It's hard to separate the music of Halcion Halo from the commanding voice that presides over it. Lead singer Jenson Charnell's voice can sometimes resemble the more mumbling, beat-poet-aspirations of Lou Reed - he never provides any release for the plodding, heavy alt-rock guitars, just ever-rising tension and downtrodden declarations. Musically, Halcion Halo sound similar to other hard-to-pin-down fixtures of those odd '90s negotiations between alternative rock and heavy metal. Bands like the Afghan Whigs and Queens of the Stone Age can't help but come to mind. But there is a minimalism that reigns at the heart of Halcion Halo - a minimalism that allows for creepy, little, stomping fuzz-bombs like "Someday I'll Learn to Put You Down." It's here where Halcion Halos weird ticks and affectations are most effectively put into sharp focus. - Rev AM

[Dorky's Arcade, with Umber Sleeping, Death By Stars, 9 p.m., $3, 754 Pacific Ave., Tacoma]