Live: Music Picks April 2-8 

• Taarka

Moonalice, Taarka
Making Tracks Home, the title of the new album released in March by Colorado folk-rock duo Taarka, becomes all the more meaningful once you learn that it was inspired by their home being destroyed in a flood in 2013. When the river came in their back door, David Tiller and Enion Pelter-Tiller packed up and headed to high ground with their child and instruments and were homeless for a time. As a reflection of having to start over, Making Tracks Home is wistful but hopeful, created with mandolin, violin and the beautifully combined voices of the Tillers, and is filled with the same variety of influences (Celtic, jazz, gypsy and more) heard on Taarka's debut album, 2012's Adventures in Vagabondia. Check out standout tracks "Moon Song" and "River's Eddy Blues." Co-headlining is California psychedelic/roots-rock band Moonalice, whose popular song "It's 4:20 Somewhere" has been downloaded by stoners more than 5 million times. (Kolbie Stonehocker) The State Room, 638 S. State, 8 p.m., $12, TheStateRoom.com

Yes Means Yes Benefit Concert: Genre Zero, Records on the Wall, Strong Words, Night Wings
Every year around Valentine's Day, Westminster College holds various activities in honor of V-Day, a worldwide movement to stop violence against women. But recently, Westminster's V-Day Club has begun putting on events throughout the year to raise awareness of the ongoing problems of rape and violence, including its annual Yes Means Yes concert, which benefits the Rape Recovery Center. At the second-annual benefit concert, a lineup of four local bands will hit the stage at Bar Deluxe, including pop-rock act Genre Zero, new alternative band Records on the Wall, dream-pop band Strong Words and Night Wings, which is the solo project of violinist/vocalist Alyssa Pyper. The night will also feature a silent auction sponsored by local music shops, venues and recording studios, including Diabolical Records, Albatross Recordings & Ephemera, Exigent Records, Onion Street Studio, Raunch Records and The Urban Lounge. (Kolbie Stonehocker) Bar Deluxe, 666 S. State, 8 p.m., $10, $5 with student ID, BarDeluxeSLC.com

• Monophonics

Monophonics
When a band doesn't release anything for three years, you hope they're using that time to put together something really juicy, and that's definitely the case for Bay Area psychedelic-soul group Monophonics. On Monophonics' mostly instrumental 2012 album, In Your Brain, they put the "psychedelic" part of their music in the backseat and played up a horns-heavy nothin'-but-soul sound that echoed influences of classic acts like Sly & the Family Stone and The Temptations, as well as contemporary groups like Orgone. But for Monophonics' new album, Sound of Sinning—out April 14—they branched out into a more diverse selection of influences from '60s and '70s psychedelia, including Pink Floyd, The Beatles, The Zombies and more. For a taste of the new material, check out Monophonics' killer track "Promises"—save the psych-psych-psychedelic music video for a moment when you're bored at work. Coyote Vision and Sweet Jesus are also on the bill. (Kolbie Stonehocker) The Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, 9 p.m., $13 in advance, $15 day of show, TheUrbanLoungeSLC.com; limited no-fee tickets available at CityWeeklyStore.com

click to enlarge

• Punch Brothers

Punch Brothers
It's a paradox of our modern age that as we become more digitally connected, we also seem to become more socially isolated. That phenomenon is a central theme on The Phosphorescent Blues, the new album from New York folk/bluegrass group Punch Brothers. Opening with the fittingly titled "Familiarity," The Phosphorescent Blues explores how we can build real relationships with people when it seems like life is all about scrolling mindlessly on a phone. And the sound of the album effectively supports that idea; delicate, spare songs—made with various acoustic stringed instruments and warm vocal harmonies—like "Mint Julep" are invitations to slow down for a minute and take in the music. All that stuff about connecting with people wasn't just talk, either; closing song "Little Lights" features a choir of Punch Brothers' own fans, who submitted recordings of their singing after the band put out a call through social media. Gabriel Kahane will open. (Kolbie Stonehocker) The Depot, 400 W. South Temple, 8 p.m., $27 in advance, $31 day of show, DepotSLC.com; limited no-fee tickets available at CityWeeklyStore.com

click to enlarge

• Ratatat

Ratatat
Experimental rocktronic group Ratatat (appropriately named—the word sounds like an homage to the intricate rhythms they champion) are promoting their upcoming release, Abuela. It's their fifth studio album, and fans have been waiting for it since the duo teased its release with two singles in early 2014. The new singles, "True Colors" and "Sapa," feature more of Ratatat's trademark competing and complementing countermelodies, but are slower and dreamier (and in the case of "Sapa," more ethnic-sounding) than the danceable electronic rock and remixes from past albums. On Facebook, Ratatat said Abuela is "all of [the genres] at once," so there could be more of Ratatat's classic synthesizer-guitar jamming to be heard. Rapper Despot opens. (Tiffany Frandsen) Monday, April 6 @ The Complex, 536 W. 100 South, 8 p.m., $21, TheComplexSLC.com; limited no-fee tickets available at CityWeeklyStore.com

click to enlarge

• Kiesza

Kiesza, Betty Who
With its sleek synths and beats, the pop music created by Canadian songstress Kiesza seems to be made for one thing: dancing. And dancing itself is often the focus of Kiesza's music videos, in which she—a trained ballerina—often shows off inventive moves. In the video for her popular earworm "Hideaway"—from her debut album, 2014's Sound of a Woman—for example, she walks toward the camera between a variety of dance breaks, either solo, in a group or with a single dance partner. Add Kiesza's powerful vocals to all those moves, and you've got the perfect club-ready combination. Australian pop artist Betty Who is also on the bill. (Kolbie Stonehocker) Tuesday, April 7 @ The Depot, 400 W. South Temple, 8 p.m., $21 in advance, $25 day of show, DepotSLC.com

The Medusa Collective: Saliva Plath, Strong Words, Officer Jenny
Named for Medusa of Greek mythology, The Medusa Collective is a new local group whose mission is to improve gender representation in the music scene as well as to support female and non-binary—those whose gender identities aren't strictly female or male—musicians. This will be the first Salt Lake City show the group has put on since forming in Provo in January, and the lineup features a mix of musicians from both valleys: Saliva Plath (of Provo punk band The Ladells), Salt Lake City dream-pop band Strong Words (which includes members of Foster Body and The Circulars) and Officer Jenny, which is the project of non-binary musician Stephen Cope, who's also the owner of Studio Studio Dada in Provo. Before the show, listen to a sampler of Medusa Collective artists—Baby Ghosts, Big Baby, Violettas and some of the folks playing at tonight's concert—by streaming or purchasing their first compilation album at TheMedusaCollective.bandcamp.com. (Kolbie Stonehocker) The Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, 9 p.m., $3, TheUrbanLoungeSLC.com