IGGY AZALEA'S GAUDY ELECTRO-RAP

(Neptune) Hiphop-pop diva Iggy Azalea left home and moved to Miami when she was 16, and her rags-to-riches story sometimes appears in her work: "no money, no family/16 in the middle of Miami." But ultimately, we never meet Iggy: the production is too heavy on glossy EDM hooks and radio-ready beats, her flow sometimes awkward, the lyrics too meandering. Though her most recent hit, "Fancy," benefits from clever sample use and its literal Clueless reenactment for a music video, her debut, The New Classic, as Complex magazine famously put it, "isn't really." But there is a glimmer of potential here which leaves us optimistic that, yes, an Australian-American white lady can rap about "Pu$$y"—maybe someday without the dollar signs—and be successful in hiphop’s penis-dominated world. BRITTNIE FULLER
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PERFECT PUSSY'S AGGRESSIVE FEM-PUNK

(Black Lodge) It's fair to feel skeptical about the hype surrounding Perfect Pussy; it's legit to assume that most SXSW buzz bands will probably sound like a soundtrack to the worst Noxzema commercial, right? But you can't help feeling intrigued hearing about Perfect Pussy stirring trouble—calling out sexism within their Syracuse punk scene, tales of their face-melting live shows, and how frontwoman Meredith Graves poured her menstrual blood into a batch of their vinyl. Graves is a compelling performer, screaming her ultra-personal lyrics while the volume of the vocals are mixed purposefully low so as to evenly match every other instrument of the five-piece hardcore/noise outfit. Co-headlining the show are the excellent Northampton natives Potty Mouth, who provide the fuzzy pop-rock warmth of Dinosaur Jr. topped by Kim Gordon-worthy vocals that boil below the surface. Rising local stars Chastity Belt complete a bill where feminism holds supreme authority. BREE MCKENNA
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SEAN LENNON'S SUAVE, SOPHISTICATED NEW PROJECT

(Crocodile) Sean Ono Lennon’s done a remarkable job not cowering in the shadow of his father John and mother Yoko’s imposing artistic accomplishments. It would’ve been easy for him to retreat from music altogether, but he’s plugged away for years doing his thing—a diaphanous, poised strain of psych pop that has surprising durability, if not the immortal sublimity and mass appeal of the Beatles’ 1965-1968 run (what does?). Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger is Lennon’s latest project with vocalist/girlfriend Charlotte Kemp Muhl, and what I’ve heard of their new album, Midnight Sun, suggests that their songs’ hushed splendor—think in the vein of “Dear Prudence”—continues to take on charming new shapes. If Sean and Charlotte's relationship's as harmonious as their singing, they should be together for a long, long time. DAVE SEGAL
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THE AGELESS CLASSINESS OF RAMSEY LEWIS

Ramsey Lewis is almost 79 now, but he still has an ageless aura about him. The jazz-keyboardist sold millions of records in the ’60s and ’70s, and they’re all classy, supple joints, especially the mellow, ecstatic funk hymn “Sun Goddess,” which features the gilded falsetto vocals of Maurice White. The song’s congas and backing vocals came from White’s Earth Wind & Fire bandmate Philip Bailey (remember his “Easy Lover” duet with Phil Collins?). He’ll be joining Lewis for this four-night run at Jazz Alley. Expect a joyous trawl through Ramsey’s cool, catchy catalog, with plenty of room for the leader to extemporize on the keys with feathery mastery and radiant inventiveness. DAVE SEGAL
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And here's all our recommended music events—tonight, tomorrow, and beyond!