Even though it runs the risk of sounding like I'm complaining about tomato sauce for being too red, I've always had a hard time with dream pop if it errs on the side of being too wispy - not enough meat, nothing to latch onto, and me being upset at dream pop for basically sounding exactly as advertised. Portland's WL doesn't suffer from that sort of gauzy translucence. Though their songs do hazily float along, there's a very clear backbone to their music, defined by crisp percussion and strong melodies. Nothing by WL sounds like a whale song, is what I'm saying. Occasionally, some honest-to-goodness aggression peaks its head up through the clouds, as seen on "Sugar Pill," whose fuzzy crunch does wonders for lead singer Misty Mary's serene vocals.

WL, w/ Appendixes, Red Alder, 8 p.m., Northern, 414 ½ Legion Way, Olympia, $5