As a band, Emby Alexander resemble Parenthetical Girls, who also dabble in experimental album structures and concepts. Combining chamber pop with modern affectations and unbridled energy is the calling card of Emby Alexander. The variety and depth of the bands to whom they're compared should say it all-among them being the Beach Boys, Van Dyke Parks, the Smiths and David Bowie - but the aggressive beauty denotes a restless worker behind all of these frantic sounds. While they don't quite possess the assertive experimentation of the Dirty Projectors, Emby Alexander don't lean on the inherent prettiness of their classical experimentation. Including looped samples and virulent percussion, Emby Alexander come prepared to attack.

Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on Emby Alexander in the Music and Culture section.

EMBY ALEXANDER, w/ Middlewav, The Straws, Crowd the Sky, 8 p.m., Monday, Aug. 25, Northern, 414 ½ Legion Way, Olympia, cover tba, olympiaallages.org