You might think that when a band whose music is known for its snow-melt softness, slowness and silence begins adding fuzz basses and feedback to its sound, it’s going to lose its unique charm. But Low is no ordinary band, and the Duluth trio’s latest CD, “Trust” (Kranky), makes that abundantly clear. Low keeps its hushed, introspective strumming from becoming overly familiar shtick by occasionally adding high-dose amplification, more expansive arrangements and some stark, gothic gloom to its pin-drop pop. Yet the songs somehow still transmit the band’s patented blend of brooding power and evanescent beauty.
LOW performs Friday at the Logan Square Auditorium, 2539 N. Kedzie Ave. $15. 773-276-3600.
A LIST
WYCLEF JEAN, Saturday at House of Blues, 329 N. Dearborn St. $30. 312-923-2000. Former Fugee Wyclef Jean comes to town headlining the B96 Jingle Bash and supporting a celebrity-studded, stylistically broad new CD entitled “The Preacher’s Son” (J Records). The disc is a thick, wildly flavored soul stew of Latin music, reggae, old-school R&B and hip-hop, and it is impressively polished and tuneful. But despite the obvious ambition and socially conscious lyrics, it’s often a more pleasant than truly powerful collection. Baby Bash, Frankie J and others will also perform at this set.
NEKO CASE, Friday at the Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln Ave. $16-$20. 773-728-6000. When you listen to Neko Case it’s easy to get lost in her country-cured voice, which can be as big and commanding as backwoods bourbon and as soft and light as kitten fur. But Case’s songs are more than mere vehicles for her pipes, and her often lovely 2002 CD, “Blacklisted” (Bloodshot), was packed with atmospheric, melodic, country-accented tunes that deftly borrowed from torch balladry, roosty pop and even 1960s rock.
OTHER CONCERTS
RYAN ADAMS, Saturday at the Riviera Theatre, 4746 N. Racine Ave. $25. 312-559-1212. Ryan Adams sure looks like a rock superstar, as every recent Adams photo is a studied composite of rumpled rebellion fusing Bob Dylan, James Dean and Joe Strummer. And on stage, Adams certainly acts like a wastrel genius. But his records are another matter. While Adams’ latest, “Rock N Roll” (Lost Highway), is often catchy and spits some infectiously snarling gutter-rock venom, other songs are blatantly derivative of older icons like U2 (“So Alive”) and the Smiths (“Anybody Wanna Take Me Home”).
JANE SIBERRY, Sunday at the Black Orchid, 230 W. North Ave. $25. 312-944-6200. Few pop careers have been more quirky than that of Canadian singer-songwriter Jane Siberry, who’s wandered into and out of the charts while sojourning through pop, classical, electronic and soundtrack music. So it’s not surprising that her latest, “Shushan the Palace (Hymns of Earth)” (Sheeba), sets holiday-themed vocal pieces by Handel, Bach, Holst and others in refined arrangements that straddle the worlds of classical and pop.
HARRY CONNICK JR. AND HIS BIG BAND, Tuesday and Wednesday at the Chicago Theater, 175 N. State St. $31.50-$77. 312-559-1212. Christmas is a time of both memorable surprises and comforting, predictable traditions. And Harry Connick Jr.’s new CD, “Harry for the Holidays” (Columbia), and matching tour reflect the latter by serving up classic tinsel tunes decked out with a blend of Sinatra-style swing and slinkier Crescent City jazz. Not exactly novel but novelty isn’t necessarily a plus in holiday music.
CHEVELLE, Wednesday at House of Blues, 329 N. Dearborn St. $19.50. 312-923-2000. OK, so Chevelle’s fuzzy, piledriver riffing doesn’t add much to the glorious punk-metal grind that Helmet perfected a decade ago. Still, this surprisingly clean-cut local trio shuns both the gimmicky half-man/half-warthog appearance and the formulaic songwriting favored by many aggro-rockers. In fact, Chevelle’s reportedly platinum 2002 CD, “Wonder What’s Next” (Epic), tastefully keeps the Helmet blowtorch burning a bright, belligerent blue.
COHEED AND CAMBRIA, Friday at House of Blues, 329 N. Dearborn St. $12. 312-923-2000. The truly bizarre fusion of punk, heavy metal and prog-rock propagated by wackos like Tool and the Mars Volta is now officially a movement, and this young quartet dishes it by the bucketfull. Coheed & Cambria’s recent CD, “In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3” (Equal Vision), recalls a florid splicing of Rush, the Bad Brains and Shudder To Think, crossed with a deranged strain of emo-core punk.
