72 Hours: Aimee Mann, Garfunkel & Oates and more

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

Friday

• Garfunkel & Oates @ Largo. The duo of Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci is going to get the novelty song tag, and no doubt the act’s Upright Citizen Brigade appearances are more comedy show than concert. Yet when it comes to documenting all the awkward truths of modern relationships, sometimes the surest way to honesty is through absurdity. And that says nothing of the group’s recent dip into politics with ‘Save the Rich’. Largo at the Coronet, 366 N. La Cienega Blvd. Tickets are $25, not including surcharges.

• Jonathan Richman @ the Smell. Perhaps more befitting of a cabaret-type setting than downtown’s The Smell, Richman wrings plenty of theatricality from the singer/songwriter approach. Equal parts childlike and self-mocking, Richman borders on letting his own self-aware smarts get in the way of songcraft, yet Richman twists the wry into charm. The Smell, 247 S. Main St., Los Angeles. Tickets are $15.

Saturday

• KROQ’s Almost Acoustic Christmas @ Universal Amphitheatre. It’s the ghost of alt-rock past on the first night of this radio-station bonanza, with ‘90s survivors such as Bush, Blink-182 and 311 leading the bill. OC punk rockers Social Distortion make a requisite appearance, and relative newcomers Young the Giant will see if they can fit in among the old-school play list. Sunday night’s lineup is stronger, with blues scorchers the Black Keys, the increasingly lush emotional drama of Death Cab for Cutie and the startling vocals of Florence + the Machine. Young local rock stars to be Foster the People and Grouplove also appear Sunday. Universal Amphitheatre, 100 Universal City Plaza. Tickets are $79.75 to $150, not including surcharges.

• Aimee Mann Christmas Show @ the Wiltern. An annual antidote for those who prefer their holiday songs without a dash of Bieber or some Mariah Carey glitter. Mann’s 2006 effort ‘One More Drifter in the Snow’ tackled traditionalism with moody elegance, and resurrected some lesser-heralded gems, such as the Frank Sinatra-sung, Jimmy Webb-penned ‘Whatever Happened to Christmas.’ Only the sixth edition, but a local tradition that should never end. Guests include Mann’s husband Michael Penn, Paul F. Tompkins, and Tim Heidecker, among others. The Wiltern, 3790 Wilshire Blvd. Tickets are $24.50 to $49.50, not including surcharges.

ALSO:

Musical comedy outfit Garfunkel & Oates are side players no more

Foster the People: Moving beyond ‘Pumped Up Kicks’

Coldplay unveils North American tour with 2 Hollywood Bowl dates

-- Todd Martens

Images: Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci. Credit: Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times