This fall promises to be one of Madison's most musically sound.  Read on to learn which shows to check out and where to find ‘em.

THE FREQUENCY

Waxahatchee w/ Screaming Females, Tenement, Tiny Daggers –Sept 23

Katie Crutchfield's tender singer-songwriting will make you want to cry, or just feel very tender things in your heart.  Her songs are so simple and so pure that you will be tricked into believing you can write them yourself.

For Fans Of: the Breeders, Mikal Cronin, Elliott Smith

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Th-43wkrg_k

Screaming Females are a trio from New Brunswick, New Jersey who play thrash-worthy punk music.  Singer and guitarist Marissa Paternoster's voice is the primary instrument, a tool that she yields unapologetically over soaring guitar licks and crashing cymbals.  Even over playful lyrics like “Laura and Marty went to a party,” the music of Screaming Females carries the power of a natural disaster.  Best of all, they aren't the kind of angry band that you can only listen to when trying to get over a break-up or get rid of some pent-up rage: the hooks in their songs are catchy and will be stuck in your head for days.

FFO: Sleater-Kinney, Superchunk, Lightning Bolt

Unknown Mortal Orchestra w/ Fargo – Oct 22

With funky bass licks, soft, soulful crooning, and catchy melodies, Unknown Mortal Orchestra sounds just like a warm summer day spent drinking beer with friends at James Madison Park.  Delicate Simon and Garfunkel harmonies are punctuated by mostly electric guitar-driven melodies and backed by a steady drum beat that'll have you tapping your foot and humming along.

FFO: Tame Impala, the Beatles, the Brothers Johnson

MAJESTIC

of Montreal – Oct 31

Stock up on glitter, bring your best feather boa and buy those six-inch velvet platform heels you've been eyeing, cause of Montreal are coming to town.  Equal parts funk and pop, of Montreal combines deeply personal lyrics with the sexual prowess and gender bending of Prince to create music that makes you want to bust out your best David Byrne dance moves.  Abrupt melodic transitions and choral arrangements that bring to mind Ancient Greek dramas suit the compelling narratives woven together by brainchild and lead singer/guitarist, Kevin Barnes.  A member of the Athens, Georgia Elephant 6 collective (home to Neutral Milk Hotel), of Montreal can be counted on to bring the weird.  When I heard they were playing a Halloween show in Madison, I knew the confetti blasters, performance art pieces, bizarre graphics and costume changes of shows past would instantly be put to shame. Need I say any more?

FFO: Prince, Talking Heads, STRFKR

ORPHEUM

Tame Impala – Oct 9

A Tame Impala show is like falling down Alice in Wonderland's rabbit hole or looking into a kaleidoscope while on LSD.  The melancholy of “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” has made the song one of my favorites of the year, with enough distortion and synthesizer to bring this band to the forefront of the ongoing psychedelic revival.

FFO: Unknown Mortal Orchestra, St. Vincent, any late 60's band

Father John Misty – Oct 13

Before I was acquainted with Father John Misty's music, I knew him primarily from the album cover for Fear Fun, which hangs in our conference room at WSUM.  It's kind of a psychedelic, Pop Art reimagining of an image of Jesus with other religious overtones; so I was hooked by the album art, but I had no idea what to expect when it came to the music.  Truth be told, Father John Misty's sound is a lot like my first impressions of the album cover: imaginative lyrics that are both mystic and slice-of-life are held together by a repetitive jangly melody.  Plus, the sexy video above features a demonic Aubrey Plaza.

FFO: Justin Townes Earle, the Mynabirds, Foxygen

Animal Collective – Oct 16

With a career that spans over a decade, Animal Collective's discography is certainly hard to sum up.  Their sound is even more unique, combining psychedelic, jam band, electronic, and tribal sounds to create something that sounds cluttered, fluid, and organic all at the same time.   Over the past year, AnCo have grown to be one of my favorite bands, consistently churning out complex, layered albums that allow for new discoveries every time I listen.  I was able to see them perform earlier this year at Bonnaroo, and it was siiickk.  The band members emerged casually onto a stage flooded with colorful lights and filled with towering geometric worm-like sculptures.  This isn't a show you're gonna wanna miss.

FFO: Neutral Milk Hotel, Tune-Yards

HIGH NOON

Savages – Weds 9/18

SAVAGES is not trying to give you something you didn't have already, it is calling within yourself something you buried ages ago, it is an attempt to reveal and reconnect your PHYSICAL and EMOTIONAL self and give you the urge to experience your life differently, your girlfriends, your husbands, your jobs, your erotic life and the place music occupies in your life. Because we must teach ourselves new ways ofPOSITIVE MANIPULATIONS, music and words are aiming to strike like lightning, like a punch in the face, a determination to understand the WILL and DESIRES of the self. – from the Savages website

Savages are a four-piece all-female post-punk band from London.  Nothing about them is unintentional: from the declarative, almost prophetic statements they post on their website to their music itself, everything about Savages aims to make you WAKE UP.  Jehnny Beth's wailing, guttural voice floats high over guitar soaked in feedback and thrumming bass, giving the illusion that you're bobbing your head in a basement club in the eighties.

FFO: Siouxsie and the Banshies, Patti Smith, Girls Names

MEMORIAL UNION

Bleached – 9/27 (FREE)

Bleached are a sister duo from LA serving up garage-y pop punk.  Their first LP, Ride Your Heart, was released this year, and features simple songs about teenage love.  Their music makes you want to wear more leopard print and kiss posters of Joey Ramone.

FFO: The Runaways, King Tuff, not washing your hair