Awkward and endearing are two words that are commonly used to describe New Jersey's Caged Animals (or myself, for that matter). Frontman Vincent Cacchione crafts a very distinctive ambient drawl, forgoing guitars and acoustic drums for ambient soundscapes and hushed vocals. But don't be fooled, Caged Animals tunes are secretly pop music at their core, even though Cacchione never forgets to jazz things up with some R&B and a bunch of indie-rocker cred for good measure.

You can catch Caged Animals tonight when they open for Darwin Deez. Doors are at 6:00pm and tickets are $10 presale (support your local musician) or $13 at the door. In the meantime, enjoy the bouncing drone of "Candy & Me" which has an irresistible assortment of synths to enjoy. Check it out below.

Welsh indie rock band The Joy Formidable formed in 2007 when childhood friends Ritzy Bryan and Rhydian Davies, returning to their hometown of Mold, were united with drummer Justin Stahley. The band's debut EP A Balloon Called Moaning, which included the single "Austere," was released in 2009 and contained elements of noise rock as well as shoegaze.

After signing to Canvasback Records in 2010, they recorded their debut LP, The Big Roar, in London, receiving favorable reviews from publications like BBC Music, NME, and Spin. During the year long world tour supporting the record, the band began writing material for their latest full length, Wolf's Law. The title references a scientific theory suggesting that bones become stronger in response to stress as an adaptation and is said to be influenced by Native American Mythology.

Since the album's release back in January, the trio has been touring nonstop throughout North America, making their way to Buffalo's outer harbor concert site in support for Akron blues rockers The Black Keys (in what promises to be the show of the summer). Gates open at 6pm so look for The Joy Formidable to take the stage around 7:30pm.

San Fransisco based electronic group The M Machine opens for Markus Schulz tonight at the Statler Towers. Producing and succeeding under the wing of Skrillex, The M Machine was signed to his label, OWSLA, and have since released some EPs and various remixes.

They have an intriguing sound. They produce a genre that blends high-energy dance instrumentals with indie-type vocals. Comprised by Ben Swardlick, Eric Luttrell, and Andy Coenen, their success has grown greatly over the past few years. And to be opening for big-name trance DJ and producer Markus Schulz is an honor.

If you already have your tickets for the show, be ready for a spectacle. According to the Facebook event page, tonight has outgrown Rendezvous and will be held instead upstairs in the Golden Ballroom of Statler City. And be sure to get there for headlining opener, The M Machine.

Don't be late! Tonight, the New York City based act Swear and Shake will open things up at the Town Ballroom. Swear and Shake was formed in 2010 and first achieved acclaim for their debut 5 track album, Extended Play. The quartet has been compared to the likes of Mumford & Sons and Bon Iver, with sounds that provide soulful and catchy folk twang. Tickets are still available and are $25 at the door and doors open at 8:00pm. The three member hip hop band, G. Love & Special Sauce will follow as the opening act.

Backing his 10th studio LP, Maraqopa, Damien Jurado will be opening at tonight’s Sharon Van Etten concert, but for some he might as well be the main event. As a consistently great singer-songwriter, Jurado's 13 year career has its roots in indie’s fertile crescent of Seattle, where after garnering somewhat of a cult following, he was first brought to the attention of Sub Pop who subsequently released his debut record Waters Ave S in 1997. Shaped by influences such as Nick Drake, Randy Newman, and Bob Dylan, Jurado specializes in urban folk songs that are fostered from stories of experience, at times of a confessional nature. Stylistically, Jurado is a folk singer at heart, but his sound has numerous veins and capillaries that deviate into indie-pop and electronic landscapes as well, and in this way he has refused to be pinned down into one specific genre. In many ways this show will be the perfect indie folk-rock bill, so do yourself a favor and pick up a few tickets ($15) here. 
The doors at Town Ballroom will open at 7 tonight.

Indie-pop duo Matt & Kim will be performing at Town Ballroom tonight, another great show in a decent list happening this month. Their upbeat pop antics are sure to do the trick, but a show is always exponentially better when the opening act is also a prominent, talentened artist. We give you Oberhofer.

Oberhofer will not just spend their time on stage amping you up for Matt & Kim, instead they will be convincing you that this show is a double-bill. The Brooklyn quartet is the brainchild of Brad Oberhofer, a Tocoma, WA native who first moved to New York to study composition at NYU. In 2010, he released his first single "o0Oo0O0o" and subsequently toured with the likes of Neon Indian and Sleigh Bells. He soon after signed with Glassnote, and the much-anticipated debut LP Time Capsules II came out in March of this year.

Certainly it's no surprise to see Oberhofer on the road with Matt & Kim in terms of their mirrored upbeat and catchy pop approach that's always a treat to hear live. Oberhofer makes lo-fi pop that carries a vintage weight as well, especially exhibited on tracks like "HEART" and "Crusing FDR" with Buddy Holly influenced guitar riffs and piano arrangements. While Oberhofer get plenty of props for well-crafted lyricism, there are plenty of "ooohhhh" moments on the record that make for live anthemic sing-alongs. 

You really don't need to know much about Oberhofer's brief catalog to get stoked for his opening performance. There is plenty to dance to and well-crafted music catchy enough to make a pit-stop at the merch table between sets. Get to Town Ballroom earlier than you would tonight. Doors are at 7, music at 8.

Lyrically inspired by his Detroit roots, rapper Danny Brown refuses to be anything but himself.  After touring with G-Unit in 2010, he felt unaccepted for his hipster-esque style and the thug appearance made him less then thrilled.  By breaking free of the audience image trap that many musicians fall into and expanding his style to a deviation from the "norm", he was soon recognized for his unique qualities and picked up by Fool's Gold Records.

His voice is distinct and possibly only for an acquired taste but there is no doubt that his diversity is noteworthy.  His rhymes can range from explicitly drug induced and sex crazed, to stories from his hauntingly meaningful journey struggling thought his youth in Detroit, Michigan.  His musical influences include progressive rock and UK grime with inspiration from Joker, a prominent grime and dubstep producer.    

If there's one thing Danny Brown is, it's honest.  During Pitchfork's +1 exclusive interview(Brown will also be playing Pitchfork's festival in July), he pulled out a canister of MDMA and in an interview with MTV he admits that he developed a drug habit as he became more involved in the music industry.  Not at all ashamed of entering his 30s, his recently released album XXX is an ode to his birthday and not feeding into the industrial desire for artists to be youthfully prime.   

So tonight when you're getting ready to head to Childish Gambino, if you were lucky enough to get tickets before it sold out, don't fall into the "eh, we can skip the opener" mind trap.

Doors open 7 pm at Town Ballroom (681 Main Street).

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I'm a little embarrassed that I went so long without knowing what shoegaze meant.  I understood the general qualities of bands that were described with this word, but I never actually got to the bottom of the term's humorous origins.  Like most genre descriptions, "shoegaze" is condescending, pseudo journalistic nonsense (kind of like linking to Wikipedia, deal with it).  Identifying the broad spectrum of introspective, atmospheric music with a reference to a visual cliché is a bit reductive.  Also, you can't see your shoes when you're playing keyboards, dummy.

Maria Lindén and Fredrik Balck, a.k.a. I Break Horses, have been accused of making shoegaze music, which I feel undersells the Swedish duo.  Their debut album Hearts opens with a triumphantly non-timid arpeggiator line, with Maria's ethereal vocals cascading through the center as the song's layered synths and distorted drums explode toward the heavens.  If the heavens existed, I'd imagine this would be the perfect soundtrack to take you there, with just enough roughness around the edges to remind you that fluffy white clouds are fucking boring.  The album is remarkably well produced, with little touches, like the chaotic dissonance towards the end of "Wired", to keep things fresh and unpredictable.  This isn't the first synth drenched album with dreamy female vocals and they know it, which make unexpected moments like the organ stabs at the beginning of "Cancer" all the more delightful. 

Tonight, M83 rolls into town, which is an exciting prospect for the Buffalo music scene.  The show has been sold out for a while, so if you're looking for a ticket, tough shit.  However, if you're one of those jerks that likes to throw away money by showing up 5 minutes before the headliner goes on, I'd like you to consider finishing those pre-game bong loads a bit earlier this time.  I Break Horses is a cherry on top of an already terrific bill, and who doesn't like a little dessert before dinner?

Doors at 7.