LIVE: Music Picks Nov. 24-30 

FRIDAY 11.25
Super 78 (album release), The Circulars, Cupidome, The Nods
The day after Thanksgiving is usually devoted to leftovers, but this Friday is time to taste some new material by Salt Lake psych-rock band Super 78. As opposed to the garage rock of numerous bands in the Psych Lake City scene, Super 78 claims more atmospheric antecedents like Spacemen 3, Primal Scream and even Phil Spector's Wall of Sound with its orchestral flourishes. The six-piece, together since 2009, has released a song here and there on its Soundcloud and Bandcamp pages, and now their efforts culminate in the release of a self-titled album. Their music has some of the hypnotic melodicism of Brian Jonestown Massacre, and even occasionally an Eastern flavor, with sitar and drone-y guitars. You can turn up, tune down and tone deft. (Brian Staker) The Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, 8 p.m., free, 21+, TheUrbanLoungeSLC.com

SUNDAY 11.27
Sad13, Sally Yoo
As the frontwoman of Massachusetts-based indie rockers Speedy Ortiz, Sadie "Sad13" Dupuis mined the classic alternative rock of the late '80s and '90s. Now, on her debut solo album Slugger (Carpark), Dupuis tries something else: pop. What's more alt than that? Except Dupuis' not just writing some easy hooks and lowest-common-denominator lyrics. She still tackles serious and timely topics like sexual assault, but juxtaposing the lyrics with music that will get her message to almost entirely new ears. And it's funny, how the beats, the fake strings, the vocal hooks and general excesses of pop music, sans thematic dreck about clubbing and hooking up, sound so much better. And how, ironically, the more sober and poignant lyrics kinda ... pop. (Randy Harward) Kilby Court, 741 S. 330 West, 7 p.m., $8 in advance, $10 day of show, KilbyCourt.com

TUESDAY 11.29
Kung Fu, Particle
With two exceptional bands laying down their grooves at the same venue on the same night, there's no excuse for not feeling the funk. For their part, Kung Fu prides themselves on their blend of groovy dance rhythms and electronica introspection, a sound that brings to mind the various fusion-era influences that inspired them early on. They're a captivating quintet, one whose explosive performances lead to a freewheeling frenzy, leaving audiences thoroughly dazzled and delighted. Likewise, Particle fits within the jam band genre, although they too incorporate various disparate elements into their semi-psychedelic sound. Often described as a blend of Pink Floyd and Return to Forever, the music maintains an insistent pulse that's often unpredictable but always hypnotic. Those that bemoaned the demise of disco will find plenty to admire, albeit in a cool and captivating way. Buckle up and prepare for an evening propelled by interstellar overdrive. (Lee Zimmerman) The State Room, 638 S. State, 8 p.m., $15, 21+, TheStateRoomSLC.com

TUESDAY 11.29
Aesop Rock, Rob Sonic, DJ Zone, Homeboy Sandman, DJ Sosa
Since his 1997 debut Music for Earthworms, Aesop Rock (nee Ian Matthias Bavitz), both solo and in collaborations with fellow hip-hop artists as well as anti-folks like Kimya Dawson, has recorded for almost every major underground hip-hop label: Mush, Def Jux, Rhymesayers and Stones Throw. Such a résumé alone attests to Bavitz' hip-hop cred, but a better indicator would be the bars upon bars of rhymes that critics have variously called purple and deliciously cryptic. The Impossible Kid (Rhymesayers) is his second full-length since ending a five-year solo hiatus, and it finds him excavating his personal life for material. Heretofore unprecedented, the candor—delivered as eloquently as ever—suits the sweet beats and offers deeper insights into the a rapper who's worth digging into. (Randy Harward) Metro Music Hall, 615 W. 100 South, 8 p.m., $20, 21+, Facebook.com/MetroMusicHall

WEDNESDAY 11.30
The Pretty Reckless, Holy White Hounds, Them Evils
Actor bands used to get a bad rap. You could probably blame Keanu Reeves and his band Dogstar. Or just the general glut of awesomely crappy albums by thespians like William Shatner, John Travolta, Robert Mitchum, Russell Crowe and Don Johnson. It's pretty odd, then, that now we have actor bands that are pretty damn good—like She & Him (Zooey Deschanel), Dead Man's Bones (Ryan Gosling), Childish Gambino (Donald Glover) and Jenny Lewis (Jenny Lewis—y'all ever seen Foxfire?). It's different, though, when the actors come from tween or teen dreck like, I dunno, anything on the Disney Channel (somebody stop that puppy mill) and most anything on Nickelodeon, ABC Family and The CW. Taylor Momsen, frontbabe of The Pretty Reckless, was on Gossip Girl. At first blush, that doesn't bode well for the band—especially since Momsen was 15 when they made their first album, Light Me Up (Interscope, 2010). Surprise—it doesn't suck. It's rock 'n' roll with a legitimate edge, and incredible depth for someone so young. Going to Hell (2014) and the new joint, this year's Who You Selling For (both Razor & Tie) each ratchet up Momsen's rock cred with solid songwriting and musicianship that makes you forgive—and forget—her past life. (RH) The Depot, 400 W. South Temple, 8 p.m., $25.50-$27.50, DepotSLC.com

Tommy Emmanuel
Guitarist Tommy Emanuel has been devoted to his craft his entire life. He received his first instrument at age of 4, began playing publicly and professionally with his family's band at age 6, developed his prowess as a stalwart session musician and has reaped recognition as a world class virtuoso ever since. With a signature sound that incorporates rhythm and harmonics, he easily transcends genres, incorporating the sounds of rock, country, bluegrass, world music and more. Enamoured by his hero, Chet Atkins, and inspired by the man he calls his mentor, Hank Marvin, Emmanuel has developed a unique fingerpicking style that's evident throughout the more than 30 albums he's recorded over the course of his career. Awarded high honors in his native Australia and by the state of Kentucky, Emanuel has twice been accorded No. 1 ranking in Guitar Player magazine's readers poll. And Atkins himself honored Emmanuel by naming him a Certified Guitar Player—an exclusive club of only five members. Little wonder his energetic performances inspire such awe and admiration. Currently touring behind his newly released second holiday album Christmas Memories (CGP Sounds), tonight Emmanuel performs classics and Christmas tunes with special guests Pat Bergeson, Annie Sellick and John Knowles, another C.G.P. (LZ) Kingsbury Hall, 1395 E. President's Circle, 7:30 p.m., $29.50-$49.50, KingsburyHall.Utah.edu

WEDNESDAY 11.30
Night Riots, The Hunna
Hot on the heels of three EPs—Young Lore and Hallowed Ground (both self-released in 2013) and Howl (Sumerian, 2015)—Love Gloom (Sumerian, 2016) marks Night Riots' debut LP and artistic statement in full. With producer Joe Chiccarelli (The Strokes, Young the Giant) in charge, the robust, sexual electronic sound of the EPs has taken on a more organic and vulnerable touch. Fans and newcomers alike will find a comforting yet energizing darkness, encouraging listeners to make peace with their personal flaws. With influences like The Bouncing Souls, Ramones and AFI, yet sounding more like a contemporary Sam's Town-era Killers, Night Riots' music and performances are as visceral as they are engaging. The Hunna, of Hertfordshire, England, meanwhile, puts a unique British twist on an intrinsically Cali pop-punk sound. With songs like the hit "Bonfire," the playful "We Could Be" and the tender yet devastating "She's Casual," The Hunna's debut album, 100 (300 Entertainment), is teeming with an honesty and unbridled passion sorely missed in modern music. If their hooks don't grab you, I don't know what will. (Zac Smith) In the Venue, 219 S. 600 West, 7 p.m., $15, InTheVenueSLC.com