The Submarines, Wed., May 27

Sometimes really poppy, intentionally happy, rock ’n’ roll music crafted by Caucasian people has the opposite effect of joy and actually makes listeners want to kill themselves. Luckily, that’s not the case with Los Angeles’ Submarines. Their often upbeat tunes are cut with interesting echo effects, tinny drums and intricately layered electronica, giving their commercial sound a rusty edge. For instance, the track “1940” is straight-up pop, except it’s produced by Zion I’s AmpLive, who crafts the song into a moody, dub-inspired masterpiece. This band’s a Volkswagen commercial away from total fame. 1 Shields Avenue in Davis; www.myspace.com/thesubmarinesmusic.