Glass Candy and the Shattered Theatre Think Ziggy Stardust as a woman. Then think about biting down on a hunk of broken glass. Then think about that weird friend of yours who knows someone who likes that kinda stuff. Then call them to meet you at the show. June 9, Hemlock Tavern.

Mark Gardener and Gold Rush The former singer-guitarist of unsung Britpop heroes Ride graces fans who've been feverishly waiting for a follow-up to 1996's Tarantula. And yes, if you need know, we're just as anxious for that Suede update too. June 8, 330 Ritch.

Music Lovers S.F.-via-U.K. transplant Matthew Edwards's Music Lovers have gone unnoticed for far too long. When it comes to purveyors of fop pop in the vein of Scott Walker or Felt, they're probably our country's finest example. Let 'em know now, or they just might threaten to take their thing elsewhere. June 8, Cafe du Nord.

T.I.T.S. Now that they've got your attention, take a listen to the trudging bass lines and eerily infective guitar and vocal riffs these four grrrls use to blur the lines of punk, metal, drone, and hardcore. Hey, you! Eyes up here! June 11, 12 Galaxies.

Mike McGuirk

EZ Action It features the dude who sang for both Laughing Hyenas and Negative Approach: John Brannon. This guy's one of the most incredible vocalists of all time, and even though he's clean now, he still sings like he found his mother's O.D.'d body and took her leftover drugs and then sold them to his daughter so he could buy even worse ones. The music is superheavy Dee-troit rock-punk. Fuck the Murder City Devils. Really. Fuck that band. Tues/7, Hemlock Tavern.

Eric Landmark With a curtly strummed acoustic guitar, and lately, a female harmony partner, Landmark unearths ancient songs. They call it old-timey music. He says most of them are about yearning for the good old days, which means that in 1850, they were already living in the "bad old days." If you're lucky, he will sing the one about how hard life is for blind people. June 8, Hemlock Tavern.

Gay Barbarians This is the band longhair Anthony Petrovic was in before he started Ezee Tiger (also performing). Weedy with lots of loud guitars. June 9, Eagle Tavern; Ezee Tiger June 10, Balazo Gallery.

Drunk Horse They play modern boogie metal. Basically, if you have ever listened to an entire Foghat record, if you are a member of 107.7 the Bone's Boneyard Workforce, or if you like guitar-whiz soloing with manly vocals and a minimum of record-collector pretentiousness, then you need to see this band. June 10, 12 Galaxies.

Alex K. Fong

Michael Zapruder More than six years have passed since Michael Zapruder embarked on his 52 Songs project (52songs), for which he wrote and recorded a tune each week in 1999. In contrast, his latest record, This Is a Beautiful Town (Explorable Oriole), shows a deliberateness in its warm arranging and songwriting that recalls Elvis Costello and Mark Eitzel. Join him as he performs pop music for sophisticates. Sun/5, Make-Out Room.

Little Fuzzy There's something about Little Fuzzy that makes me think of teddy bears in bondage. Maybe it's their band name or the rainbow colors I see when I hear their music. One thing is for certain: their brash amalgam of garage, funk, and orchestrated pop makes for good, clean bubblegum and S-M fun. June 6, Hush Hush Lounge.

Roots of Orchis Ladies, alert – instrumental hip-hop group Roots of Orchis feature not just one bassist, but two! Instead of laying down phat thumping bottom end, they deploy melodic, contrapuntal lines over ethereal samples and hard drum beats. Emo kids will definitely get down. They need it. Tues/7, 12 Galaxies.

Harbour Music What is it about that No Depression blueprint left behind by Uncle Tupelo? That unmistakable sound seems so familiar and comfortable, and yet its proponents, like Harbour Music, never grow wearisome. Everyone, keep your heart on your sleeve. June 8, Make-Out Room.

Pillows Many things come in pairs: socks, scissors, gloves, and Pillows' Jessica Cowley and Julia Shirar. Together they perform an aggressive brand of folk music that sounds like Sleater-Kinney or Le Tigre with Sandy Denny on lead vocals. No, they probably won't be doing "The Battle of Evermore." June 8, Hemlock Tavern.

Paula Frazer Returning as a solo act with the same wistful and aching Americana that has defined her career since her days in the defunct local band Tarnation, Paula Frazer has an unforgettable voice that combines Patsy Cline with Chrissie Hynde. June 9, 12 Galaxies.

Lovemakers Duran Duran fans upset with the band's decline into middle-aged mediocrity should love the Lovemakers. The trio play the sort of danceable synth pop that makes you want to sing the hooks while getting down on the floor and shaking it. Fans of voyeurism will enjoy the live show of dildos, skimpy clothes, and impromptu make-out sessions. June 9, Independent.

Invisible Cities They have all the hallmarks of a twee band: whispery voices singing boy-girl harmonies, strummy guitars, and songs that recall the innocent pop of another generation. But underneath the surface beats the melancholy heart of a jazz group executing its songs with a sense of dynamics and space. Audience members should wear cardigans and sunglasses in homage to both genres. Leave the dope at home. June 10, Argus Lounge.

Fred Frith The award-winning, visually improvised film Step Across the Border includes an equally in-the-moment soundtrack composed and performed by famed avant-garde guitarist Fred Frith. Imagine you're playing "Where's Waldo?" and you'll feel a great sense of satisfaction when you discover the visual and musical logic. Hint: always look in the corner. June 11, Artists' Television Access.

Victor Krummenacher

Oxbow Once the buzz band of the moment, they never really caught on here, but they have a large European following. They've always put on great shows. Tues/7, Hemlock Tavern.

Enorchestra What started as a tribute to Brian Eno's Taking Tiger Mountain (by Strategy) has become more of tribute to Eno's pop music in general, as the orch expands its repertoire to include songs from more of Eno's great '70s catalog. June 8, 12 Galaxies.

Kelley Stoltz One of the Bay Area's best songwriters, Stoltz fuses many unique influences into his own coherent vision more seamlessly than most who try. June 9, 12 Galaxies.

Drunk Horse Primal, loud, riff-oriented, sometimes almost proggy – and good. Combine with Dirty Power for an earplug-wearing fest. June 10, 12 Galaxies.

Bridget Schwartz Not many comics other than Patton Oswalt are actually funny, but Bridget Schwartz is. June 11, Hemlock Tavern.

Folk it

Leyna Noel inherits the estrogen-drenched mantle of singer-songwriters like Sarah Dougher, Lois, and Cat Power and purveys apples by day and mood-swept ditties by night. The Great Neck, N.Y., native, poet, zine maker, and Mills College habituée puts her share of artistry into the "art songs" on last year's self-released debut, The Honest Voluptuary. Also tonight, Justine Herbert, a.k.a. Fiji Mermaid, hits just the right quiet note of a chlorophyll-enriched, cricket-happy daydream, judging from the sound of her recent album, Green Pond (RLdL). Tues/7, Make-Out Room. (Kimberly Chun)

Pop art

"Marxist girls" shout-outs and Elvis Costello-like vocals – what's not to love when it comes to the Music Lovers, the Bay Area's least-appreciated pop savants, and the songs off their forthcoming full-length, The Music Lovers Guide for Young People. Lead Lover Ted says they're busy looking for management to handle all the affection heading their way. The gentle funk of the Doobie Brothers, and production that sounds like it occurred hundreds of feet below sea level – Sugar and Gold, a San Francisco combo made up of ex-members of Dura-Delinquent, sound perfectly at home slipped in beside selections by Call and Response and a tranquilized Tower of Power. Meanwhile the colon-happy P:ano were damn good the last time they came around. But dang, their latest album, Brigadoon, is a major-minor orchestral pop marvel – no hooey. And pass a little of the Brian Wilson. Music Lovers play June 8, Cafe du Nord. Sugar and Gold play June 9, Sugar and Gold Edinburgh Castle Pub. P:ano play June 10, Edinburgh Castle Pub. (Kimberly Chun)

All the little indie rockers

Indie rock that really rocks – that could be some kind marketing slogan for the Ebb and Flow, who like to follow cello with psych freak-out on their new album, Time to Echolocate (Three Ring). It's driving you batty, but admit it: you like it. You really, really like it. On the other paw, Bermuda Triangle Service want you to trust them about the high quality of their melodica- and musical saw-crafted music. OK? OK – né Marty Anderson of Fremont, the tech-serf bedroom community that nightlife forgot – takes both the Low Road and the High Road (both Absolutely Kosher) and still manages to sound better than 75 percent of all music makers out there. Also check the most manic men in S.F. show biz, Harold Ray Live in Concert, and goad them to perform greater feats of theatrical derring-do. Ebb and Flow play Tues/7, 12 Galaxies. Bermuda Triangle Service play June 8, Make-Out Room. OK plays June 11, Swedish American Hall. Harold Ray Live in Concert play June 9, Rickshaw Stop. (Kimberly Chun)