A packed week of local shows with Portland-based throwback surf-pop trio Orca Team at Milk Wednesday, the previously profiled Wallpaper at the Academy of Arts and Science Thursday and experimental legend John Zorn at Yoshi's all weekend long.

Our featured act this week, however, is Lazer Sword. Standing at the forefront of the glitchy, bass-heavy movement journalist have alternatively described as turbo crank, lazer bass and future blap, San Francisco-bred Ableton nerds Lazer Sword simply blew us away with their 2008 mixtape Blap to the Future. Much like their improvised live sets, the mixtapes seamless blend of acapellas, sampled beats and homebrewed originals stood as a sort of missing link between the world of Flying Lotus and Girl Talk -- two years later and the tape still sounds fresher than than just about anything coming out of the admittedly like-minded bro-step world. With their long awaited debut just around the corner, the now multinational duo (1/2 of the duo recently relocated to Berlin) return to San Francisco Thursday night for a blowout with the previously profiled Rainbow Arabia, Sacramento's rising favorite Sister Crayon and the all around awesome Oakland-based trio Religious Girls at Rickshaw Stop -- this one is not to be missed.

Several other show options this week including synth nerds Jonas Reinhardt at Bottom of the Hill Wednesday, Starfucker side-project Skeletron at Milk Thursday and the previously profiled Abe Vigoda with the recently reunited emo pioneers Cap'n Jazz at Bimbos Friday. As always, be sure to consult the full showlist.

A jam packed week of shows with Battlehooch at Rickshaw Stop Tuesday, the previously profiled Mi Ami at the Knockout Thursday (last show as a trio) and the previously profiled Thee Oh Sees at the Independent Saturday.

Our featured act this week, however, is Austin's Pure Ecstasy. While their reverb-drenched sound may not quite be new territory for the blog crowd, Pure Ecstasy's dreamy take on pop actually manages to stand out amongst the ever-crowding field of fellow hyped lo-fi acts. For proof, look no further than the trio's shockingly consistent string of 7" and cassette releases -- if they bring the same type of quality songwriting and raw production to their soon-to-be-released full length, you can expect their debut to appear on endless best of lists come December. You can catch Pure Ecstasy and their excellent fellow Texas-based tourmates Sleep Over at both 111 Minna Thursday and Amnesia Friday -- be sure to check the list below for full show details.

As always, there are plenty of other show options this week including the previously profiled Tussle at Eagle Tavern Thursday, comedic legend Neil Hamburger at Hemlock Saturday and the previously profiled Maus Haus at Rickshaw Stop Saturday.

A huge week of live shows with rising local shoegaze quintet Young Prisms at Rickshaw Stop Tuesday, the previously profiled Maus Haus at Milk Thursday and the jam-packed All Shook Down Festival with epicsauce favorites Neon Indian, Ty Segall, Grass Widow and more Sunday.

Our pick for this week is Man/Miracle, who play a fundraiser for the all-around awesome local music resource (and registered non-profit) The Bay Bridged at the Verdi Club this Friday. We have more or less had the Oakland-based quartet's debut The Shape of Things on repeat since it was released late last year -- it is a stunning LP, packed with ten infectiously catchy would-be singles you will swear you have heard before. While the band's take on indie pop is admittedly all over the map, the go-to comparison here is undoubtedly Talking Heads, complete with the the David Byrne-esque crooning, danceable Afrobeat inspired backbone and endless sing-a-long choruses. With SF musical giants Thao Nguyn and John Vanderslide rounding out the bill there is no reason to miss this stacked all-local blowout.

Several other solid shows to choose from this week including Denver chillers Weed Diamond at Sub Mission Tuesday, the always enigmatic Nobunny at Bottom of the Hill Wednesday and local psych-infused quartet White Cloud at Hemlock Friday -- be sure to consult the full showlist.

Plenty of pre-holiday live music options this week with Austin-based garage rock outfit Harlem at the Independent Tuesday, Oakland's trippy one-man act Psychic Handbook at Submission Wednesday and Stones Throw affiliated funk ambassador Dam-Funk at Mezzanine Thursday.

Our featured act this week, however, is Crocodiles. Born from the ashes of San Diego's noisey gem The Plot to Blow up the Eiffel Tower, the Southern California duo thoroughly impressed us (while not everyone) with their 2009 debut Summer of Hate -- seamlessly weaving together the best elements of shoegaze, throwback electro-pop and Detroit-style garage rock with blogger approved lo-fi production techniques, the packed thirty-four minute album has proven to be one of our most overplayed records in recent memory. And if their recently released single is any indication, fans have plenty more fuzzy pop goodness to look forward to on the band's long awaited James Ford produced sophomore effort Sleep Forever, due out later this summer. With the buzzed garage-pop quartet Dum Dum Girls and local psych-inspired act White Cloud rounding out the bill this one is sure to make for a solid night -- be sure to grab tickets while you still can.

As always, there are several more solid shows to choose from this week including Mission-based punks La Plebe at Bottom of the Hill Tuesday, Sacramento legends Cake at Independent Thursday and rising local favorites Wax Idols at the Strange Dogs party Friday -- be sure to consult the full showlist.