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72 Hours: Eleanor Friedberger, Kurt Vile, Rage and more

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The weekly Pop & Hiss rundown of the weekend’s top concerts.

Friday

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Eleanor Friedberger @ Origami Vinyl. Friedberger’s solo debut, ‘Last Summer,’ is a beautiful collection of pop oddities and forgotten comforts. Known best for work in pop experimentalists the Fiery Furnaces, Friedberger here sounds like she’s canvassed a well-curated vinyl collection for inspiration and then tinkered with everything so it’s just outside of the familiar. There’s soulful piano-driven power pop, street-wise ‘70s funk, carnivalesque confessionals and everything in between. Yet it’s always Friedberger who’s out front, enunciating every syllable as if she’s giving a reading rather than singing a song. Her level of storytelling, however, deserves such treatment. Something as simple as a failed attempt to visit Topanga’s Inn of the Seventh Ray is a jumping-off point for melancholic nostalgia and summers laced with unfullfilled promises. This 7 p.m. show, in the loft at Origami, is free, so arrive as soon as your work schedule allows. Origami Vinyl, 1816 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles. Free. -- Todd Martens

Kurt Vile & Thurston Moore @ the Troubadour. A pair of guitar aces grace the intimacy of the Troubadour, and expect them to play nice in the small venue. On leave from Sonic Youth, Moore will largely be in acoustic mode, showcasing for the strummy, violin-enhanced lushness of his recent ‘Demolished Thoughts.’ Prettiness rules over dissonance, and with hushed vocals residing over the proceedings, this is Moore defanged. The sold-out crowd would be wise to arrive early for Philadelphia’s Vile. There’s working-class venom in his lyrics, and each arrangement is carefully laid out with the most sharply intricate of electric guitar leads. Vile doesn’t sing so much as slur, but the feel is one of effortlessness rather than laziness, as if this bitter slacker has no choice but to stand on stage with his guitar. The Troubadour, 9081 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood. Friday (Also Thursday). The show is sold out, and tickets on the secondary market are running $30-$50. -- TM

Saturday

L.A. Rising with Rage Against the Machine @ L.A. Memorial Coliseum. Every couple of years Rage Against the Machine emerges from some furious sanctum somewhere in the hills to serve another helping of fist-raising agit-rock. This is not a knock. There’s still plenty to be upset about in this economic climate, and few bands capture the anthemic sound of righteous fury quite so capably even some 20 years out of their prime. This time they’ve formed a politically minded-palooza of sorts with Muse, Rise Against, Lauren Hill and more to frame information booths for various nonprofits and activist programs that’s been unfortunately dubbed the ‘Re-Education Camp.’ Who knows how successful they are at inciting much action outside of a given mosh pit after this many years, but at least the band remains committed to its battles even as its members can’t quite stay committed to each other. L.A. Memorial Coliseum, 3939 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles. Saturday, 1 p.m. Tickets range from $70-99, not including surcharges. -- Chris Baron

Metronomy @ the Echoplex. Metronomy’s ‘The English Riveria’ will probably get some deserved second looks after snaring a nomination for Britain’s well-regarded Mercury Prize. It’s well-crafted electronic pop, and the synths are fleshed out with soft instrumentation and an assortment of exquisite digital effects. The mood is relatively relaxed, but each song is packed with digital coloring. Also on the bill is the soulful synth-pop of local Nite Jewel. The Echo, 1822 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles. Saturday. Tickets are $16 at the door. Advance tickets are sold out. -- TM

Sunday

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Yuck @ the Satellite. With a sound seemingly engineered in some laboratory to be a Schedule I drug for thirtysomething rock critics, this London quartet was a favorite among the online cognoscenti for a few hot minutes this year before the Internet moved onto something shinier (Wu Lyf, your table is ready). Still, for all the fuzzed-out guitars straight out of Dinosaur Jr.’s wheelhouse and melodies sugary enough to be a Teenage Fanclub outtake, there’s no denying that the neighborhood where Yuck is drawing from is dated, but it’s also among indie rock’s finest. Hearing them carve out some room of their own on albums to come should be a pleasure regardless of how old you are. The Satellite, 1717 Silver Lake Blvd., Los Angeles, Sunday. Tickets are $13 in advance; $15 at the door. (Also Saturday at the Troubadour, a show that is sold out. Tickets remain for the Satellite at time of posting). -- CB

Robbie Fulks @ McCabe’s. At six years, it’s been too long since Chicago’s alt-country maven has released a studio album of original material, but it’s also not often Fulks makes it all the way to the West Coast. When one gets right down to it, there’s not too much ‘alt’ about Fulks’ take on country. At least it shouldn’t be, but a love for rock ‘n’ roll and storytelling with a self-aware dash of sarcasm is sadly all too rare. McCabe’s. 3101 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica. Tickets are $16. -- TM

More weekend tips can be found here.

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Your wistful summer song: Eleanor Friedberger’s ‘Scenes from Bensonhurst’

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