Something tells me Hermit Thrushes aren't particularly concerned about whether or not you "like" them. Sounding like a cross between Captain Beefheart's elegant experimentalism and the Shaggs' aggressive non-conformity, Philadelphia's Hermit Thrushes possess the sort of innate musicality that might make you believe that they're just making shit up as they go along, even when it's been carefully laid out. Every halting screech and skronk and sideswiping instrumental intrusion is in its right place. Sometimes, as on "It Was Here," Hermit Thrushes settle down enough to deliver a relatively straightforward bit of anti-folk, but these moments are few and far between amidst the overwhelming chaos. I don't know if I like Hermit Thrushes, but there's something to be said for a band putting you back on your heels. {REV. AM}

HERMIT THRUSHES, w/ REDS, Humidity and Static, 8 p.m., Half Pint Pizza Pub, 2710 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, no cover, 253.272.2531