The unapologetically lo-fi, imperfect recordings; the discordant, impassioned political balladry punctuated by frustrated calls-to-action; the telltale, metallic sojourns of psychedelic rock: at first play, Indigo Meadow, the latest from The Black Angels, sounds like it could've been ripped from a bin of vinyl discarded from the shelves of the '60s.

Rife with desperate concern, anger and an un-ignorable need to do something about various blights on society brought on by the government, The Black Angels aren't simply a band that sounds like they're ripping themes and stylistic cues from bands that protested the Vietnam War and its aftermath in 4/4 time. They're taking advantage of these similarities and genre affiliations to prove that times may change and the war may have a different name, but these problems stay the same--and that a band should be singing about them all without a filter, be it 1973 or 2013.

See also: Live: Titus Andronicus And The Black Angels Cap Off The 4Knots Fest

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If you want to see what alternative R&B will look like in 2013—if the term itself, which already looks sort of old fart-y, still exists—you should check out Los Angeles-based musicians Inc. and Kelela at (le) poisson rouge tonight for "A No World Takeover." The songs on Inc.'s full-length debut, No World, have been around in one mp3 format or another since they started writing the songs in 2011, but today sees its official release on 4AD. Formerly known as Teen, Inc. and as session musicians for the likes of Pharrell and Raphael Saadiq, brothers Andrew and Daniel Aged are capitalizing on the genre's buildup over the past few years even though they eschew the now-loaded descriptor R&B. For good reason: their whispery coos and silky pseudo-trap owe more to How to Dress Well than the buttered Prince funk of their debut EP, 3.

See also: Five Lesser-Known Soul Men Worth Your Attention

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They don't come much more politically incorrect than GWAR. Despite two Grammy nods (their Phallus in Wonderland video losing to Annie Lennox in one instance), they're not exactly mainstream. Frontman Oderus Urungus, head of the Virginia-bred metal/satire/performance art band since their mid-80s inception, sees to that. Urungus (nee Dave Brockie), in fact, praises Whitney Houston for dying pre-Grammys as he decries what he sees as a repulsive schmooze-fest, his only wish that she'd passed away at the actual podium.

See Also:
- Gwar Zombie Prom at Irving Plaza

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They will play your House of Vans, serenade your New Museums, climb around your Bowery Ballrooms. But LA-based dream-punk brothers No Age always find time for the little people, headlining your skate shops, your auto-parts-store attics, your Market Hotel opening ceremonies (RIP). They will do so again tonight, as the just-announced quote-unquote secret guest at Williamsburg's dearly beloved DIY space Death By Audio, before the duo runs through an Eastern string of all-age shows. Pterodactyl and the Zulus open the $10 bill. And please, kindly, observe the management's request and don't line up outside before 8pm. DBA also stands for Don't Be an Asshole.

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Tonight is a fine night for staying indoors and listening to people chat about music, and New York has two fine options: Friend of SotC Daphne Carr is throwing a party for her 33 1/3 series entry on Nine Inch Nails' Pretty Hate Machine at The Sackett (661 Sackett Street, Brooklyn); there will be "periodic readings and remarks," and Christopher "Whiney G." Weingarten and Laylo will spin hip-hop and darkwave/industrial, respectively. Also, the best "1989 look" will win a prize! And the folks at Rolling Stone have teamed up with the "read more Internet" site Longreads to host a Night Of Long-Form Journalism at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe (126 Crosby Street, Manhattan); Rob Sheffield, Jeff Goodell, Brian Hiatt, and Mark Binelli will be on the panel, which will be led by Will Dana. Both events start at 7 p.m.

OK, well, soon-to-be music editor anyway--our pal Maura Johnston, who starts here in just one more short week, will be at the Housing Works Bookstore tonight, reading words with SOTC buddies Amy Klein (a/k/a the formidable punk presence that is Titus Andronicus's Amy Andronicus), It's the Real's Jeff Rosenthal, and occasional Voice contributor Pitchfork Reviews Reviews. They were chosen for their Tumblr accounts, apparently, but we like to think it's because they're all good humans, too. Free, 7:30 p.m., flyer right here:

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The scene last night. Pic by Santiago Felipe

A brief public service announcement: Canadian post-rock juggernaut Godspeed You Black Emperor is here all week, with five sold-out shows that began Monday at Terminal 5, will end Thursday and Friday at the Church of St. John the Apostle, and in between are descending upon what might well be the best venue in New York; their show last night at Brooklyn Masonic Temple was a thing of very, very intense beauty, and tonight's encore will be more of the same. And while all these gigs have been sold out forever, a small clutch of tickets for tonight have just been put on sale. You ain't gonna get much more catharsis for $25. So enjoy yourself, and prepare yourself: Here they are at T5, trying to blow the house down.

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If you desire relentlessly goofy, profoundly surreal live entertainment this fine Wednesday evening, might I suggest you follow your nose to the banks of the Gowanus Canal and avail yourself of, yes, the Bell House's Flight of the Conchords Sing-Along, which will focus on season one (no "Carol Brown," damn) and feature trivia, a David Bowie impersonation contest, "a Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenocerous audience freestyle battle," a "Doggy Bounce Dance-Off," and a live performance by FOTC tribute band the Mutha'uckas, who apparently exist.Also a pretty lady will be handed a kebab, a gesture she will most likely not understand. This sounds ridiculous. You should go. Here are the five songs you oughta know if you do.

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Long-suffering NYC rapper Saigon, whom non-rap fans might recall from his brief stint on Entourage, has a new record out, The Greatest Story Never Told. Which is remarkable in that he's been waiting nearly half a decade for someone to type that sentence -- here is a Nah Right post touting a remix to excellent single "Come on Baby" from November . . . of 2007. So the man feels like celebrating, and no better place to do so than F.Y.E. on White Plains in the Bronx, where you can perhaps buy a copy of Story in person off Saigon starting at 6 p.m. "What took you so long?" is probably not a question you want to ask Saigon at this thing, FYI. Here is a Jay-Z-affiliated remix of "Come on Baby," which is still great after all these years.

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Yes, this holiday hip-hop happy hour-themed party thrown by none other than our own nightlife correspondent Puja Patel is called "I Got Ho's," and yes guest DJ and SOTC stalwart Christopher R. Weingarten has threatened to play a solid hour's worth of Christmas-themed rap (not to mention Insane Clown Posse), but I guess we all deal with the holidays in our own way, right? Props also to Puja for fitting four separate snowmen onto one flyer, though shouldn't that be Young Jeezy wearing the sweater, not Snoop?

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