MUSIC PICKS: OCT 28 - NOV 3 

• Connor Feimster

The World Is A Beautiful Place ... at Kilby Court
The title of this piece is not describing what it's like at Kilby Court, but rather a briefer way to announce that the band The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die will be visiting Kilby Court on Friday, Oct. 29. Ever since tours started getting booked again this summer, the deluge of artists hitting the road has meant some artists have been making appearances at venues they would otherwise seem just a little too big for. That definitely feels like the case with TWIABP's upcoming stop in Salt Lake City. The band was part of the emo revival movement in the early 20-teens, building a new take on the genre alongside similar acts like The Hotelier, Foxing and Into It. Over It. They all referenced, in a roundabout way, a '90s emo aesthetic that ranged from the bleeding, pretty melodies of American Football to the dark moodiness of Sunny Day Real Estate. And TWIABP found success in their work: Their first album Whenever, If Ever reached number three on the Billboard vinyl chart when it was released in 2013, despite few reviews. Since then, they've created a distinctive place for themselves within the emo genre, earning a loyal fan base that will surely make this small Kilby affair a cramped one. Their touring companions Bent Knee will open alongside locals Sunsleeper. Doors are at 6 p.m., the show is all-ages and tickets are $20 at kilbycourt.com.

Dad Bod Album Release
Dreamy local indie rockers Dad Bod are back with a new album, their second following their 2019 debut After Thought. Despite the pandemic, the local band has continued to build popularity for themselves, playing shows often and practically holding a residence at Kilby Court alongside other UPHERE! Records bands and artists. They also nabbed a spot opening for Grouplove and fellow indie rock locals Brother. at Ogden Twilight this year. Their new album, Pastels, comes out on Friday, Oct. 29, and the lead single single "The Drifter" is a gently shimmying track, where soft, glimmering guitar ambles along solo for a whole one minute and 30 seconds into the track. Like much of their past music, the song finds its roots in Real Estate-type-languid, chill, somewhat beachy, reverb-glazed vibes; this track in particular feels like waking up from a warm nap with dappled sunlight falling on one's eyes. As they welcome the album into the world on Saturday, Oct. 30, they'll find support from the distinctively groovy pop soloist Fonteyn and the band Adult Prom, who also recently released a new album, Mild Horses. The show is at The Urban Lounge at 6 p.m., is 21+ and tickets are $10 at theurbanloungeslc.com.

Old Blood at Aces High Saloon
Local State Street biker bar Aces High is much more than a place to go when you want to feel bad to the bone. Like another bar on the other side of town, Garage on Beck, Aces High is one of the few local bars that hosts proper live-band shows on a regular basis, often bringing in touring acts from afar as well as locals to support. Such is the case this Friday, when the self-titled "psychedelic occult rock" band Old Blood comes through Salt Lake City with their 2020 album Acid Doom in tow. The Los Angeles-based band is all spooky glam, drawing on heavy metal tropes while keeping things vampy with electric keys straight out of the '60s. Vocalist Lynx is no stranger to drama and grandeur, and her expressive voice rips, roars and purrs variously on the record alone, meaning that her live performance is probably even wilder. The band will find local support in local heavy stoner rock from Sleeping Tigers and prog metal rockers Sindar. The show goes down on Friday, Oct. 29 and doors are at 7 p.m. Since the venue is a bar, it's 21+; tickets at the door are $10. Visit aceshighsaloon.com for more info on this and other upcoming shows.

• Luca Rossetti

Andrea Bocelli at Vivint Arena
We still live in uncertain times, but famed singer Andrea Bocelli hopes to dispel some of the fear in the world with the positivity of his music, especially with the songs on his 2020 album Believe. The multiple-award-winning vocalist is no stranger to diverse themes, genres and languages, and that quality holds on Believe, where Bocelli uses his voice to instill hope and light into listeners. It features a version of "Hallelujah" that goes back and forth between English and sweeping Italian verses, all garnished by Bocelli's unmistakable tenor that make it distinctly his. Released in November of last year, the album features many similarly uplifting songs that were a direct response to the troubling times felt by the entire world. After the release, he told USA Today, that "In this specific period, you may be tempted to be pessimistic. However, you can always pursue optimism. You have to be an optimist by nature." The album also features songs like "Ave Maria" and "Amazing Grace," songs that will no doubt be stunning heard live when he comes to Salt Lake City as part of the U.S. leg of his current world tour. The show comes to the Vivint Arena this Saturday, Oct. 30, 7 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $80 - $360 at vivintarena.com.

• Jono White

Wolf Alice at The Complex
A critical review of the third album by the British indie rock band Wolf Alice, published by Pitchfork earlier this year, hinges on the vision of the band playing to great swaths of fans on green lawns at summer festivals. It's a vision of the 20-teens that immediately comes to my mind, too—albeit one filtered through that era's Tumblr posts. It's hard to pin down a Wolf Alice song besides one's favorite. Their sound has long been both ubiquitous and deeply varying, from crushing guitar-driven tracks with undeniable melody, to sweet and sullen tracks that laid the groundwork for artists like Clairo to rip up hearts at the turn of this new decade. After the methodical release of just two albums in the 20-teens—2015's My Love Is Cool and 2017's Visions Of A Life—they returned in 2020 with Blue Weekend, where they present themselves much the same, but bigger. There's a dash more sultriness, a tad more smirk and some very catchy new songs like the edgy, angry "Smile;" the wild, demon-channeling "Play the Greatest Hits;" and the contrasting sweetness of "Safe From Heartbreak (if you ever fall in love)." It's the big songs especially where Wolf Alice recall their roots, that vision of a big stage—so it's a good thing that in 2021, they can tour on their big new album, and stop in at The Complex on Monday, Nov. 1. Doors are at 7 p.m., the show is all-ages and tickets are $25 thecomplexslc.com. CW