Live: Music Picks Nov. 12-18 

THURSDAY 11.12
Pure Bathing Culture
This Portland duo is a little hazy, a little sensual R&B, a little lo-fi and a little chillwave. Call it beach vacation music or '80s R&B-pop, depending on where producer Richard Swift takes the track. Pray for Rain (Partisan), the newest album from PBC swings between those two distinct camps, and the sound often finds itself in its own unique category. Both Sarah Versprille and Daniel Hindman had previously played with freak-folk band Vetiver, but you wouldn't know it strictly from the sound, which has more looping, subtle melodies behind Versprille's vocals. Fellow PDXers Wild Ones open. (TF) Kilby Court, 750 W. Kilby Court, 8 p.m., $10 in advance, $12 day of show, KilbyCourt.com

FRIDAY 11.13
Intronaut
Prog metal is, as they say, a thing, and Los Angeles quartet Intronaut has explored the genre/subgenre since 2004. A master of polyrhythms, drummer Danny Walker at times gives Neal Peart a run for his money. They retain roots in tradition, as shown by their cover of "Arnold Layne" on the 2008 Syd Barrett tribute album Like Black Holes in the Sky: A Tribute to Syd Barrett on Dwell Records. The band occasionally also offers a more sophisticated take on sludge metal. Their most recent release, The Direction of Last Things (Century Media) finds a place where heavy riffs and complex time signatures can co-exist. Huldra and A Lily Gray open. (BS) Kilby Court, 741 S. 330 West, 7 p.m., $12, KilbyCourt.com

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SATURDAY 11.14
Low
Have you ever gotten Low? Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker have been playing their musical equivalent of the slow-food movement for more than 20 years. For most of the past decade, Low has been part of the new Sub Pop and its quieter, in general more folk-oriented, muse. Their new set, Ones and Sixes (Sub Pop Records), is charting, and where guitars are relatively submerged in the mix, their vocal harmonies rise to the surface. "No Comprende," the single, evidences—like that one Seattle band that made the label—a mastery of dynamics, although on a much more subtle level. Brooding Saskatchewan singer-songwriter Andy Shauf opens. (BS) The Complex, 536 W. 100 South, 7 p.m., $20, TheComplexSLC.com

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Fisch Loops and Applegreen
Physical product, in the music industry, is now a novelty. Everybody's goin' digital and enjoying the portability. So why bother with tangibility? You can feel the bass—why do you need paper and plastic? Local DJ/producer/sound collage artists Fisch Loops (Furthermore, Numbs and Rotten Musicians among umpteen other projects) and Applegreen (a low-profile dude out of Ogden) take the novelty a step further with Jabuticaba, a world-music influenced medley of world music and found sounds—on cassette. Fisch's side consists of 18 tracks named for animal sounds that have little, if anything, to do with beastly vociferations. Applegreen renamed his tracks after parts of the body—because the original song list happened to be corporeally shaped. Those two tidbits are just a taste of the super-chill sonic fruit loops they've committed to magnetized ribbon. Stag Hare opens. (RH) Diabolical Records, 238 S. 150 East, 8 p.m., free, Facebook.com/DiabolicalRecords

Greensky Bluegrass, American Babies
Greensky Bluegrass' style of Americana brings in heavy acoustic bluegrass—no surprise, given their name—but If Sorrow Swims also borrows from '90s rock. Even though the rock has started to play a little heavier in newer albums, bluegrass is inherently a jam-driven genre, and the band, in true bluegrass tradition, spends time on extended improvisations during sets. American Babies also stretch the Americana genre to reflect rock sensibilities, including angst, raw vulnerability and a little musical darkness. (TF) The Depot, 400 W. South Temple, 8 p.m., $17 in advance, $20 day of show, DepotSLC.com

MONDAY 11.16
The Grouch & Eligh, Chali 2na
It's been two months(ish) since Eligh played in Salt Lake City and he's back—this time with hip-hop partner The Grouch, the one who originally got him into San Francisco's hip-hop recording scene. The two have recorded multiple albums together, including their most recent crowd-funded, three-part record, The Tortoise and The Crow. The triple-disc project includes one full-length solo disc from each of the guys, and another with both combined. So the show will pack a punch. Touring with them is Chali 2na, a founding member of Jurassic 5, touring behind Against the Current EP.3: Bloodshot Fisheye. ReMINDers opens. (TF) The Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, 9 p.m., $20 in advance, $22 day of show, TheUrbanLoungeSLC.com

TUESDAY 11.17
Richard Thompson Electric Trio
You can cite Richard Thompson's illustrious list of contributions to popular music, from Fairport Convention to work with ex-wife Linda and his extended solo career, and even his award of the Order of the British Empire. But more than anything else, hope that his performance reaches back into his dazzlingly prolific back catalog with its classic songs such as "1952 Vincent Black Lightning." He's played Red Butte Garden before, but this is an exceptional opportunity to witness the master perform in a setting as intimate as this. His Electric Trio includes bassist Taras Prodaniuk and Michael Jerome on drums, and they appear on his latest, Still (Fantasy Records), produced by Wilco's Jeff Tweedy. (BS) The State Room, 638 S. State, 8 p.m., $52, TheStateRoomSLC.com

Mayhem, Watain, Rotting Christ
This show is not for the faint of heart. Swedish band Watain's performances include candles (normal), pyrotechnics (sure) and parts of animal carcasses (there it is). Audience members may get doused with animal blood. Norwegian co-headliners Mayhem are no tamer: They use all of the above in their shows—plus their original singer, Dead, killed himself. Then guitarist Euronymous photographed his corpse, which he also cannibalized and used to make jewelry. Then, drummer Varg Vikernes stabbed Euronymous 23 times. All in the name of music. And Satan. Greece's Rotting Christ opens. (TF) The Complex, 536 W. 100 South, 7 p.m. (doors), $23 in advance, $25 day of show, TheComplexSLC.com

FRIDAY 11.13
The Iron Maidens, Irony Man, Truce in Blood
When I first learned of the Iron Maidens—a tribute band staffed by foxy ladies—I wept copious, bloody tears. I'd never seen the real deal live, and figured I never would. Still haven't. But this is entirely acceptable—nay, preferable! Wait. What am I saying? No offense, Bruce, et al. But you gotta understand: Iron Maiden songs, performed competently (nay, bitchin'-ly!) by babes? And they have their own giant Eddie mascot? Dare I say it's even better than the real thing? Surely, the Maidens would object, so I won't. I just hope the Liquid Joe's stage can accommodate Eddie, huge columns of fog, and the weight of a chubby, drooling stage-rusher (plus security). Local Black Sabbath tribute band Irony Man and thrashers Truce in Blood open. (Randy Harward) Liquid Joe's, 1249 E. 3300 South, 9 p.m., $15 advance (limited to 150), $20 day of show, LiquidJoes.net

WEDNESDAY 11.18
Scenic Byway
One of Salt Lake City's most original local bands, Scenic Byway released their most previous album, Kinda Sorta Pretty Really in 2011 to much praise. Four years later, the experimental hip-hop septet has new music for us. Haven't heard it yet—had to find out about this show on the Urban's website—but Kinda Sorta Pretty Really is/was adventurous, playful, intelligent and propelled by mostly live instrumentation and quick-witted, sly rhymes. In other words, it's generally The Shit. So expect whatever they're serving up on this new platter to be just as good—plus four years of growth. GeorgeLife and Vinyl Tapestries open. (Randy Harward) The Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, 9 p.m., Free, TheUrbanLoungeSLC.com