Thursday, Oct. 13
Margaret Glaspy @ Johnny Brenda’s
Margaret Glaspy’s voice is strange and agile; she finesses it into a sneer at a hopeful lover or leaves it breathy on a delicate anti-love song. On her debut album “Emotions and Math” the California singer leverages her voice and increasingly savvy guitar-work into a wonderful and frequently bitter affair. The record builds on Glaspy’s previously folksy songwriting and fleshes it out into a series of smartly produced indie pop tracks.
Doors 8 p.m. / Show 9 p.m. | With Adrianne Lenker (of Big Thief) | $12 | 21+
Told Slant @ PhilaMOCA
Told Slant — the solo project of Brooklyn musician Felix Walworth (Eskimeaux, Florist, etc.) — makes endearingly stripped away indie punk with little variance. Many of the songs on “Going By,” sound remarkably similar, and there’s clearly a singular sadness lingering throughout. But the effect is consuming. Walworth’s voice is often monotonous but sometimes breaks and quivers dramatically, usually alone. The brain-child is a booked-up drummer for at least three bands, but this full-length is proof that Told Slant is as good an outlet as any.
Doors 7:30 p.m. / Show 8 p.m. | With SPORTS, Yowler and Free Cake For Every Creature | $12-$14 | All ages
Friday, Oct. 14
The Seratones @ MilkBoy
Louisiana band the Seratones have been lurching toward their just-released debut for a couple years. “Get Gone” is punk in spirit, but swings in tone towards groovy blues-rock. The most immediate and lasting impression is made by the singer AJ Haynes, who belts out familiar-sounding lyrics with a commanding voice. In many ways, the Seratones are a simple vehicle for Haynes to shine, and she steps up every time.
Show 8 p.m. | With American Dinosaur | $12-$14 | 21 and over
Saturday, Oct. 15
YG @ TLA
Compton rapper YG released his sophomore album in June — almost exactly a year removed from being shot in the studio. The incident left him paranoid, but he returned to the studio the next day. “Still Brazy,” the resulting album, vies with some of the best recent gangster rap out of California, a resurgence that has counted opuses from Kendrick Lamar and Dr. Dre out of its ranks. But YG hasn’t shown much interest in pushing boundaries as much as perfecting traditions. And like many of his predecessors, YG calcifies current rage with a trio of closing tracks that, in order, blast Trump, lament daily discrimination, and protest police killings. He backs it up on his current tour with a $1 donation from each ticket sale going to families affected by police brutality.
Doors 7 p.m. / Show 8 p.m. | With RJ and Sad Boy | $31 | All ages
Mick Jenkins @ The Foundry
A couple weeks ago, Chicago rapper Mick Jenkins finally shared his official debut album. “The Healing Component” hasn’t caught the buzz of some of his previous music, but the record no doubt carries his best work to date. At once an emotive, bluesy singer and snappy rapper, Jenkins has that bonafide versatility increasingly expected of modern rap stars.
Doors 8 p.m. | With Smino and Gun$ Garcia | $3-$10 | 21+
Sunday, Oct. 16
Cymbals Eat Guitars @ Johnny Brenda’s
Cymbals Eat Guitars has a quiet knack for encapsulating indie rock; the New Jersey/Staten Island band has tried on as many sounds as Joseph D’Agostino’s grief-stricken, self-inflicting lyrics have commanded. On their latest, “Pretty Years,” D’Agostino anchors the centerpiece single with hyperlocal, unadorned references of a Fourth of July in Philly. “Met at the Pep Boys on Aramingo / Van is filled with fireworks and drunk people,” D’Agostino sings. Elsewhere he retreads some of the raw grief that has driven the quartet’s previous efforts. Not unlike some of the emo bands they’ve been economically lumped together with, Cymbals Eat Guitars accomplish a lot with simple relatability.
Doors 8 p.m. / Show 9 p.m. | With Field Mouse and Wildhoney | $12 | 21+
Prodigy @ Voltage Lounge
Earlier this week Queens rapper Prodigy, half of the hardcore New York rap duo Mobb Deep, released his first of two books planned for 2016. In “Commissary Kitchen” Prodigy grapples with his recent stint in jail through the lens of food, opening up about his lifelong sickness and the grimness of trying to eat well behind bars. And, of course, he’s still the more celebrated half of one of hip-hop’s best ever duos.
Doors 8 p.m. | With Denzil Porter, Tray Digga, Stevie Franks and Augustus | $20+ | 18+