Tuesday, Jan. 31 (Webster Hall), Wednesday, Feb. 1 (Pacha), Friday, Feb. 3 (Roseland Ballroom), Saturday, Feb. 4 (Terminal 5), Skrillex, $45-$60
We're still not sure how we feel about DJ sensation Skrillex. Well, we know how we feel about his name, and we sympathize with dance music disciples who find his bottom-heavy assault to be all flash, no art. But for a guy barely on the mainstream radar this time last year to get four almost completely sold-out shows in some of New York's best venues demonstrates that this guy must be pushing people's dumb-fun buttons pretty hard. That said, back in our day we had to walk three miles in the snow just to get one bowel-shaking bass drop in a techno song. Kids today, they demand that their techno songs be all bass drop, all the time. What ever happened to appreciating the need for a good build-up? And why won't they get off my lawn? - Michael Tedder
Friday, Feb. 3, Bjork at New York Hall of Science, $75
I don’t know how much explanation this needs. It’s Bjork. Sure, the ticket price is a little steep, but listen: this is a uniquely tailored, innovative, unmistakable set. The Icelandic singer/visionary/general weirdo has commissioned a number of instruments, set-specific installations and visual collaborations with the Creator’s Project for her Biophilia performance. This is the first show of a residency she’s playing at the hands-on Queens science and technology center. The shows are meant to be intimate, with the audience no more than a few yards from the performers. If Antony’s Radio City production lacked any grandeur or scope whatsoever, Bjork is certainly picking up the slack. – Dale W. Eisinger
Friday, Feb. 3, Nicolas Jaar, Acid Pauli, Valentin Strip, Pavla + Noura, Music Hall of Williamsburg, $25
Nicolas Jaar's approach to electronic music is so minimal and precise that if he was in the same room as Skrillex, they very well might combine like matter and anti-matter, nullifying their very existence and perhaps wiping out the future of the dance genre. Let's hope that doesn't happen. Anyway, Jaar and associates from his Clown & Sunset label will be spinning beats that don't hit hard, but leave plenty of room for mournful sine waves to sneak in to your headspace. -MT
Saturday, Feb. 4, Monday, Feb. 6, The Darkness, Foxy Shazam, Irving Plaza, $41.50
We were going to make some crack about nostalgia for a band that seemed nostalgic when it was new, and that perhaps was visiting this realm from a dimension made out of pure nostalgia, but whatever. "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" is still an awesome song, and it's not like the rock world has gained a more outlandish frontman in the years these arena rock throwbacks have been away. Plus, it's still fun to just randomly sing "guitar" in a high pitch wail. -MT
Saturday, Feb. 4, Zammuto (Nick Zammuto of The Books) and "Achantè" at 92YTribeca, $12/$15
Apparently The Books have stalled a little lately for Nick Zammuto, one of the two masterminds behind the found-art collage op project. This show will be the debut of his recent solo outings. His new work showcases some of the same electronic thrust as The Books’ last record The Way Out, fusing it with the same old-west driftwood Cormac McCarthy aesthetic from The Books’ earlier The Lemon of Pink. As per usual, he’ll be pairing his audio with visual work. "Achantè" is his new 35-minute film, for which he also wrote the score. It’s a rhythmic portrait of Haitian Voodoo, whatever that entails. -- DWE
