Crucial Concerts for the Coming Week

Mannequin Pussy

The Parish, Tuesday 12

Angel Du$t and Pinkshift open

At their heaviest, Mannequin Pussy pummel with the best of 'em, frantic guitar tumbling over ruthless, gnarly imagery. Sonic assault ("Cream") and lyrical flogging ("Kiss") aside, the band's also got a penchant for melody: Check out the anthemic "Drunk II," where a guitar solo sails when earlier numbers would fizzle.

With May EP Perfect, the Philly punks push this dichotomy even further. Fuzz menace and sparkling synths sit side-by-side. Frontwoman Marisa Dabice's harrowing squall propels the walloping title track, while in stark closing ballad "Darling" light reverb and electronic drums soundtrack sincere devotion. At a snarl or a sigh, what keeps Mannequin Pussy grounded is their unrelenting vulnerability.

Written in the studio – a first for the band who prefers to record well-rehearsed material – the project offered a fresh approach to songwriting during a creative lull. "It was very exciting to realize that sometimes it doesn't take two years to finish writing a song. Sometimes you can finish writing a song in a day," Dabice tells the Chronicle.

On tour after a year away, Dabice speaks gratefully about the "collective catharsis" of performing. With Perfect, they've got the right material for the job. "They want to scream, they want to cry," she says of the fans turning up to shows. "They want to just feel loud music vibrating in their bodies. So we are so happy to oblige." – Carys Anderson

Blue Öyster Cult

Haute Spot, Saturday 9

Now 54, Blue Öyster Cult leveraged last October to levitate the onetime Long Islanders' 14th studio spell since 1972. Only their second LP this millennium, The Symbol Remains takes its title from the hard rock occultists' Revölution by Night rumbler "The Shadow of California," but can't quite keep pace with 2001's Curse of the Hidden Mirror, an easily overlooked grace note in a thrilling and thinking man's catalog of psychic séances. Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser's "Box in My Head" could slot on his 1982 solo sleeper Flat Out, while Eric Bloom's "Alchemist" taps discographical alpha "Astronomy," both survivors still leading the Godzilla tamers. – Raoul Hernandez

Lauren Lo Sung, Lizette Roman

Revival Coffee, Saturday 9

UK producer/DJ Lauren Lo Sung spins at Revival Coffee, courtesy of Robert Roman's techno/house label ubiyu, which throws underground outdoor events showcasing international and local loop junkies. That scene bends toward vocal-free, subtly bubbling rhythms perfect to soundtrack hypnotic happenings. Perhaps connected to Lo Sung by the underground Vatos Locos DJ/label network that dips into town, ubiyu welcomes Lo Sung's thick tech and upbeat grooves. Opening DJ Lizette Roman (Robert's sister) is also one of the most dedicated and exciting young techno DJs in Austin now. She's also moving away soon, so the clock's ticking. – Christina Garcia

Lee "Scratch" Perry Tribute

Flamingo Cantina, Saturday 9

In his laboratory, the Black Ark studio, Lee "Scratch" Perry changed the laws of physics, increasing the gravitational pull of recorded music with a hypnotic focus on bass and drum riddims. When the vastly influential dub visionary, who passed away in late August, appeared locally – with electric red hair, multitudes of finger rings, a ball cap crown full of shiny doo-dads, and an eternal puff of cannabis smoke – Flamingo Cantina was his spot. The Austin reggae holy land now welcomes Scratch's band, NYC's Subatomic Sound System, for a posthumous tribute with Screechy Dan on the mic. – Kevin Curtin

Church on Monday

Continental Club Gallery, Monday 11

"It's really hard to believe we'll be starting our 10th year at the Gallery next Monday," emailed tenor sax colossus and Austin native Elias Haslanger last week. Returning to the bedrock South Congress residency this past June after a 16-month lockout, the bandleader and his merry band of jazz veterans – former Ray Charles bandleader and organist Dr. James Polk, guitarist Tommy Howard, drummer Daniel Dufour, and Sam Pankey on bass – continue repopulating magnetic Monday sets of Fifties-leaning cool blues & bop for homies and tourist foot traffic alike. Having lost drummer Scott Laningham to heart attack in May, the Church on Monday cabal begins a new decade not as young lions, but kings of the pride. – Raoul Hernandez

Guthrie Girls

Sam's Town Point, Wednesday 13

DNA strands in the grinning lineage of American folk, the Guthrie Girls have been enlivening hump-day nights at South Austin honky-dive Sam's Town Point. Daughters of Arlo and granddaughters of Woody, Sarah Lee strums guitar and sings, while sister Cathy (of Folk Uke fame) supplements delightfully on the mic. Their sweet singing, evidenced by a cover of Gordon Lightfoot's "Sundown," is only upstaged by the smiling vibe they cultivate. Fronting a country/folk/bar-band, Grandpa's "I Ain't Got No Home in This World Anymore" becomes two-step dance fodder, while "Hobo's Lullaby" emits momentous compassion. – Kevin Curtin