(Triple Door) Dan Bejar’s early work as Destroyer was always a bit too indie-folky for my liking, even despite his cryptic, thought-provoking lyrics that were the focal point of most of his songs. But it’s the Vancouver musician’s ability to keep fans of his (and the New Pornographers, for which he’s even better known) guessing with his left-field experimentation that’s kept him interesting since 1996, when he first started Destroyer as a solo project. From the MIDI-fueled theatricality of 2004’s Your Blues, the white-jacket-and-boat-shoes reverbed-sax yacht-pop of 2011’s Kaputt, even his sudden decision that he was “over” the English language and wanted to release an EP of covers on last year’s Five Spanish Songs, Bejar’s avoidance of complacency has proven to be his strongest quality. No matter what the set list includes, it should all sound pristine in the always-classy Triple Door. With Valley Maker. MIKE RAMOS
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(Crocodile) The slow-forming radiance of “Winter Beats” and “Hearts” from Swedish duo I Break Horses' 2011 record Hearts suggested big things. Backed by stirring looped melodies, pulsing synthesizer lines, and morphing beats that build into an emotive sense of well-being, the pair of songs is downright hypnotic. But after that, the record largely loses its way, eventually becoming innocuous. Initially, I was disappointed to learn that this year's Chiaroscuro is more of the same—there's just not much dynamism in these sounds, which employ electronics and multilayered instrumentals to achieve something of a shoegaze effect. Nevertheless, it's a lush and soothing sound. This is nighttime music for the apartment, to be consumed at a low volume, ideally while you're at least partially preoccupied with something else, and that's got a place in my listening habits. I Break Horses’ 2011 set opening for M83 wasn't exactly mind-blowing, but maybe they’ve upped their game in the last three years. GRANT BRISSEY
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(Barboza) Like Wooden Shjips, guitarist/vocalist Ripley Johnson’s other band, Moon Duo make some of the most satisfying, aerodynamic driving music today. Bolstered by the surging keyboard drones of Sanae Yamada and Johnson’s own muted Iggy-esque drawl, Moon Duo splice Suicide’s insistent electronic pulsations with biker-rock fuzz-wah guitar combustion. They also occasionally slow down and bliss out (check “Ripples” from the Killing Time EP), boogie like Hawkwind’s “Hurry on Sundown,” or stomp with Stooges-like menace (e.g., “Seer” from Mazes). Moon Duo get a lot of mileage out of a minimum of elements, inducing highway hypnosis with a couple shifts of the stick. Kikagaku Moyo are a newish Japanese psych-rock group who can go spacey, fiery, ritualistic, or pastoral, depending on whim. They’re versatile and great. Seattle’s Fungal Abyss specialize in epic, shapeshifting improvisations, twisting their heavy-metal roots as Lesbian into grotesquely surreal branches. They’ll take you to infernal realms, even on a Tuesday. DAVE SEGAL
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(Jazz Alley) Let me begin with this: If you have never heard of this brilliant pianist, Fred Hersch, I recommend buying his 2010 album Whirl. On that record, which is wall-to-wall perfect, I recommend spending some serious time listening to and absorbing "Snow Is Falling...," a Hersch composition. The details, the art, the beauty of this recording will leave a strong and lasting impression on your mode of feeling. That said, I want to make this other point: If you are into getting to the core of an artist—meaning, coming to understand what makes him/her great—in the case of Fred Hersch, I recommend listening first to Bill Evans's "Spartacus Love Theme," which is on the jazz classic Conversations with Myself, and then listening to Hersch's version on Let Yourself Go: Fred Hersch at Jordan Hall. What do you hear? Evans, the pianist responsible for the jazz canonization of "Spartacus" (the other famous version of this tune is by the recently departed Yusef Lateef), plays the piece with all the mystery, magic, and messiness of French impressionism. Hersch's version, on the other hand, is actually played with greater sensitivity and mastery. The great Bill Evans sounds like a raw or unpolished genius when compared with Hersch. CHARLES MUDEDE
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And here's all our recommended music events—tonight, tomorrow, this weekend, and beyond!