Amid shaky reverberations, melancholy crooning and eerie whistles, Bill Campbell, or Thee Midnight Creep, delivers his signature gothically-inflected gospel on his latest release. I Lie Like a Dog at Your Feet is an album that can stand up to the works of the great shiver-inducing wordsmiths; Campbell’s brand of woozy folk is as macabre as any Edgar Allan Poe creation. Minimalist auto-harp accompaniment allows his stirring vocals, suggestive of a soul tormented, to take listeners hostage in a world of brocade, gnarled trees and perpetual dusk. The aptly named opener “Codeine” pairs heady instrumentation with woebegone lyrics that sound like they were uttered in a long empty hallway. The song, and the album, act as an auditory narcotic – hypnotic, calming and, ultimately, hard to let go. But don’t take our word for it – Thee Midnight Creep will be performing live on KEXP at 8 p.m. on February 18.

– Kate Shepherd

They say a great cover is one that does something new with a song, without destroying its essence. Otherworldly shoegazers Golden Gardens did just that on their six-song EP, The Covers, released in December, despite a selection of songs that isn’t exactly intuitive. Golden Gardens’ greatest talent lies in their ability to create dreamscapes out of soundscapes, something that serves them well as they take on other artists’ works – after the first track, it’s easy to forget that these are songs you’ve heard before. The band interprets the songs of Creepshow, Morrissey, Red House Painters, Tears for Fears, Hole and Julee Cruse, with each piece receiving the same gauzy treatment typical of the band’s original material. Every listen creates a different sub-universe built on rippling guitar play and careful percussion. The dream-pop duo defy all skepticism and cover Hole successfully – on “Violet”, Audrey Bramble achieves the perfect tone, translating Courtney Love’s anguished howls through her own diaphanously pure vocals. Bramble and bandmate Gregg Neville released their first full-length album, Between the Siren and the Amulet, last August. With Neville’s recent relocation to Seattle, the band is looking forward to more shows in the city, starting with a March 4 appearance at The Crocodile.

– Kate Shepherd

At once progressive and rustic, Sandy Dickerson’s solo forays with the ukulele are far from what you would expect from such an apparently simple instrument. From the opening chords on his fifth solo recording, Songs from the Cold Coast, Dickerson shows that the perceived limitations of the instrument won’t prevent him from creating complexly layered folk tunes. He explores its possibilities, making each of its four strings work. Dickerson may be known around town as the bassist for a handful of other bands – the Panda Conspiracy, Big High, Missing Players and the Subdwellers – but with another album, High Seas, on the way in March, this project is hardly sitting on the backburner. Accompanied by drummer and percussionist Steven Barci, and Chris Poage on flute, accordion and clarinet, his commitment to his solo work shows in the thoughtful composition and varied products on each of his albums. Songs from the Cold Coast balances understated, unconventional sounds with accessible language, and its songs run the gamut from upbeat to somber. Sparse melodies on tracks like “This Room” provide a backdrop to Dickerson’s whispery vocals and quietly disconcerting lyrics, while the four-string twang on the comparatively lively “3 or 4” underscores the song’s – and the album’s – alternately assertive and confessional tone.

– Kate Shepherd

Avant-indie sextet Luminol experiment with contrasting sounds and scenes on their most recent release, Locked In The Woods, which first saw light back in August. Building off of 2009’s Organ Grinder EP, the band doesn’t shy away from the mysterious and the macabre on their latest offering. Unsettling wails, hisses and plucked strings set the tone on sophomore track “Right Hand Man”, and the fretwork of guitarists Andy Ayers and Chris Winter is as delicate and prickling as the chills it sends down your spine. The track is the stuff of Grimm’s darkest fairy tales, but is contrasted by the melodic violin, and Barbara Burgio’s plaintive vocals, on “Squeaking Soul”. The track is the lullaby leading up to the host of dreamlike, and sometimes haunting, tunes that follow – Luminol still definitely gravitate towards the creepy, with bass lines that border on menacing and lyrical delivery that recalls the films of Tim Burton. For listeners up for an evening of boundary-pushing, atmospheric compositions, the band will be playing material from Locked In The Woods at the Skylark Café and Club on Jan. 20. with the Little Black Bottles, and Seeing Blind.

– Kate Shepherd

Get yourself down to Belltown on Thursday the 26th for a night of music at the Jewelbox Theater (inside the Rendezvous) with some of Seattle’s great folk/alternative folk-rock/country. The bands’ overlapping labels might be troublesome at times, but rest assured, this night’s music, featuring banjos, lap steel and beautiful voices singing songs equally full of joy and pathos, will keep you distracted. NoRey’s website explains the confusing monikers best:

"Tiny Messengers" is the debut ensemble from local Seattle musician Kimo Muraki, formerly of Fences, Hallways, Lonesome Rhodes, and current member of electro-psych-rock band Surrealized, funk legends Marmalade, Super Sonic Soul Pimps, and sitting in with artists such as Michael Vermillion, Andrew Vait, and many others.

"Henry at War" is the music of singer/songwriter Danielle Henry with producing from Jonathan Warman. Danielle is a native of Seattle, WA where she resides and writes her country-meets-Seattle tunes. Her live band includes Jonathan Warman, Sean Lane, Steven Norman, and Kimo Muraki. Studio recordings also include Colin Richey.

Doors: 9 p.m.

Tickets: $5

– Tom Mohrman

Sound on the Sound founders and editors, Abbey Simmons and Josh Lovseth, will host their 30th birthday bash this Friday at the Blue Moon Tavern, featuring local acts Dude York, Golden Blondes, and “HOT DAMN!” – a surprise headliner performing under a pseudonym. For the fifth straight year, the duo will celebrate the passing of another 365 days with up-and-coming artists and one band that’s graduated from the Blue Moon’s modest stage. Last year, the Moondoggies took the stage, billed as the Allman Butters, along with American Girls and Pickwick, and once again, the party should give Seattleites the chance to see the best of the city’s established artists play alongside some of its fastest rising talent.

Show: 10 p.m.

Tickets: $8

– Kate Shepherd

Remember that amazing gig last month at The Neptune, featuring the soulful stylings of Pickwick, the engaging melodies of Campfire OK, and the stirring talents of Deep Sea Diver’s Jessica Dobson? That sold out and talked-about show that saw two of the city’s fastest rising acts come together on Dec. 8? Well, if you were lucky enough to snag a ticket, you’ll be able to relive the night soon – and if you were one of those not fortunate enough to see it the first time around, you’ll finally have a chance to experience the action. One Night at the Neptune, a full-length concert film produced by ThisCityRocks, takes viewers inside the event and is currently in the final stages of production. Captured on six cameras, the film boasts both vivid onstage footage and behind the scenes sequences with the artists involved. While the site’s teaser trailer has been getting hits online, the finished version should be available in the coming weeks, and promises to bring the energy of that night’s show to the masses.

– Kate Shepherd

Fans of muscly rock riffs and gritty, unapologetic vocals should head to The Wild Buffalo in Bellingham tomorrow night, as high-impact duo My Goodness take the stage with the First Times, and Sam Cooley. Guitarist and vocalist Joel Schneider (also of Absolute Monarchs, who are set to play at Chop Suey on Jan. 14), and drummer Ethan Jacobsen have been setting the standard in Seattle for hard-hitting rockers since 2010, and the release of their self-titled debut last April helped to solidify their place in the collective consciousness of the city’s critics. The band will take to the road again soon, for a March 3 appearance at the Snowball Music Festival in Vail, Colorado.

My Goodness w/ the First Times, Sam Cooley @ The Wild Buffalo

Doors at 8:00 p.m.

Cover $6

– Kate Shepherd

Gunstreet Glory will be performing at The Comet on January 13 with the Bad Things, Bat Country and Bakelite 78. It should be a great evening of boozy rock, tinged with accordions and clarinets. Gunstreet Glory, who released their first album in 2011, celebrate swaying drunken courage like Bukowski poems. They’re the perfect match for The Comet’s crowd, and pairing them with the Bad Things will make for night of music that exists outside of time (be on your guard for time travelers). The music is organic, and full of mad energy. Gunstreet Glory and the Bad Things could be described as steam punk bands, which is not to say that there will be Tesla coils and lots of unnecessary clockwork, as much as to say that there is a certain carnival vibe – a little bit of hobo, a dash of eastern Europe, a sprinkling of Jules Verne. It’s an aesthetic born of literature which, when translated to music, is as tactile as a waxed mustache. You could argue that it’s all a little bit contrived, but if you enjoy the conceit, then you’re in for a great time.

Doors: 8 p.m.

Tickets: $8

– Tom Mohrman

Spaghetti by Gunstreet Glory

Prog-rockers X-Ray Press are gearing up to hit the road for the first time in nearly a year, launching a west coast tour in Seattle on Jan. 25. This year saw the band release their first full-length album, UVB-76, back in January, as well as a split 7" featuring the talents of By Sunlight’s Mike Sparks and Panther Attack’s Kelly Mynes. Hailed by many critics as a math rock record for the ages, UVB-76 is at once challenging and accessible, aggressive and thought-provoking – in short, the kind of paradoxical album that can get an audience with decidedly disparate sensibilities to bob their heads in unison. This will be the band’s first time taking the tunes on the road, but with some good press on their side and an album that has been quietly making waves all year, the response is sure to be electric.

January 25     Chop Suey w/ By Sunlight and Panther Attack     Seattle, WA

-Kate Shepherd

The boys of psych-pop duo USF have reason to celebrate this season, with two releases in the running for KEXP’s year-end best-of poll, a new collaboration receiving critical praise, and several recent performances under their belts. Nearly a year after its release in January, their Jamaica Plain EP, rife with danceable beats, humming synths and swooping string loops, drew crowds to The Comet and The Neptune over the past month. A newly released track that saw USF team up with former Deli Band of the Month, Witch Gardens, has also been attracting attention. “I’m Not Dead, I’m Having Fun” combines USF’s typically out-there synth-play with Witch Gardens’ singsong vocals for a spacey tune defiant of mortality. USF will cap an eventful year on Dec. 29 with their first ever show at Neumo’s, along with Glitterbang, Vox Mod and DJ Self-Actualized.

Doors: 8 p.m.

Tickets: $7

-Kate Shepherd

Deli Band of the Month Ivan and Alyosha will be using their folk pop catalogue to do more than entertain tonight, as they play an opening slot for the Mountain Goats at The Troubadour in Los Angeles. The bands are both showcasing their tunes in a fundraising benefit for the Invisible Children movement, which aims to end the use of child soldiers in Joseph Kony’s rebel war, and to help restore peace in central Africa. The band released a cover of Jackson Browne’s "Rebel Jesus" in the lead-up to the event. Ivan and Alyosha toured extensively this year, traveling throughout Canada and the U.S. before making plans to record a full-length follow-up to this year’s Fathers Be Kind. With an acoustic demo of their new song, "Be Your Man", getting play online, the buzz around this Seattle duo should ensure they draw a crowd tonight – for a good cause.

-Kate Shepherd