Thurs., Sept. 05, the Dodos

Meric Long has a voice that can sing any weak-noodle lyric and make it sound palatable. Fortunately, the words he writes for his San Francisco band, the Dodos, are al dente. The group's 2011 album No Color was an awesome-sauce mix of playful high energy and haunting instrumentation (hear “Companions.” Please. The video is worth watching, too). The band just released Carrier on August 27, and on some tracks, the ferociously marching drums in cahoots with the somersaulting rhythm guitar and bittersweet melody reminds of late-'90s Pocket for Corduroy. The Dodos begin their tour in Sacramento this week, and, as @TheDodos tweeted, it would do you well to “bring ur face!” 2708 J Street, www.dodosmusic.net.