XL Music

Recommended Music: Plenty of Austin City Limits Music Festival aftershows and more

THURSDAY

Austinist presents 'Local Music is Sexy 2.' The Austin division of the -ist empire celebrates local indie-rock types with IV Thieves, Brothers and Sisters, Loxsly, Til We're Blue or Destroy, Horse + Donkey and more. The Mohawk. 912 Red River St. — Joe Gross

Denny Renshaw

(enlarge photo)

Sufjan Stevens (Friday and Saturday, Paramount Theatre)

Attic Ted. Masked pyschedelic weirdos celebrate the release of a new CD of conceptual oddness, 'The Attic Ted Land Suite.' Club DeVille. 900 Red River St. 457-0900. — J.G.

Thievery Corporation. An official Austin City Limits Festival preshow with these Washington, D.C., house-music mavens. Not yet sold out. With Federico Aubele at Stubb's. 801 Red River St. 480-8341. — J.G.

FRIDAY

Junior Boys. Gone are the skittering beats of this Canadian tech-pop duo's 2004 debut, 'Last Exit.' In their place, the new 'So This is Goodbye' offers warmer textures and just as much chill lying beneath it all. Not to mention an utterly desolate version of the Sammy Cahn-James Van Heusen standard 'When No One Cares.' With Ensemble. Emo's. 603 Red River St. 477-EMOS. — Jeff Salamon

Genghis Tron. I'll be at ACL, and though that's nice, it'll be a shame to miss this band's blast of electronic thunderclouds and metal lightning. With locals Daniel Francis Doyle and Skullening at 6 p.m. Snake Eyes Vinyl. 1211 E. Seventh St. 220-7019. — J.G.

The Shins. You better believe it's an official ACL aftershow with these indie-pop superstars. Also, it's sold out, so look to alternative dealers for tickets. Stubb's. 801 Red River St. 480-8341. — J.G.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY

Sufjan Stevens. How popular with the Pitchfork/indie set was this dude's 2005 folkie indie rock album 'Illinois'? He released 'The Avalanche,' an album of folkie outtakes from 'Illinois,' that has proved nearly as popular. That's gangster, and it's also why there are only obstructed-view seats left for either of these shows. With My Brightest Diamond. Paramount Theatre. 713 Congress Ave. 472-5470. — J.G.

SATURDAY

John Cage Birthday Celebration. Pianist Michelle Schumann and the Austin New Music Co-op explore the music of the legendary composer. This year's theme is 'chaos and community.' Expect performances of some of Cage's more complicated, larger-scale pieces. 8 p.m. Hyde Park United Methodist Church. 4001 Speedway. 453-4206. — J.G.

Broken Teeth. Glammy, sleazy New York Dolls punk served up Austin-style. With GSC at Trophy's. 2008 S. Congress Ave. 447-0969. — J.G.

Sparklehorse. An icon of '90s indie rock, one-man-against-the-planet mope, this band — essentially singer-songwriter Mark Linkous — releases his first album in more than five years later this autumn. With popsters Nada Surf and Elvis Perkins. Emo's. 603 Red River St. 477-EMOS. — J.G.

SUNDAY

TV on the Radio. One of the more potentially fanatical ACL aftershows, TVOTR has built a serious constituency by blending hip-hop aesthetics with blown-out fuzz guitar and a singer who really, really sounds like Peter Gabriel, which some may see as a liability. The band hits the stage at 11 p.m. Austin indie-rock sensation What Made Milwaukee Famous plays at 10 p.m. Emo's. 603 Red River St. 477-EMOS. — J.G.

MONDAY

Relapse Records Contamination Tour. One day after ACL comes this awe-inspiring metal tour. Headliner Unearthly Trance blends lyrics that seem to be under the impression that the end is really, really nigh with none-more-black metal power-trio thrash. With (expletive) the facts, Facedownin(expletive) and more at Emo's. 603 Red River St. 477-EMOS. — J.G.

WEDNESDAY

Jet. According to Chuck Klosterman's new book, 'IV,' Wilco majordomo Jeff Tweedy's young son is in a band that plays covers of this band, an Australian hold over from that strange major-label garage-rock explosion of 2001-'02. Man, that was weird. La Zona Rosa. 612 W. Fourth St. 472-2293. — J.G.