WORLD'S GREATEST GHOSTS

>>> Friday, April 2

Remember in the movie Casper when Winona Ryder asks the titular friendly ghost what his spectral body is made of? He replies that he thinks it's made of the same stuff that makes your feet tingle when they fall asleep. That's kind of how I think of World's Greatest Ghosts. They make music that makes me feel warm, tingly - and kind of uncomfortable. With a love of magick (emphasis on the "k"), monsters, and familial affection - as well as an exploitation of hyper-poppy synth-driven indie rock - it's pretty easy to fall in love with World's Greatest Ghosts. But be careful: lurking at the corners is a hidden darkness - an obsession with ideas like death and heartbreak that strengthens and deepens the music into something much more than the sum of its parts. - Rev. Adam McKinney

[The New Frontier Lounge, with Tempo No Tempo, guests, 9 p.m., $5, 301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, 253.572.4020]

MILK MUSIC

>>> Friday, April 2

Olympia is a rock town. Plain and simple. Sure, we've got all kinds of cross-genre music, from sexy electro laptop folk punk to AARP sponsored state worker blues rock bands, but quintessentially - downtown Olympia belongs to rock and roll. Enter Milk Music, quite possibly the closest thing to Boston's feel good party rock Olympia will ever produce - albeit a very, VERY Olympia rendition, and not so vegan twin guitar Tom Scholz-y. At least that's what I thought last time I saw Milk Music play at Old School Pizzeria to a packed house of kids and hipster elites alike, all of whom were bobbing and jumping in unison to their riff-driven melodies like a giant flooding orgasm approaching its crest on the sandbagged shores of an outrageously rewarding night. With White Boss headlining, there's no reason you should go to any other show - unless, like, you're dating someone in another band that has a show that night. If that's the case, pray it gets over early and go see Milk Music. You shan't be disappointed. - Owen Taylor

[Ghost Town Gallery, with White Boss, 8 p.m., all ages, $4, 416 Washington St. SE, # 207 (upstairs), Olympia]

REVERSE DOTTY

>>>Saturday, April 3

I'm not sure just how seriously Reverse Dotty wants us to take them. Their music is a kind of melancholy electro-pop, driven by sandy female vocals. The synths sound '80s disco-ready, and the band's aloofness sometimes gives the air of electroclash or riot grrrl. Sometimes, though, like on "Off the Skoal," with its affected crooning, or on the breezy "Pool and a View," one gets a distinctly winking, B-52's vibe - like all of this is a set-up or possibly even a put-on. The slight "fuck you" message of "Pool and a View" is tempered by absurdness and too much apathy to really come off angry. Elsewhere, on the downbeat "Sweet Soldier," their hearts seem so firmly planted on their sleeves that you want to believe the band's tongues aren't in their cheeks. - Rev. AM

[The Den @ urbanXchange, 8 p.m., 1932 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.572.2280]

BLANCO BRONCO

>>> Wednesday, April 7

No room has had the effect on music that the garage has. Think about it. Have you ever heard of kitchen rock? Absolutely not. But garage rock is a term that instantly makes sense - and things only branch out from there. Like Tacoma's Wheelies. While Blanco Bronco - one of the better live bands in T-town - may serve up a more traditional, fuzzy, messed up brand of straight up garage rock, Wheelies delves into the realm of "garage pop" - which as the Volcano's Rev. Adam McKinney revealed a few months ago in these pages, involves recording on Windows '95.  I guess that makes sense, too since you probably wouldn't want to put a nice computer in the garage. Anyway, garage rock, garage pop - it's all coming from the same place, and it's all usually better than anything emanating from the more proper rooms of the house. - Matt Driscoll

[Hell's Kitchen, with Wheelies, Pioneers West, Tallest Tree, 9 p.m., $5, 928 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.759.6003]