MUSIC
No Frills, Just Thrills
What really separates a great singer from the mass of decent voices out there is a certain kind of effortless maturity, a natural grace. When Karrin Allyson sings she does so without pretention, without fanciful ornamentation. Instead, she simple works the song in a genuinely artistic fashion. She tosses in a scat chorus. She sits back on certain beats. She turns from an obvious opportunity to a more meaningful one. This two-time Grammy nominee knows her craft. Allyson has a spectacular voice, and she uses it magnificently, bringing out every layer and expressing every depth of emotion within songs of all genres, from very expressive ballads to upbeat bossa novas, from pop to blues to bebop.
7 and 9 p.m., Dakota Jazz Club and Restaurant, 1010 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis; 612-332-1010; $35, $25.
It’s Dance Night, with an 80s Beat
Gosh, what do we call this now? The new wave of new wave? I think I’ve lost track here. Thanks to their sloppy brand of scratchy post-post-punk, The Rapture was hailed as a forerunner of the post-punk revival that was taking place in the early 2000s. In 2003 they were dubbed “Post Punk Disco Pioneers,” and now, as “new rave” sweeps the nation, The Rapture provides the soundtrack to old-school technicolour rave nostalgia. We’re not talking glo-sticks here, people. What we’re talking is pure dance-inspiring energy. We’re talking upbeat. We’re talking vigor. And believe it or not, we’re not talking noise. The Rapture might be doing their punk-disco best to get us on that dance-floor, but they sacrifice nothing of their wry lyrical angst in the process. Luke Jenner’s asperous vocals and Safer’s melancholic wailing keep the underbelly dark. Basically, yes, life might suck, but get thee to a dance floor and just go mental. The Rapture is joined tonight by another band with a get-up-and-dance attitude and a superbly trashy punk mentality, synth pop band Shiny Toy Guns. Simultaneously retroactive and futuristic, Shiny Toy Guns blends seductive femme-fatale vocals with gritty analog beats and system-igniting synths.
8 p.m., Fine Line Music Cafe, 318 1st Ave. N., Minneapolis; 612-338-8100; $18.
Listen to The Rapture.
Listen to Shiny Toy Guns.
You Can’t Go Wrong with Frigid Primates
If the new dance-punk-thing just isn’t for you, then perhaps you need some freezing monkeys. You can never go wrong with monkeys. I mean, hell, these guys are the real deal. They’re even from the U.K. That still means something, right? In a nutshell, the Arctic Monkeys are part of the indie rock scene alongside similar contemporary guitar bands such as The Libertines (minus the druggy death glow), The Futureheads, and Franz Ferdinand. The frigid monkeys wrap a taut punk rock approach in pop melodies and tomes of adolescent growing pains. Everybody loves growing pains.
8 p.m., First Avenue, 701 First Avenue N., Minneapolis; 612-332-1775; $25.
BOOKS AND AUTHORS
Art-Related Fiction
If dancing isn’t your thing, you might be looking for something a bit more low-key for this gloomy Monday. You’re in luck. Bestselling author Susan Vreeland will be reading from her new novel, Luncheon of the Boating Party, an exploration of Renoir’s painting by the same name. Vreeland, two-time winner of the Theodor Geisel Award, is known for her historical fiction on art-related themes.
7:30 p.m., Barnes & Noble Booksellers at Galleria, 3225 W. 69th St., Edina; 952-920-1060.
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