It's Monday morning after a holiday weekend, and we're all just trying to get through the day. Whether you spent the weekend record shopping, bleeding from your eyes, or observing the Sabbath, you're probably moving a little slow today. Get caffeinated, because this week is full of shows that are going to send you to work with a weekday hangover at least one day this week.
Odonis Odonis Tuesday, April 22, at Dada Toronto-based experimental psych punk trio Odonis Odonis put out a fantastic record this month, and have been generating tons of internet buzz ever since. Hard Boiled Soft Boiled is not just a great title for an Easter release. Sonically, it's a unique balance of spacey and industrial. Vanessa Quilantan
Jenny Robinson Tuesday, April 22, at Sundown at The Granada Dallas' hip-hop scene is filled with talented female artists, but Jenny Robinson brings something different to the table. Her raw and unapologetic sensuality radiates through her stage performance, and seduces you into her wordplay. This week, she'll headline Blake Ward's 2013 Dallas Observer Music Award-winning weekly at Sundown at The Granada. VQ
Mogwai Wednesday, April 23, at Granada Theater With his thick Scottish accent and humorous remarks, Stuart Braithwaite, leader of the post-rock instrumental band Mogwai, comes across as a likable rogue. Considering that his band's stock and trade is music that features dense and distorted waves of noise and feedback, Braithwaite's easygoing candor is unexpected. But a quick glance at Mogwai's album and song titles will let you know that, although the music may be serious, there's a deep undercurrent of humor to the band's psyche. Darryl Smyers
Lana Del Rey Wednesday, April 23, at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie Like one of David Lynch's noir dolls, Lana Del Rey cuts a very specific aesthetic figure, an image of glamour that finds romance in vulnerability, fatalism and death. She's a pop singer -- a person named Lizzy Grant -- buried in uncertainty and blind ambition, a cultural cul-de-sac whose only outlet is a bank account. But is it really just all smoke and mirrors? Built or born, it doesn't really matter when the form's this stylistically lucid, this strangely appealing -- abhorrent and fascinating in a single shade. It'd be mad to refuse a thrill this curious simply because she might want to be inauthentic, a performer. Lana Del Rey is a product all right, a product all her own. Jonathan Patrick
HAIM Thursday, April 24, at House of Blues Mainstream alternative's sister band mate darlings will be at House of Blue this Thursday for a family affair. Their specific brand of rock-structured pop melodies have catapulted them to notoriety in the couple of years. VQ
James Murphy (DJ Set) Thursday, April 24, at It'll Do The highly revered and idolized former frontman of LCD Soundsystem will return to It'll Do for another DJ set this weekend. Last November, he sold out the venue quickly after doors opened, so be prepared. VQ
Future Islands Thursday, April 24, at Three Links These indie sweethearts have been thrust into the mainstream spotlight this year -- especially after their much talked about performance on Late Night with David Letterman, which knocked the socks off of the veteran talk show host. This one's been sold out for awhile, so try not to be smug if you managed to snag tickets. VQ
Edgefest 24 Saturday, April 26, at Toyota Stadium The annual radio-rock gathering that is Edgefest, now in its 24th installment, has been a hit-or-miss affair for years. But the past few editions, which like this year have been held at Frisco's Toyota Stadium, have been solid. The Black Keys, Arctic Monkeys, Phoenix, Gaslight Anthem, and Deftones have been worthy headliners for the fly-by-night, no-hit wonders that fill out the bills. This year's offering, headlined by the mercurial, but always entertaining Beck, may look like a head-scratcher: Combine his latest folk-driven album, Morning Phase, with the increasingly poppy, but still rootsy, tunes of the Avett Brothers, and it's tough to recall an alt-rock stadium show ever being so freaking gentle. Dig beneath the seemingly soft surface, however, and it's doubtful Edgefest will turn into a peaceful drum circle: Cage the Elephant (who will be rightfully headlining these types of events sooner than later), Grouplove and Chvrches bring a commercially friendly brand of indie rock to bear, just in case anyone suffers too much from Folk-a-phobia. Kelly Dearmore
Warpaint Saturday, April 26, at Trees Warpaint's self-titled sophomore album is just plain sexy. Oh sure, you can talk about how its ambient, trip-hop, rock and acid-jazz sensibilities coalesce into something cohesive and engaging rather than just a random mess. But when a band makes a record as alluring as this Los Angeles four-piece has done, it's best not to overanalyze the details. Instead, just revel in the breathy, otherworldly performances that Emily Kokal and Theresa Wayman deliver throughout and let their dual-vocal tractor beams suck you right in. Let the stream of consciousness "Disco//very" and its cut-and-paste lyrics guide you through the lush, dreamlike landscape these ladies have created. Nod your head to the psychedelic hip-hop track "CC" and its knowing allusions to the destructive power of love: "I've been holding out for this one/Holding out for love/You've got me/So sick/Spinning/Dizzy." It's seductively spellbinding stuff. Brian Palmer
Richard Haskins & the Unmarked Graves Saturday, April 26, at Andy's Bar Will this be the last show ever for one of Denton's last bastions for raw and unapologetic punk rock? Richard Haskins, formerly of the Wee-Beasties, and the Unmarked Graves are true echoes of punk rock's past, conjuring the scuzzy spirit and general anti-establishment ethos of what discordant, turbo-charged bands used to exhibit. They incorporate a brass section into their heavy surf-punk stylized formula, but are by no means a ska band. It may not prove to be their last show, but for those who are up for witnessing the rarity of a notoriously vivacious Haskins performance (an especially rare occurrence given the fact that Andy's is one of the few bars left in Denton that Haskins is allowed in), there's no excuse to miss out on this golden opportunity. Aaron Ortega
