmare & the Cat, 8 p.m., Sunday, June 1, at House of Blues, 2200 N. Lamar St., 214-978-2583 or houseofblues.com/dallas, $31.75-38.83 When you're trying to start a successful rock band, moving from California to the ultraconservative city of Provo, Utah would seem to be a move in the wrong direction. Yet that's exactly what Neon Trees did. After being taken under the Killers' wings, Neon Trees had enormous hits with the radio-friendly (or radio-obsessed) "Everybody Talks" and "Animal" singles, proving to be plenty of fun despite their sober audiences. Their latest album, Pop Psychology, has far more depth than the name denotes. Having just come out as gay in March of this year, singer Tyler Glenn wrote a deeply personal album that relates his struggle between his identity and the Mormon church. Along with a more pronounced electronica influence, Neon Trees has reinvented itself, as a (still sober) New-wave pop act. Eva Raggio
