Roundup: METZ, Tallest Man on Earth, Tigernite and more

Monday, July 27: METZ with Big Ups and Dilly Dally at Cactus Club, 9 p.m. ($15)

Riding a wave of buzz from 2012’s self-titled debut, three-piece METZ cranked up the volume on May’s follow-up, II. The band’s heavy, skuzzy punk rock recalls the coarse grueling bile of fellow Sub Pop signees, Nirvana. (2496 S. Wentworth Ave., CactusClubMilwaukee.com)

Also: Juiceboxxx with New Boyz Club, Airo Kwil and Holy Shit! at Riverwest Public House, 8 p.m. – (815 E. Locust St., RiverwestPublicHouse.WordPress.com)

Tuesday, July 28: Chill on the Hill featuring Midwest Death Rattle with Space Raft and Antler House at Humboldt Park, 6 p.m. (FREE) – (3000 S. Howell Ave., http://www.bayviewneighborhood.org/chill_on_the_hill)

Also: Little Tybee with Shoot Down the Moon and MIGO at Mad Planet, 9 p.m. ($7) – (533 E. Center St, Mad-Planet.net)

Wednesday, July 29: Death From Above 1979 with GGOOLLDD at Turner Hall Ballroom, 8 p.m. ($25 advance; $28 door)

If Death from Above 1979 hadn’t disbanded shortly after 2004’s widely acclaimed debut You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine, the snarling, fuzzy garage rock band could easily have broken out to a massive audience. The duo obviously had two different musical directions in mind, as singer/drummer Sebastian Grainger delved into power pop after going solo and bassist/keyboardist Jesse Keeler formed the electronic music duo MTRKRFT after the breakup. DFA 1979 rejoined for a new album last year, The Physical World. (1032 N. 4th St., PabstTheater.org)

Also: alt-J with San Fermin at The Riverside Theater, 8 p.m. ($46.75) – (116 W. Wisconsin Ave., PabstTheater.org)

Thursday, July 30: Screaming Females with Vacation, Midwives, Midnight Reruns and Gauss at Borg Ward, 7 p.m. ($8)

Screaming Females’ howling punk feels perfectly tailored for small, sweaty rock clubs, so it’s fitting the band has played Cactus Club and Quarters Rock ‘n Roll Palace the last times through Milwaukee. On Thursday, Screaming Females continues its tour of the city’s cozy, grimy venues with a show at the all-ages DIY space Borg Ward. (823 W. National Ave.)

Also: The Fatty Acids with Rio Turbo, Mutts and The Midwestern Charm at Linneman’s Riverwest Inn, 9 p.m. ($7) – (1001 E. Locust St., Linnemans.com)

And: Midwest Beat with MIGO at Circle A Cafe, 8 p.m. – (932 E. Chambers St., Circle-A-Café.org)

Friday, July 31: The Tallest Man on Earth with Basia Bulat at The Pabst Theater, 8 p.m. ($30)

Rustic, pastoral arrangements imbue the lyrical storytelling of Kristian Matsson, the Swedish singer-songwriter who performs as the Tallest Man on Earth. He produces plucked back-porch music that incorporates occasional outside accompaniments, such as a harmonica, trumpet or synthesizer. His fourth full-length, May’s Dark Bird Is Home, sounds like Bob Dylan taking a stab at writing a classic Bruce Springsteen album (think more Darkness on the Edge of Town than Nebraska). Throughout the record, Matsson embodies an intrepid night owl, afraid and unglued by the daytime. “Sunlight just drives me away,” Matsson sings over a swiftly strummed acoustic guitar in “Darkness on the Dream.” And then later, “I guess my rhythm grew through my darker time,” he croons in the restless “Slow Dance.” While the vampiric tendencies could have led the music down grimmer paths, Matsson keeps the material sunny while letting some images lurk in the shadows.(144 E. Wells St., PabstTheater.org)

Also: Rise Against with Killswitch Engage and letlive. at the Rave, 7:30 p.m. ($37.50-$47.50) – (2401 W. Wisconsin Ave., TheRave.com)

And: Maritime with Ringo Deathstar, Brief Candles and Sin Bad at Riverwest Public House, 8 p.m. ($7) – (815 E. Locust St., RiverwestPublicHouse.WordPress.com)

And: Chris Rosenau with Thomas Wincek at Cactus Club, 10 p.m. – (2496 S. Wentworth Ave., CactusClubMilwaukee.com)

Saturday, August 1: Tigernite (album release) with The Dead Deads and Haunted Heads at Cactus Club, 9:30 p.m.

Glam rockers Tigernite celebrate its self-titled debut album this weekend with a show at Cactus Club. Classic rock riffs and Molly Roberts’ booming voice gives this record an unabashedly fun feel while the corresponding 20-page booklet, drawn by local illustrator Brian Ellis, adds a layer mythos, as the comic follows four space rangers on a quest throughout a shattered world. (2496 S. Wentworth Ave., CactusClubMilwaukee.com)