The Guide Listings: Wednesday, October 20

by Tim Appelo, Mark Baumgarten, Katelyn Hackett, Robert Ham, Todd Hamm, Bond Huberman, Heather Kirnak, Seth Kolloen, Whitney Ricketts and Kim Ruehl. Venue photography by Andrew Waits

BENAROYA HALL

9:15PM BELLE & SEBASTIAN
This acclaimed Scottish pop group – coming to town hot on the heels of the release of its eighth full-length, Belle & Sebastian Sing about Love – has only visited Seattle a handful of times since joining forces in 1996. That alone would make it an event worth attending, but they are also bringing along a string ensemble to fill out Benaroya Hall and help add that extra touch of orchestral ache to compositions that can be equal parts witty, cheeky, heartfelt and wistful. RH

8PM THE TRASHCAN SINATRAS
This Scottish quintet saw its greatest success back in 1990 but has kept up a consistent, though unheralded, stream of brilliant pop ever since. Its latest album, In the Music, features the band’s hallmark chiming guitars and heartbreaking vocals. Its cult success has kept it under the radar but allowed it to pull off gigs like the one in May of this year when it performed in a Portland, Oregon, fan’s living room. RH

PARAMOUNT THEATRE

9:30PM BLUE SCHOLARS
Perhaps the names most readily associated with Seattle hip-hop, the duo of emcee Geologic and DJ Sabzi have cracked their way into the national scene over the last several years as Blue Scholars, signing first with Rawkus Records and now with Duck Down Records, where KRS-One is an affiliated artist. Stylistically the two seem to have found a match in their new imprint, as they carry on the tradition of socially loaded lyrics made famous by their legendary East Coast label boss. TH

8:30PM BROTHER ALI
Though he is the only non-Northwesterner on this evening’s bill at the Paramount, Brother Ali is no stranger to the area, having been featured on Jake One’s track “The Truth” in 2008. Still, if the Minneapolis rapper feels out of place, that’s probably just fine. An albino Muslim rapper from the Midwest, Ali is used to being an outsider, and, like all great artists, he uses that disadvantage to his advantage, spitting out forceful rhymes about personal and political alienation over the bright, soulful beats. MB

7:45PM MACKLEMORE WITH RYAN LEWIS
By turns the town’s most pragmatic, thought-provoking and wildly hilarious performer, Macklemore released the VS. EP last year with producer Ryan Lewis to rave reviews after a four-year absence from the studio. Currently hard at work on the follow-up to his critically acclaimed full-length The Language of  Our World, the Mack promises to bring to the Paramount stage more of the soul-searching raps and costumed alter egos that have made him the darling of the scene. TH

7PM FRESH ESPRESSO
The duo of P Smoov and Rik Rude chose the perfect moniker as their dense modern take on hip-hop has the power to get your heartbeat up and sharpen the dullest of your senses. Much of the credit for this falls in the lap of Smoov, the group’s producer, who is savvy enough to throw a little disco flavor or choppy grime into the boastful stew heard on their recently released debut LP Glamour. RH

6:30PM MASH HALL
This freewheeling collective is one of the brightest lights in the Seattle hip-hop universe due to its sly sense of humor and sonically rich productions, as heard on albums such as They La Soul and The Dro Bots Saga. Throughout these discs, they pay homage to their influences (the Native Tongues family from the early ’90s especially) while sending them up with a sly wink. RH

SHOWBOX SODO

9:45PM GOGOL BORDELLO
“Gypsy punk” is the phrase most often associated with this New York City–based band, but that doesn’t entirely cover it. Gogol Bordello’s music pulls together a huge range of styles from traditional folk straight up through indie rock to classic punk, all in one song, driven hard by accordion and fiddle parts. The band’s live show is famously spirited, full of bouncing and stomping, kicking and color. It’s not a show you’d be inclined to sit through quietly. KR

8:30PM FORRO IN THE DARK
Since playing their first show almost ten years ago in an East Village nightclub during an impromptu jam session, the four members of Forro in the Dark have become ambassadors of forro, the popular dance music of northeastern Brazil known for its heavy percussion, accordion leads and chanted vocals. The group often invites guests onstage, such as David Byrne, Brett Dennen and Sabrina Sciubba (Brazilian Girls), and is known for mixing jazz and rock elements into its instrumentation and pushing their performance to an epileptic pace. MB

This article has been updated since its original posting.