Brooklyn quartet Cende isn’t satisfied playing run of the mill power pop. Singer-songwriters Cameron Wisch and Dave Medina both have classical training and have played in experimental and punk bands. Joined by drummer Greg Rutkin and bassist Bernard Casserly, the band comes from a varied experience. (Sandy) Alex G,…

Great narratives often tell a unique perspective or feature uncommon characters. Jonathan Coulton‘s songs meet the criteria. Aimee Mann, Jonathan Coulton 9 p.m., Friday The Fillmore Tickets: $35. The web programmer-turned-musician writes songs about monsters or creatures that most would not consider emotive. On his latest album, Solid State, he explores…

Little Dragon hasn’t lost any steam since its 2014 Grammy nomination. The Swedish electronic quartet’s new album, Season High, shows its continued sonic progression as artists. Season High Little Dragon April 14 The album’s upbeat synth-heavy melodies are complemented by introspective lyrics. Season High features the pop vocals of…

Will Toledo of Car Seat Headrest teamed up with East Coast rock trio Gold Connections to create their debut self-titled EP. Although Toledo played drums, electric guitar and bass, sang back-up and helped master the final product, he won’t be with the group moving forward. Gold Connections Gold Connections March 31…

Craig Finn is a veteran writer, guitarist and singer and has been around the block more than a few times since starting indie-rock band LFTR PULLR in Minneapolis in 1994. Ten years later he formed the Hold Steady in Brooklyn, which went on to release six albums, the most recent in 2014. Finn’s solo…

The sound of Bay Area pop and rock band Emotional spans a variety of genres. Their second full-length LP, The Band (released March 3), was written and recorded in just three days. Despite the quick production, songwriter and local label Death Records co-founder Brian Wakefield’s insightful lyrics mesh well with psychedelic melodies…

The sound of Detroit quartet Bonny Doon is not what you’d expect to come out of the Motor City. The band is more lyrical than house and more acoustic than Motown. Although it falls within the country-rock genre, the band’s new self-titled album has more alternative influences. The poignant lyrics of singers Bill Lennox and…

BadBadNotGood performs at the Fillmore in San Francisco during Noise Pop on Feb. 23, 2017. SAN FRANCISCO —Toronto band Badbadnotgood brought their jazz-hop sound to the Fillmore Thursday evening. Despite being young, they’ve already worked with established artists like Ghostface Killah, Mick Jenkins and Kaytranada. Although their set was long, it…

Fewer samples and more subtlety, intertwined with the melodic vocals of Icelandic singer Emilíana Torrini, help Kid Koala create a very different album from his previous releases. Koala is a Canadian-born DJ and graphic novelist who gained recognition for his unique use of turntables and alternative sound. His work with Deltron…