The big news for November is the return of the Black Keys. The two-piece blues band reformed after five years to release their most recent album, Let’s Rock. They’ll play Rogers Arena Nov. 24.
Another biggie this month is Sleater-Kinney, the long-running Pacific Northwest indie-rock trio (reduced to a duo after drummer Janet Weiss left, following the recording of their latest album). They’re here Nov. 21.
Below, we’ve highlighted those two shows along with four others we think are worth checking out.
Frankie Cosmos (Nov 2, doors at 7 p.m., Fortune Sound Club, 147 E. Pender St.)—The quartet’s latest, Close It Quietly, is introspective, warm ‘n’ fuzzy bedroom-by-way-of-Brooklyn indie-pop. Greta Kline, who fronts the band, is the daughter of actors Kevin Kline and Phoebe Cates. Close It Quietly is the group’s fourth album. (Tickets: $22.50 at ticketweb.ca)
Frankie Cosmos. Jackie Lee Young photo.
Julia Jacklin (Nov 19, show at 8 p.m., Venue, 881 Granville St.)—The singer/songwriter is on tour for her sophomore album, Crushing. It’s been likened to “a dreamy indie pop/confessional alt-country in the same vein as Angel Olsen or Sharon Van Etten.” Rolling Stone calls the album “a profound statement that stands as an early candidate for this year’s strongest singer-songwriter breakthrough.” (Tickets: $22 at ticketweb.ca)
Brittany Howard (Nov. 19, Commodore Ballroom, 868 Granville St.)—The frontwoman of Alabama Shakes on tour for her debut solo album Jaime. Pitchfork calls the album “exceptional… a thrilling opus that pushes the boundaries of voice, sound, and soul to new extremes.” (Tickets: n/a)
Brittany Howard and band.
Chelsea Wolfe (Nov. 21, Vogue Theatre, 918 Granville St.)—The Northern California singer/songwriter is on tour for her latest album Birth of Violence. According to the media release, the record marks “a return to the reclusive nature of her earlier recordings… But the album also exists in the present; she examines navigating the world as a woman and addresses modern tragedies such as school shootings and the poisoning of the planet.” (Tickets: $19.99-24.99 at eventbrite.ca)
Sleater-Kinney (Nov. 21, Commodore Ballroom)—After recording their latest album, The Center Won’t Hold, with avant-pop singer/songwriter/producer St. Vincent, founding members Corine Tucker and Carrie Brownstein lost long-time drummer Janet Weiss. The two are soldiering on, however, with drummer Angie Boylan, guitarist-keyboardist Katie Harkin, and keyboardist Toko Yasuda. “As a quintet, Sleater-Kinney has never sounded better, but it starts up front with Tucker and Brownstein, who trade vocals and guitar riffs with a jaw-dropping fury that made them riot-grrrl icons in the ‘90s,” the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette‘s Scott Mervis writes in a review of an Oct. 26 show. “All these years later, they left us with no doubt that they are still one of punk’s most talented, provocative and versatile bands.” (Tickets: $47.50 at ticketmaster.ca)
Sleater-Kinney plays the Commodore Ballroom Nov. 21.
The Black Keys (Nov. 24, Rogers Arena, 800 Griffiths Way)—Formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney have risen to the top of the blues-rock heap. Their commercial breakthrough came with the 2010 album Brothers, which featured the single “Tighten Up” and which received three Grammy Awards. Their latest is Let’s Rock, which they recorded with acclaimed producer Danger Mouse. Their Vancouver stop is the last of the tour and features supporting act Modest Mouse. (Tickets: starting at $56 at ticketmaster.ca)
Some other notable concerts include The Babe Rainbow (Nov. 7, Fox Cabaret), Thievery Corporation (Nov. 26 & 27, Commodore Ballroom), and Mount Eerie (Nov. 30, Christ Church Cathedral).
