Tuesday November 10

A Fine Frenzy, Landon Pigg, Among The Oak And The Ash

Wonder Ballroom 8 pm. $15.

Wednesday November 11

The Mountain Goats, Final Fantasy

[BOLD TESTAMENT] That John Darnielle is among the greatest songwriters of his generation is no longer even a matter of debate. Among critics and his increasingly large and obsessive nation of fans, his 18-year body of work as the leader and often sole member of the Mountain Goats is treated like the Grand Canyon: enormous, beautiful and frightening. His latest album, The Life of the World to Come, drops the menacing, desperate tone of 2008's Heretic Pride for a quieter, more contemplative sound. Each of the 12 tracks is named for a Bible verse, and the songs have an appropriately psalmic quality—Darnielle sticks mostly to acoustic guitar and piano, with textural drumming and strings filling out the sound. Expect this concert, with singer-violinist Owen Pallett's cheery electropop project, Final Fantasy, to be a tear-jerker. BEN WATERHOUSE. Wonder Ballroom 8 pm. $20. All ages.

Thursday November 12

Immortal Technique, Diabolic, Poison Pen, Swave Sevah, Chino XL, Mic Crenshaw

[CONSPIRATAINMENT] Hip-hop needs its political radicals. But if Public Enemy were “the CNN of the streets,” Felipe Coronel—a.k.a. Immortal Technique—is more of a paranoid blogger. As such, he is the perfect provocateur for these times. And he's got the back story to match: While imprisoned on assault charges in the late '90s, Coronel read about Malcolm X and Che Guevara, and emerged as a fierce battle rapper. On record, he turned his aggression against racism, jingoism and, naturally, the prison-industrial complex. Like a lot of leftist agitators, he thrived under the Bush administration, winning a wide cult following with practically no label backing. He has yet to release an album in the Obama era, but don't expect the guy to suddenly start rapping about rims and strippers. MATTHEW SINGER. Wonder Ballroom 9 pm. $18 advance, $20 day of show. All ages.

Friday November 13

Built to Spill, Disco Doom, Finn Riggins

[ANCIENT MELODIES OF THE FUTURE] C’mon, you already know what to expect from a Built to Spill show. Doug Martsch will wow with impressively knotty yet overly noodly guitar solos. And the crowd will sing along to gems from the band’s trifecta of influential ’90s albums—There’s Nothing Wrong With Love, Perfect From Now On and Keep It Like a Secret—and politely sit through the jammy new songs from whatever album the band is currently publicizing. But for the first time in years Built to Spill is supporting a good new record. The just-released There Is No Enemy is its first album this century that can stand with its classic ones. So we should be in for a good show. REBECCA RABER. Wonder Ballroom 8 pm. $20 advance, $23 day of show. All ages.

Saturday November 14

Built To Spill, Disco Doom, Finn Riggins

See profile, coming soon. Wonder Ballroom 8 pm. $20 advance, $23 day of show. 21+.

Tuesday November 17

Julian Plenti, I'm In You

[TURN ON THE BRIGHTER LIGHTS] It seems like 2009 is the year when everyone is finally going solo. Following on the heels of Julian Casablancas' synth-pop debut without his fellow Strokes, Julian Plenti is the Eurotrash-sounding name for the first record from Paul Banks, Interpol's debonair frontman. Weirdly enough, about half of Julian Plenti is...Skyscraper sounds almost exactly like the work of his main band. And though that's not a bad thing (lead track "Only If You Run" easily beats anything off 2007's half-baked Our Love to Admire), it's the weirder tracks that make the biggest splash. "Skyscraper," with its twinkling pianos and somber strings, and the pretty, acoustic lament "On the Esplanade" offer a range Banks rarely hinted at in the past. Let's all hope Banks keeps this in mind when working on the next Interpol joint. MICHAEL MANNHEIMER. Wonder Ballroom 8 pm. $15 advance, $17 day of show. All ages.