The Lacking Permanence

The music Clark makes is suitable for rage cleaning and nighttime neon drives.

All the kids are into it, and M. Ward is just itching to tell us about it.

They appear to be American, not so much Trappists, but they sound like a clattering of drums and hooks.

Bo Diddley may have written tonight’s opening cover, and Spoon may be the one actually performing it, but the spirit of Billy Childish, whose version earworms its way through my head every year or so, is quite strong on the shambling, end-of-the-rehearsal vibe heard here. To the listeners voicing strong opinions about the adorably shrill kids’ story that runs at the top of The Final Hour — your notes have been passed on to Management.

With a name like The Giant Robots and an origin country like Switzerland, it would be easy to make a play on their precision, but the truth is that completely misses the point of their particular type of rave-up.

The name implies feminized mechanization, but Ladytron can accomplish so much more.

If you want suave, it’s hard to get more suave than “Blue Velvet,” and horror-surf combo Messer Chups delivers a version that’s not only suave but also quite kinetic. From the accelerated temp to the lyrical guitar line to the luscious spring reverb, it’s a welcome spin on the old croony standard. Tonight’s show was accompanied by tremedous wind and lightning, with occasional rain.

It’s been a while since something has made me sit down and listen like the North Americans’ steel-string ambient flow.

Albert Hammond Jr. strikes out on his own, and it sounds like he has everything he needs.

Behold, a special collection of songs about individual states in the United States of America!