Thursday November 26

Peaches

[SKEEZE QUEEN] Dammit, Peaches. Stop singing. On her latest album, I Feel Cream, Peaches croons at best like a rabid Tina Turner and at worst like a Joan Jett impersonator. She even offers sugary observations about relationships on the poppy "Talk to Me." Her previous advice to "Fuck the Pain Away," delivered with a spoonful of synth and thumping bass, suits her better. The skeeze still appears in doses on her latest, but Peaches is much more appealing when she resembles Juliette Lewis’ skanky sister. Now she’s starting to sound like a C-grade diva who knows how to bang out techno beats on GarageBand. AP KRYZA. Wonder Ballroom 8 pm. $20 advance, $25 day of show. All ages.

Saturday November 28

Simian Mobile Disco, JDH, Dave P

[MONKEYSHINES] In isolated incidents, James Shaw and James Ford—together known as Simian Mobile Disco—can appear to be one of the greatest dance-floor production duos of the decade. “We Are Your Friends,” their 2006 collaboration with Justice, is still a standout track among the slew of Daft Punk homages to emerge in the aughties. And the single “I Believe,” from the pair's Attack Decay Sustain Release, is the best slice of synth-pop nostalgia to come around in this era of ’80s retroactivism. Unfortunately, when it comes to full-length albums, Shaw and Ford struggle as much as their peers. Temporary Pleasure, their new one, is a mixed bag of electronic genre-hopping, bogged down by guest vocalists. Like the last one, it has its moments, but moments are all they are. MATTHEW SINGER. Wonder Ballroom 8 pm. $17 advance, $18 day of show. All ages.

Tuesday December 1

Less Than Jake, Cage, The Swellers

[DEATHLESS SKA, DESPERATE RAP] If the work of Def Jux label head El-P is a warped, poisoned take on the larger political culture outside of himself—the exterior world, say—his pal, Def Jux signee Chris "Cage" Palko, toasts and celebrates the roiling darknesses within. Cage's glum, graphic albums—most notably 2005's Hell's Winter and this year's Depart From Me—draw fuel and ire from Cage's troubled childhood, drug abuse and psychiatric difficulties, positioning the rapper as one of society's unwanted castoffs. Cage's miscreant M.O. befits him; while he's not that far removed from Eminem in terms of subject matter and tone, a lack of commercial success has kept his self-effacing flows razor sharp, even if they're not quite as slippery or jugular-grabbing as Slim Shady's. RAY CUMMINGS. Wonder Ballroom 7 pm. $20 advance, $23 day of show. All ages.