Father You See Queen: Father You See Queen

Father You See Queen’s new single “Simone” is a wonderful mixture of lo-fi, minimalism, and experimentation. The vocals bring the rhythm before the drum track comes snapping and popping, taking it from there. It’s the stripped-down production style of thestand4rd, but more delicate and whimsical. The duo will be at Icehouse on Saturday for the release of their self-titled album.

Katy Vernon: Present

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The UK singer-songwriter transplant that now calls our skies home, Katy Vernon, is strumming those four happy ukulele strings on her new release Present. The record jumps off with “23.” It’s a vibrant introduction to the dark material hiding behind those bright tones and shimmering vocals. Vernon may be warm and fuzzy on the surface, but take a closer listen for a darker tone. Add her to your Sunday calendar for her show at Icehouse.

Kill The Vultures: Carnelian

Kill The Vultures is easily one of the most important staples of our hip-hop scene here in Minnesota. The pairing of rapper Crescent Moon and producer Anatomy is a true example of what authenticity sounds like. The jazz-hop duo decided to take a little break after 2009’s Ecce Beast, but the wait for the duo’s follow-up is done come Friday. Carnelian began in 2013 when Anatomy and Crescent Moon became once again excited about new material. The album title comes from the Latin root word carnis, which refers to the semi-precious stone in religious artifacts. If the single “Shake Your Bones” teaches us anything, it's that the avant-grade duo are coming out swinging, and that the album will be reminiscent of The Careless Flame.

Shadow in the Cracks: Shadow in the Cracks

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The surf-punk manipulators Jim and Mike Blaha, who you may know from the Blind Shake, have kept busy after a long bout of touring and three full-length albums, but have had some time to spare for a fourth effort. This time their name is dark, but their baritone guitar barrage accompanies some clear vocals, which these psyched-out brothers typically bury beneath distortion and boundless reverb. Shadow in the Cracks is everything you would hope it would be, but comes with a few surprises, making the psych-punk record engagingly unpredictable. Catch two-thirds of the Blind Shake play as Shadow in the Cracks at the Turf Club for their release show on Friday. The self-titled record is coming out via Goner Records.

Fall of the House of Usher: Icehouse and Elsewhere

With a minimal online presence, Fall of the House of Usher is what you might call truly underground—but they have plenty of friends. On the Facebook event for their release show, you'll find a long list of musicians who have collaborated on their new effort. The multi-generational jazz crew's live album is rightfully titled Icehouse and Elsewhere. You can catch one of their performances at the South Minneapolis venue above. If you’re reading this and don’t remember going to a show last night, you unfortunately missed the release show, but keep those eyes peeled for another outing.

Ben Cook-Feltz: She Doesn’t Believe Me

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Ben Cook-Feltz’s third album arrives on Friday. The Iowan-turned-Minnesotan music act plays a particularly light brand of folk-pop, fit to accompany Sunday coffee. From the sprawling, spacy piano closing out “Full Moon” to the bouncing ‘90s top-40 feel-good basslines the preceded it, Cook-Feltz has a nifty way of carving his own space in the world of pop. He'll be at the 331 Club to release the album on Friday.

Aaron Bolton is a senior at the University of Minnesota. Currently he is the music reporter at Radio K. He hopes to continue a career in music journalism.