PILE
The loud/quiet/louder rock song model endured 1990s market saturation in extremis, eventually morphing from Nirvana to Nickelback and thereby ensuring the next generation would turn to glo-sticks and synth pop. Thanks, major labels, for one last ear-fucking on your slide into irrelevance. Given that, it’s refreshing to hear a young band tap into the forebears of that formula like these Bostonians do on their excellent new disc, Dripping. The Albini-bleed guitars, tempo shifts and drum-kit mashing suggest seminal Spiderland Slint, but the undercurrent of melody is downright Doolittle-y. Other touchstones might include the blues-sludge of Pontiak run through the reverb of Built to Spill, with a touch of Sweater-era Weezer in there, too. Whatever the influences, the bottom line is that it’s nice to hear kids playing loud guitars over intricate rhythms without forgetting that, unlike today’s metal aggro-schlock purveyors, song still matters. With Lions to Lambs. $5-$7. Nov. 4, 9 p.m. Milestone, 3400 Tuckaseegee Road. 704-398-0472.