Carrie Underwood w/ Sons of Sylvia
Marcus Amphitheater, 7:30 p.m.
As a pretty blonde with a tonally pure,lung-buster of a voice and built-in following as a winner of “American Idol,” it was almost a foregone conclusion that Carrie Underwood would succeed in any style of music. She chose commercial-radio country and, as expected, an Underwood single that doesn’t reach No. 1 in airplay is rare indeed. Perhaps only Taylor Swift rivals her as country royalty.
But just because Underwood seems to have it all doesn't mean you have to hate her. At her best, she can sell a song like few others.Give her credit, too, for the occasional forays into material that plays against her light, sweet persona. She may not be a shotgun-wielding Miranda Lambert, but the gal can raise a ruckus (even if she won’t be threatening her exes with bullets and attempted arson).
And, really,there's no denying that voice. Underwood’s vegetarianism and PETA support give her an edge that probably rubs some of her rural listeners the wrong way, but no doubt many of those cynics succumbed just like all those “Idol”voters who became converts as well. That voice makes it tough not to be a fan.(Jamie Lee Rake)
Devo
Miller Lite Oasis, 10 p.m.
Devo has remained plenty active since they released their last album of new material, Smooth Noodle Maps, in 1990. They’ve toured heavily, recorded music for movie soundtracks, experimented with multimedia projects (including a forgotten CD-ROM adventure game), backed bassist/singer Gerald Casale on his satirical side project Jihad Jerry & the Evildoers, and infamously teamed with Disney for Devo 2.0, an all-kid cover band that sang G-rated rewrites of incongruously sexual Devo songs like “Whip It,” “Uncontrollable Urge” and “Jerkin’ Back ’n’ Forth.” For all their activity, though, it seemed less likely with each passing year that the band would release an actual new Devo album.
“When you write a new record, you put yourself on the line,” Casale told the Shepherd in 2006, explaining the pressures intrinsic to releasing a new album after such a long sabbatical. “You’re saying, ‘This is us, this is what we have to say,’ and I couldn’t get the group to commit to that.”
The band eventually relented. This summer, Devo will finally release a new record, Something for Everybody. A teaser single from the album, “Fresh,” lives up to its name, updating Devo’s classic, synthesized new wave ever so slightly with a taut groove surprisingly in step with modern alternative music.
Devo once feared overly high expectations for a new album, but now they’re inviting them. In interviews, Casale has repeatedly described Something for Everybody as Devo’s best album yet. (Evan Rytlewski)
Silversun Pickups
U.S. Cellular Connections Stage, 10 p.m.
When the Silversun Pickups returned home to Los Angeles in 2008 after two years largely spent touring, it should have felt like a victory. After all, during their time on the road the group had earned considerable alt-rock radio play for their single “Lazy Eye,” which turned their 2006 debut album, Carnavas, into a belated hit. On returning, though, Los Angeles seemed a darker place than they remembered it. Singer Brian Aubert’s mother passed away, and he found his friends weren’t doing so well, either. The economic downturn had turned the bright-eyed artists he remembered into hungry job seekers, desperate to take on any work to pay their bills.
All that set the mood for a more somber album from Silversun Pickups. Without taming the electric charge of their debut album, the group’s 2009 follow-up, Swoon, is caked in extra tension and paranoia. Seeking to tap the eerie sweep of Italian horror film scores, the band recorded parts of the record with a 16-piece string section.
For an album so tormented, though, Swoon is a remarkably pretty record. Produced like their debut by former Milwaukeean Dave Cooley, Swoon retains the opulent, shoegazey sheen of Carnavas. The album also affirmed the band’s commercial appeal, with its lead single “Panic Switch” peaking at the top of the alternative-rock charts. (Evan Rytlewski)
