It's a new week, which means it's time for a new installment of Bobble Tiki's South Sound music news and notes column. Without further ado, let's get rolling.

It's been a balancing act this week for Bobble Tiki. On one Tiki hand, Bobble Tiki is trying to fulfill his weekly obligations to the Volcano - providing mediocre music coverage and managing to stay awake at his desk. On the other Tiki hand, the Bobbling one has other things on his mind - mainly, his fantasy football draft this weekend. It's been tough on Bobble Tiki, clicking back and forth between player rankings and band bios, trying to make sure that when his boss walks by he's doing something that resembles work. Of course, since all Bobble Tiki is really tasked with is providing mediocre music coverage and staying awake during business hours, it's really not that tough.

Still, Bobble Tiki would like to turn his attention this week from fantasy football draft prep to two killer shows on tap, one tonight at Tacoma's Den, and the other Saturday at The New Frontier.

As the Volcano's Jason Baxter made reference to last week in his top-notch column about Tacoma's Makeup Monsters, the Den has a real beauty in store for us tonight. Not only will the aforementioned Makeup Monsters take the stage, but they'll be joined by Si Si Si (a band tearing it up all over town lately, from stages at Hotrod-A-Rama to Music and Art in Wright Park), Sam Olsen's Red Hex and Cobalt Cranes.

Tacoma's gritty punk, garage underground should already be familiar with Red Hex, as they've emerged from the same sludgy trenches as bands like Apache Chief and Womberang. Paying a fresh homage to the past, which makes some sense as Olsen is of relation to Girl Trouble's Bon Von Wheelie and Kahuna, Red Hex is the perfect mix of old school ethos and new school musical exuberance.

But the band Bobble Tiki is most excited to see tonight at the Den may well be L.A.'s Cobalt Cranes. Why, you ask? Well, it has something to do with the way the Rev. Adam McKinney described the band the last time they found their way into this fine rag:

If you would indulge me for a moment, I've hit upon a semi-coherent (but mostly gross) metaphor for Cobalt Cranes. Have you ever pissed on a campfire? In seconds the flame is reduced to smoldering coals and the air is thick with smoke that smells of ammonia. Cobalt Cranes sound like hissing ammonia smoke. They sound like L.A. In a good way.

Let me start over.

Cobalt Cranes, based out of L.A., is a quintessentially Californian band that trades in buzzing bursts of tightly wound art-rock. Co-founded by Kate Betuel and Tim Foley, the two shuffled through a couple lineups before finally finding their band. The hissing ammonia smoke I (perhaps misguidedly) alluded to earlier is mainly the result of the band's recording technique, which was born out of necessity.

"We only had one microphone, and we weren't really concerned about placement," says Betuel. "So, kind of without knowing we just created our sound."

Peeing on campfires is awesome.

Lastly, Bobble Tiki would also like to send a quick shout-out to Heather Loepp and her band Santee, who will play The New Frontier Saturday with Abraham and special guests. As you'll recall, Loepp has contributed to the Volcano in the past, and her words are always mesmerizing. Plus, the entire Santee band is pretty freakin' amazing: it includes Heather's bro Josh, an outstanding standup drummer, and one of the most jaw-dropping bass players Bobble Tiki has seen in some time (if the band still has the same bass player it had at Squeak and Squawk, that is).

Anyway, Loepp texted Bobble Tiki earlier this week (and probably others, although Bobble Tiki hates to admit it) to remind him of the show ... and may have let out a secret at the same time.

"SANTEE playing with Abraham and Makeup Monsters on Saturday night at New Frontier!!! Be our friends!!"

Could Makeup Monsters really be on this bill too? You'll have to show up to find out.

See you next week.