San Francisco trio Balms do shoegaze right. Their songs are positively drenched with murk - the sort of cloudy texture that'd make you just a little more buoyant if you found yourself swimming in the stuff. The vocals trail off and bleed into one another, punctuated by the occasional angular guitar squeal that cuts through the noise. This dreaminess adorns the majority of their music, lending a certain melancholy feeling while avoiding becoming maudlin. At times, Balms resemble the Flaming Lips at their quaalude-iest. Shoegaze at its finest was always a little reminiscent of arena rock for people that couldn't be bothered to pump their fists. This wall of sound is anthemic, but Balms aren't up for crowd-surfing. If you desire the feeling of being alone in a crowd, Balms could be your soundtrack.

BALMS, w/ Fruit Juice, Needles and Pizza, 10 p.m., Le Voyeur, 404 E. Fourth Ave., Olympia, $3-$5, 360.943.5710