Music Forecast 12.4-12.10: Jenny Lewis, Eric Church, Dwight Yoakam, Haerts, and more

Haerts
Attention, lovers of 1980s synth-tastic baby-making music: Brooklyn’s Haerts is here for you. The group’s self-titled debut is a dreamy listen, suited for equal parts true love and bad decisions. To be fair, it’s not all “Sexual Healing”–themed cuts. “No One Needs to Know” finds lead singer Nini Fabi bemoaning an unfulfilling relationship, while “Giving Up” — clearly written for Haerts’ Columbia Records labelmate Haim — finds Fabi ceding her fight for love. Fabi’s voice earns plenty of comparisons with Stevie Nicks’, and those aren’t inaccurate. But she also has a breathy, yearning quality that makes this band’s mechanical electro pop a little warmer. The Internet hearts Haerts at the moment, so stop by RecordBar Tuesday night to see what all the fuss is about.

Tuesday, December 9, RecordBar (1020 Westport Road, 816-753-5207)

Jenny Lewis

Jenny Lewis is every woman’s spirit animal. In her 15-year music career, Lewis has never shied away from detailing her varying states of heartbreak. Take “Just One of the Guys,” the first single off The Voyager, in which Lewis laments being regarded as “just another woman without a baby.” She’s not saying she wants kids. At 38, she remarks on how unfortunate it is that her industry — much like a nosy aunt — is busy speculating about the future of her womb. And she does it with a catchy hook, a cotton-candy-light melody and an ironic smile. Jenny Lewis is the best friend you wish you had. Friday night in Lawrence, you can finally hang out.

Friday, December 5, Liberty Hall (644 Massachusetts, Lawrence, 785-749-1972)

Mursday

When Los Angeles rapper Murs signed with Tech N9ne’s Strange Music label in February, it was a natural fit for the underground MC — even if the geography seemed a bit of a stretch. That speaks to the power of Tech’s reputation and national reach. Murs’ first release on the label, Mursday, is a collaboration with Miami hip-hop collective and fellow Strange Music signee Mayday. It’s a fast-paced, fun collection of tracks that mostly shows Murs and Mayday bonding over common interests: women, money and good times. If you aren’t looking for depth, you’ll find a solid party soundtrack in Mursday.

Friday, December 5, RecordBar (1020 Westport Road, 816-753-5207)

Eric Church, Dwight Yoakam
If you took the North Carolina twang out of Eric Church and replaced it with, say, a more neutral singing voice — perhaps laced with a smoker’s grit — the 27-year-old country star would probably have to jump genres. As it is, his pronounced accent is about the only thing keeping him on country radio. On his latest album, The Outsiders, Church summons rock-and-roll gods with incendiary guitar riffs, arena-worthy drums and hair-whipping arrangements usually reserved for Bon Jovi and Def Leppard. Don’t be late for Dwight Yoakam, who opens the show with his honky-tonk rock.

Friday, December 5, Sprint Center (1407 Grand, 816-949-7000)

Vandals Takeover

To celebrate the rechristening of the former Black & Gold Tavern as Vandals Punk Rock Club, the bar-venue has loaded up Saturday night’s show with a particularly gnarly schedule: petulant, grimy punk-noise act Sex Offenders; the permanently pissed-off Stiff Middle Fingers; Lawrence’s moody Black on Black; and thrash-rock act Wick & the Tricks. Bring protection — earplugs — and anything else you think you might need. Bonus: This show is free.

Saturday, December 6, Vandals (3740 Broadway, 816-561-1099)