This week’s shows (1/30/12-2/5/12)
Jeff Mangum - Wednesday (2/1), Variety Playhouse, $36 (sold out).
What’s left to say about Neutral Milk Hotel’s Jeff Mangum at this point? He disappeared, and now he’s back. Rumors of his return were obsessed over for years, and his re-emergence has been dutifully covered in all corners of the internet. It’s a good story, particularly since it looks like he’s put his recluse days firmly behind him – he’s got a slew of dates scheduled for the rest of the year, including a featured a spot in the Coachella lineup. Maybe (hopefully) a Jeff Mangum show won’t seem like such an earthshaking event a few years in the future, but for now this string of shows feels pretty special.
Liturgy, When Pain Is King, Scarab - Thursday, (2/2), $8.
I don’t necessarily think the idea of “transcendental black metal” is a bad one, but Liturgy frontman Hunter Hunt-Hendrix certainly sounds like an asshole describing it. Ignore all the pretension and condescension, though, and you’re left with two pretty terrific full lengths and a killer live show. Aesthetica threatened to break them into the indie rock mainstream, but it’s hardly a crossover album. Their sound is nearly as intense and uncompromising as their black metal forefathers, even if Hunt-Hendrix is aiming for something less bleak. The music and underlying philosophy are worth embracing, even if the creator occasionally comes across as a giant turd.
Attention System, Death Is A Dialogue, Five Knives, Kid Portugal - Saturday (2/4), Star Bar, $8.
We mentioned local electro-rockers Attention System in the most underrated category of the Atlanta Music Roundtable, with several of us mentioning that they probably deserved a little more local, uh, attention. Come out to Star Bar on Saturday and show them some love. They put more effort into their stage show than most bands in town, with lights and intensity that put many of their peers to shame, so you’ll get your money’s worth.
More shows after the jump.














