[POST-PUNK] + FRI, SEPT. 20

Zohra Atash and Joshua Strawn make up the dark post-punk duo, Azar Swan. As residents of the NYC-based goth label, PENDV SOUND, it would be easy to guess what Azar Swan are all about even before you saw a picture of the pair looking moody, black and intimidatingly stylish. That's actually a quite apt way to describe their music. All violent synths and surging bass and thudding drum machine, swirled together in a tangled web of angsty electronics. Azar Swan are all about creating this threatening musical façade - an assault of sexy darkness that recalls groups like The Knife and other practitioners are electronically enhanced gloom. No wonder, then, that they recently opened for Martin Rev, of Suicide, the band that took doom and fear and dressed it up in just enough catchiness to let you sleep with the lights off. Well, "Frankie Teardrop" excluded. {REV ADAM MCKINNEY}

AZAR SWAN, w/ Delphic Oracle, 9 p.m., Northern, 414 ½ Legion Way, Olympia, $5

[RAP] + FRI, SEPT. 20

Once again, Heretic The Heathen's For MCs By MCs Battle League sets the tone for premier hip-hop battles and events, this time inviting standout writers and MCs from Seattle to battle the best of The 360.  Fortunately, there is not any true "bad blood" between the areas, but a slight rivalry is alive and healthy. The all-ages battle is a preliminary invitational to see who will make the eight-person teams that will officially represent The 206 and 360 in an official area code battle to be announced later this fall. If you are interested in the next level of rhyme battling and repping your town/city/area code is essential - this is the place to be. {JOSE S. GUTIERREZ, JR}

FOR MCS BY MCS: THE 360 VS THE 206 PRELIMINARY BATTLE, 7:30 p.m., Capitol Theater, 206 Fifth Ave. SE, Olympia, 45, 360.754.6670

[ROCK] + SAT, SEPT. 21

The thing about Trees and Timber is their music could be anywhere ... the soundtrack to a road trip for example. I could easily imagine slipping in their latest album, Electric Gypsy Lovechild, for a trip up the Kitsap Peninsula - their upbeat jams guiding my way. Trees and Timber could provide the soundtrack to a Quentin Tarantino film, just as the main character beats the antagonist. On a mixed CD, their power pop would blend beautifully with the Violent Femmes and Dick Dale. And even though Trees and Timber have the chops to play anywhere, the place they will be Saturday is at The New Frontier Lounge as part of the line-up for Strapping Young Productions first, er, production. The band joins Girl Trouble, Red Hex and The Jilly Rizzo for the Sensory Overloads theme night, which includes a screening of Isaac Olsen's German epic, Ich Hunger, accompanied by The Barefoot Collective dance troupe. "Saturday is going to be a good fucking show," says Joe Baker, frontman for Trees and Timber. "Films, dancing, rock and roll, and a real-life variety show with Pierce County's heaviest hitters. Who could pass on that?" {NIKKI MCCOY}

TREES AND TIMBER, w/ Girl Trouble, Red Hex and The Jilly Rizzo, The New Frontier Lounge, 301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, $6, 253.572.4020

[POST-PHUNK] + SAT, SEPT. 21

Magic Mouth recently got off tour opening for Gossip. It's easy to see why Gossip were drawn to them in the first place: Magic Mouth fold a myriad of influences into their sound, ending up with music that flies in the face of the recent trend of revivalism. Their funk, soul, and dance music isn't a pale imitation, but a full-blooded celebration of the kind of manic showmanship that used to define those genres. Magic Mouth's slight punk edge only helps to highlight and enhance the energy that past masters imbued into their music. It's all crazy momentum, kept in motion by incredibly tight musicianship. A dense bassline backbone keeps everything on track, hurtling through every joyously sweaty song. Going to see a Magic Mouth show is an invitation to let everything go and get in close contact with your fellow dancers. {REV. AM}

MAGIC MOUTH, w/ Double Duchess and Glitterbang, 9 p.m., Le Voyeur, 404 E. Fourth Ave., Olympia, $5, 360.943.5710

See Also

Arts and Entertainment Calendar

Music and Nightlife Calendar