Congrats, adventurous listeners. San Antonio's live music offerings this week skew heavily toward performers that don't fit into neat and tidy categories.
We've hot a Houston band that straddles psych and metal, a French-born space rock project, an up-and-coming rapper long on subtlety and the noisy underground act Lightning Bolt, which no one would ever accuse of being subtle.
Let's dive in.
Wednesday, April 12
Narrow Head, Future Shock
Houston's Narrow Head bring a sound that evokes the early, heady days of alt-rock, right around the time that it became acceptable for bands to be on both 120 Minutes and Headbanger's Ball. It's heavy and psychedelic, yes. But it's not quite metallic, even if the guitars occasionally head in that direction. Perfect for people who want to rock out rather than bro out. $18, 8 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary's St., papertigersatx.com. — Mike McMahan
Thursday April 13
M83, Rachika Nayar
As if to reverberate from the distant galaxy from which M83 gets its name, the act's sound is a dreamy symphony of synths and ethereal lyrics. French born multi-instrumentalist Anthony Gonzalez founded M83 nearly a quarter century ago as part of a duo, but it's since evolved into a one-man show. Much like the massive spiral galaxy 15 million light-years away, each M83 composition seems like a stellar body that makes up something larger than itself. The band is touring behind Fantasy, an album released this year. $50 and up, 8 p.m., Aztec Theatre, 104 N. St. Mary's St., (210) 812-4355, theaztectheatre.com. — Danny Cervantes
MAVI, Shloob
A couple of lines from 23-year-old rapper MAVI's 2019 single "Sense" sums up his approach: "What kind of songs you make? I make the kind you gotta read, baby." Charlotte-based MAVI continues to carve his own niche in the hip-hop world with a cascading, sometimes wordy, flow complimented by lo-fi production and jazzy samples. His latest release, Laughing So Hard It Hurts, favors subtlety over bombast. $18, 8 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary's St., papertigersatx.com. — DC
Friday, April 14
Lightning Bolt, Cabo Boing
Make sure you've notified your next of kin if you're attending this show, because when Lightning Bolt shows up, shit's about to get crazy. Although comprised of only a drummer and a bassist, the duo is capable of creating a chaotic din that sounds like an army brandishing power tools. Think Don Caballero paying tribute to Napalm Death and you're in the right realm. $20-$22, 7 p.m., Vibes Underground, 1223 E. Houston St., (210) 255-3833, facebook.com/vibesunderground. — MM
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