Deadmau5, The Graduate, Restaurant, Sons & Daughters

DEADMAU5
Two self-incriminating facts about Joel Zimmerman, a.k.a. white-hot tech/house DJ Deadmau5: (1) His creative laboratory is called the “Deadmau5 Disco Den of Despair and Inequity”, and (2), he first dove into music as the co-producer of the radio program “The Party Revolution” in his hometown of Niagara Falls. If your interest is already piqued, do yourself a favor and seek him out live. In just three short years as an artist, Deadmau5 is beloved as a producer and DJ by colleagues and in mega-clubs around the world. Pete Tong brought Deadmau5 to a global audience with the track “Faxing Berlin”, and for good reason: a hearing monitor effect on the track speeds to a fatal pace (nearly paranoia-inducing) before releasing itself into a nasty beat drop. Deadmau5′s productions and remixes are an incredibly dance-friendly combo of trance, techno and house. Scour U.K. club and dance scene compilations like Mixmag’s Tech-Trance-Electro-Madness or In Search of Sunrise 6: Ibiza for more. (Appearing at House of Blues on Sept. 5) –text: Justine Reisinger

THE GRADUATE
Hailing from Springfield, Illinois, The Graduate formed in 2005 and garnered attention after releasing their Horror Show EP two years ago. Last spring saw the release of the quintet’s full-length debut, Anhedonia, and they’ve been furiously touring the nation in support of the record ever since. Named after a disorder for loss of joy, the album title is apropos to the topics the band embodies. Not all of their power-pop/emo songs are about despair, however, with the song “I Survived” (about leaving town and starting anew) notably more optimistic. Their press release describes their music as, “laced with bold rhythms interspersed with flourishing progressions and macabre beats that support the delicate beauty of the band’s shimmering guitars.” While that statement could describe hundreds of bands, The Graduate’s nostalgic lyrics and catchy rhythms propel them to the next class. (Appearing with Holiday Parade and Thieves & Villains at Subterranean on Sept. 6) –text: Garin Pirnia–photo: Jesse Barrera

RESTAURANT
Most readily noted as “that digital hillbilly rock screaming duo from Victoria, Texas” (although the members of Restaurant have since relocated to L.A.), the band’s only actual performance inside the Lone Star State border was at this year’s SXSW. Offering a uniquely digital garage-punk-meets-redneck-rock sound, complete with a stage decorated with old license plates and various trash dump offerings (that also function as essential instrumentation alongside guitars, banjos and screaming vocals), Troy Murrah and Jonathan Case have deservedly found themselves a huge fan base in California – playing everywhere from Venice to L.A.’s elite hideouts. Restaurant has recently released their full-length debut on Narnack Records after a last-minute scraping of the title Restaurant Returns to the refurbished tribute Returns to the Tomb of Guiliano Medidici, named after a 14th century co-ruler of Florence who died after being stabbed 19 times and whose illegitimate son later became Pope Clement VII. (Appearing with Team Rockit at Empty Bottle on Sept. 4) –text: Jyn Radakovits

SONS & DAUGHTERS
Scotland might be on the brink of a musical civil war.or at least a slight rethinking of the country’s sonic landscape. Although the famed Glastonbury Festival has long been a rock ‘n’ roll staple, the European host nation has for just as long also served as a hotbed for delicate twee pop a la Belle and Sebastian and Camera Obscura. But with the noteworthy rock ranks growing during the past few years to include acts such as Franz Ferdinand, there soon might be another shift in the balance of power. And this year’s outstanding Sons and Daughters’ release, This Gift, certainly isn’t going to hurt the guitar-slingers’ cause. The bouncy, blistering LP packs a dozen tunes full of Adele Bethel’s sassy vocals. And her backing band compliments the captivating frontwoman with unadulterated hard-hitting rhythms that prove the antithesis to their country’s longstanding reputation for fragile pop music. (Appearing with Apteka at Double Door on Sept. 6) –text: Derek Wright–photo: Danielle St. Laurent