Prince Rama
The fact that Prince Rama are signed to Animal Collective's label is enough to either attract or turn off a lot of folks. Sisters Taraka and Nimai Larson, plus Taraka's ex-boyfriend Michael Collins, met on a Krishna farm outside of Gainesville, Florida, where the Larsons' parents settled in the '60s. Their music retains a freaky-hippie vibe, from repetitive Sanskrit chants to tribal drumming to billowing synth plumes. There's also an omnipresent sense of ritualistic exultation. Taraka sings with a willowy Eastern trill that's often more about intonation than words. The approach is authentic and mesmerizing. The band's songs tend to build slowly and dramatically, but they spiral up an epic tower, unlocking increasingly vertiginous doors of perception. Last year's Trust Now displays an intoxicating expansiveness that recalls Gang Gang Dance, as synths swirl throughout, spewing hydraulic fluid from the wound and slinking through a hypnotic hall of marching toms and crashing cymbals. — Chris Parker
With Psychic Ills and Prostitutes. 7 p.m. Friday, March 23. Happy Dog. Tickets: $8; call 216-651-9474 or visit happydogcleveland.com.
Andrew W.K.
Whether it's song titles, subject matter, or his manic stage ethic, Andrew W.K. is all about the party — from his 2001 breakthrough hit "Party Hard" to the Party Til You Puke EP to last year's Japan-only Party All Goddamn Night mini-album. Over the past decade, Andrew W.K.'s party has sparked considerable controversy and plenty of publicity, most of it having to do with the mysterious Steev Mike (who may be the mastermind behind the music) and the widespread griping that Andrew W.K. is merely a corporate invention designed to sell records. Then there's the 2010 event called "Ask Andrew W.K. Anything," in which he refused to answer any of those pesky questions about his background. Through it all, he's unleashed some of the most hormonally charged rock music of the new millennium, provoking responses that range from fist-pumping adoration to venom-laden criticism, all of which reinforces his well-established party line. — Brian Baker
With Math the Band and Aleister X. 7 p.m. Monday, March 26. House of Blues. Tickets: $22, $20 in advance; call 216-523-2583 or visit houseofblues.com.
