NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS DON'T MUCK ABOUT

(Paramount) Nick Cave albums tend to vary in quality—the mid-career stuff can get syrupy—but the man always delivers on stage, especially when he has wild-man violinist Warren Ellis by his side. I still remember a Bad Seeds gig at the Moore, circa The Mercy Seat, when a heckler attempted to knock Cave off-kilter. I don’t recall what he said, but his comeback was so fast and so funny, it put everyone at ease. And really: Would you want to expose yourself to that famously withering wit? Expect a heap of tunes from 2013’s Push the Sky Away, like "Jubilee Street” with the show-stopping "fetus on a leash." Only a commanding performer like Nick Cave could get away with something as fucked-up as that. KATHY FENNESSY
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JENN GHETTO'S POST-HEARTBREAK BRILLIANCE

(Chop Suey) The post-heartbreak drive home requires a specific soundtrack. And in that moment sitting in the parked car to listen to one last song before wiping off the tears to go inside, it's Jenn Ghetto's emotive whisper-sing I always want to hear. Any Ghetto-fronted project will do—her beloved former sadcore outfit Carissa's Wierd and awesome Blink-182 cover band Silly Goose both hit the spot, but what's been connecting lately is S's 2010 opus I'm Not As Good At It As You. The album strikes that tender emotional core the same way Jimmy Eat World's Clarity does—Ghetto's impressive and beautifully intricate, clear-toned guitar melodies sparkle around her straight-to-the-broken heart confessional lyrics. Backed by a full band, the live experience is just as intimate; a shared version of that cathartic car moment. S is sad without being totally bleak and comforting in its melancholy. Jenn Ghetto is a Seattle treasure. With Erik Blood, Web of Sunsets and Finch Wolfe. ROBIN EDWARDS
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And here's all our recommended music events—tonight, tomorrow, this weekend, and beyond!