Pelican and Kayo Dot Tonight at the Black Cat

Well, if you didn't stay out until 3:30 a.m. last night like I did, maybe you'll be up for this show—a weird bill, but one that should appeal to fans of off-center metal. Pelican are like the Explosions in the Sky of post-metal—instrumental, surprising amounts of major-key melodies, generally upbeat and pretty but still packing a bit of a punch when called for. Their recent recordings are relatively calm journeys that happen to employ heavy riffs, but I suspect they'll be rather more aggressive in a live context.

Kayo Dot, pictured above playing at Rock & Roll Hotel earlier this year, are tougher to pigeonhole. At this point, it could hardly be said that they play "metal" in any form, even if that's where their roots are; instead, primary composer Toby Driver's works play out like contemporary Western classical compositions, full of unexpected twists and long sections that are nearly inaudibly quiet. It's debatable how well this will work out in the Black Cat, at which I've often found crowds to be notoriously inattentive and loud when it comes to opening bads.