MUSIC

6 must-see Milwaukee concerts this week include the xx with Sampha, Desiigner, Aimee Mann

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The xx

Style: Moody, sparse electropop

Backstory: The chilled aesthetic dominating pop right now can be traced back to the influence of a few acts. The xx is one of them. The band of school friends from London emerged with its self-titled album in 2009 to instant raves; the following year, it picked up the coveted Mercury Prize, and has since released two well-reviewed albums that matched or exceeded high expectations. 

Why you should go?: January album "I See You," its first in five years, is the xx's most accessible yet, with more colorful production from Jamie xx, and warmer lyrics and vocals from Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim. It should translate to a more engaging show than gloomier earlier material would allow. 

The opener: Skipping the first act isn't an option. British songwriter and producer Sampha collaborated in the studio with Kanye West, Drake and the Knowles sisters Solange and Beyoncé before dropping his debut full-length album, "Process," to universally acclaimed reviews in February. Evidently, the R&B artist's live set is excellent too; Sampha's performance at Coachella this month was selected as one of the 10 best by the Los Angeles Times.

When and where: 8 p.m. Saturday, Eagles Ballroom, the Rave, 2401 W. Wisconsin Ave.

Price: $35 to $45 at the box office, (414) 342-7283 and therave.com.

— Piet Levy
plevy@journalsentinel.com

PETER MULVEY WITH SISTASTRINGS

Style: A songwriting house atop folk foundations.

Backstory:Peter Mulvey is a Milwaukee man, but he’s also a troubadour, so he’s traveled to other cities, including Dublin and Boston, playing at street corners and in subway terminals and developing a modern folk strain heard on albums like 1995’s “Rapture” and 1997’s “Deep Blue.”

Why you should go: Mulvey’s new album, “Are You Listening?,” is on Ani DiFranco’s Righteous Babe label and benefits from her production. Goading the music with his guitar, weathered voice and concise stories, Mulvey creates an organic feel, and with SistaStrings — classically trained Milwaukee sisters Monique and Chauntee Ross — he’ll be natural.

Time and place:8 p.m. Saturday, the Back Room at Colectivo Coffee, 2211 N. Prospect Ave.

Price: $15 at the door and in advance at the Pabst Theater box office (144 E. Wells St.), the Riverside Theater box office (116 W. Wisconsin Ave.), (414) 286-3663 and pabsttheater.org.

— Jon M. Gilbertson, Special to the Journal Sentinel

AIMEE MANN

Style: Folk and pop in unromantic, not unloving, songs as scenes and stories.

Backstory: After the demise of her band 'Til Tuesday — its one big hit, “Voices Carry,” remains a justification for the 1980s — Mann built a solo career. She got a substantial boost from the inclusion of several of her songs in the 1999 film “Magnolia,” and her 21st-century career has been steady.

Why you should go: After working with punk-popper Ted Leo in the Both in 2013 and 2014, Mann has resumed her solo track with her ninth studio full-length album, 2017’s “Mental Illness.” She has described it as her “saddest” and “slowest” album, and Mann’s realistic sense of how life usually happens and the tender voice she uses to describe that are still her most potent attributes.

Opener: Nerd-leaning Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Jonathan Coulton.

Time and place:8 p.m. Sunday, Pabst Theater.

Price:$35.

— Jon M. Gilbertson

SAM OUTLAW

Style: Country & Western real enough for classicists and polished enough for modern tastes.

Backstory: “Outlaw” is the maiden name of Sam Morgan’s mother, and he’s adopted it in her honor. Roughly three years ago, he and the name took up music full-time and drew in the vaunted Ry Cooder and his son Joachim Cooder to co-produce and play on his first album, 2015’s “Angeleno.”

Why you should go:Outlaw’s second album, “Tenderheart,” came out a couple weeks ago, so it’s too soon to tell if it can truly follow up the C&W pleasures and honky-tonk humor of its predecessor. It’s not, however, too soon to tell that Outlaw, with his Lyle Lovett ease and Tex-Mex flavors and SoCal soulfulness, deserves attention from C&W fans.

Opener:Michaela Anne, a transplant to Nashville who sounds twangily at home there.

Time and place: 8 p.m. Monday, Shank Hall, 1434 N. Farwell Ave.

Price: $12 in advance at the box office, (866) 468-3401 and ticketweb.com. $15 day of show.

— Jon M. Gilbertson

DESIIGNER

Style: Southern hip-hop with connections deeper South and farther north than Atlanta.

Backstory: Born in Brooklyn with family roots in Barbados, Sidney Royel Selby III began a music career at 14 — reportedly, not long after being shot. It took him a couple more years to get the double-i moniker Desiigner, and by December 2015 he’d issued his first commercial single, “Panda,” under that pseudonym.

Why you should go: “Panda” was a monster of trap beats, strangely elegant phrasing and non-verbal vocal hooks. Currently working other singles, including “Outlet,” for which his current tour is named, Desiigner hasn’t yet completed his debut LP, “The Life of Desiigner,” for Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. imprint, so he’s got more cred to build onstage.

Opener:16yrold, an Ohio hip-hop producer with 808 Mafia affiliations.

Time and place:8 p.m. Wednesday, the Rave.

Price:$24.

— Jon M. Gilbertson

LOCAL SHOW SPOTLIGHT

ARTE PARA TODOS

The local festival benefitting arts programs at Milwaukee schools continues through Sunday. For more information, visit arteparatodos.me.

— Piet Levy