Tuesday, March 20, Odd Future at Hammerstein Ballroom, $35/$40
As one of Odd Future's less-public figures, Frank Ocean was immediately canonized on not one but two Watch The Throne tracks in 2011. This seemed to happen quickly to the young R&B singer for two reasons -- a) he stayed out of the overblown press machine the band early on figured how to work, through debauchery and controversy and sheer expression of angst, and b) he was one of the few of the many OF members who had legitimate talent beyond shock and awe. Ocean seemed to be the group's best hope -- to us, he still seems that way. But for Odd Future now, with the thought of an LP for the group proper and another album cycle coming around, the idea of just how Odd Future plans to mature as artists, writers, press objects and performers is what's most thrilling -- who cares about the music here, besides "Novacaine Part II?" This show will be a taste of the Odd Future madness in months to come. - Dale W. Eisinger
Thursday, March 22, Danny Brown, World's Fair, Young Zee, Santos Party House, $15
Danny Brown has a lot to celebrate. His debut album XXX -- named rap album of the year by "Spin -- was recently re-released on iTunes featuring bonus tracks. He made the coveted (more or less) "XXL" Freshmen Class cover issue (even if he had to endure a few snipes that at 30, he was the oldest freshmen "XXL" has ever had. But whatever!) and he recently got to show off his awesome t-shirt collection in his video for "Radio Song." So why don't you partake in his celebration of self down at Santos?He likes to brag that he'll "Die Like a Rock Star," but maybe he'll cool it with that kind of talk once he sees how much people appreciate the warped sense of humor and mind-bending rhyme schemes he's bringing to the game. - Michael Tedder
Thursday, March 22, Mr. Dream, Hunters at Mercury Lounge, $10
We're not sure why we didn't latch onto Mr. Dream with all claws at first. Is it the reminder of similarly named '80s power-ballad guru Mr. Big, continually haunting our karaoke failures? Certainly that can't be at the root of the issue. Regardless, the slow build around this powerful live trio -- fundamentally just a band in the same way The Men will tell you they are just a band -- is absolutely well-earned. Pair Mr. Dream with one of our all-time favorite bands, the ever-effusive Brooklyn punks Hunters, and call us stoked. - DWE
Saturday, March 24, The Mountain Goats, Anonymous 4, Merkin Concert Hall, $20
The Ecstatic Music Fest is wrapping up, but there are still a few things left to see. Spazzmaster Dan Deacon's collaboration with the NOW Ensemble should be interesting, but for our money the highlight of this series is The Mountain Goats collaboration with the avant-vocal choir Anonymous 4. Head Goat John Darnielle wrote a new series of songs, called Transcendental Youth, for the long-running historically-minded quartet, and recruited orchestral-indie talent Owen Pallett to help out with strings. This will be the first time this collaboration will be heard anywhere. But don't stress if you didn't get a ticket; Q2 will have your stream for you right here. - MT
