Tuesday, July 1
• It’s hard to define the sound of San Francisco band Birds & Batteries: Fronted by Mike Sempert (who’s also behind the guitar), the group meshes folk with electronica to create soothing melodies impossible to resist. Don’t believe us? Just give “Ocarina” a listen. Birds & Batteries plays the Red and the Black tonight.

Saturday, July 5
• It’s been a while since local band Metropolitan released any new material (its last record, The Lines They Get Broken, was released in 2005), so a performance by John Masters and the rest of the guys is long overdue. Metropolitan plays the Black Cat’s main stage alongside Bellflur and Wye Oak.

• Speaking of Wye Oak: Blame their cute faces or the fact that the record If Children is pretty great—we just couldn’t resist featuring this Baltimore folk duo once again on our weekly music playlist. Our favorite track from the record is “Obituary,” but we can’t find it anywhere, so we’re recommending “I Don’t Feel Young” instead.

Sunday, July 6
• Nebraska singer/songwriter Joshua James, who spent time living in Venezuela (and is, consequently, cool in our book), stops by Iota to perform songs from his latest album, The Sun Is Always Brighter.

Monday, July 7
• Our friends have been buzzing for a while now about Seattle band Fleet Foxes, and though we’re often reluctant to jump on the buzz train—after all, distinguishing real buzz from hype is tricky business—Pitchfork’s overwhelmingly positive review of the band’s record has us intrigued. Listen to “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song” and tell us what you think in the comments. They're at the Black Cat tonight.

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