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Rock: Correct me if I'm wrong: Valis is a band made up of leather-clad, rock ‘n' roll Satan worshippers who live together in a giant interstellar vessel powered only by pure, gutturally wailing psychedelic metal and capable of leaping across time and space. Is that right? How goddamn awesome are these guys? Let's see: The band's name comes from a Philip K. Dick novel (and we all know he's the most badass sci-fi author ever); lead singer and guitarist Van Conner (See: Screaming Trees) has a voice that shrieks like Ozzy Osbourne on the other side of the Stargate; and the music as stony as stony gets - and stony has gotten pretty damn stony. Bottom line: When a band has a song called "Under Satan's Will" that still manages to defy expectations, there's something to be said for that. That "something" is "awesome." With Legend of Bigfoot and Midnight Salvage Co., Friday, April 9, 9 p.m., The New Frontier Lounge, 301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, 253.572.4020
Twee-Pop: James and the Express is a twee-pop band that seems to be obsessed with tomatoes. That's as good a place to start as any, I suppose. Bouncy, impossibly sunny melodies carry the songs on Are Your Tomatoes Safe?, the band's debut album. Band leader James Mackison's voice is humble and sweet, with occasional dips into Elvis Costello territory. Music as gentle and unassuming as this is a double-edged sword - people are attracted and repelled by it for the same reason. Mackison has an almost McCartney-esque preoccupation with love, and when he refers to his heart as having been "built for two," you kind of want there to be more of an edge. But, then again, the innocence is what made it special in the first place. With Cleeman, Friday, April 9, 10 p.m., no cover, Le Voyeur, 404 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia, 360.943.5710