MUSIC

Pop & Jazz

Previews by August Brown (A.B.) and Todd Martens (T.M). Music Go Music “Expressions,” the debut album from Music Go Music, had little pre-release hype -- it was issued with only a vague news release with clearly made-up aliases (TORG, Gala Bell). In reality, the band is fronted by Meredith and David Metcalf from prog-ish outfit Bodies of Water, and their debut is a hook-filled blast through pop’s past. Or to be more specific, the ‘70s, as Music Go Music’s songs are packed with spooky synths, brash guitars and colossal, ABBA-inspired choruses. (T.M.) The Echo, 1822 Sunset Blvd., Echo Park. Thu., 8 p.m. $10. (213) 413-8200.

Cold War Kids After last year’s spare, deliciously doom-laden burner “Loyalty to Loyalty,” the Long Beach quartet retuns with a placeholder EP “Behave Yourself,” but this is a band by all means best experienced live. What sounds purposefully brittle and spooky in their mixes becomes patently incendiary when they get in a room together. (A.B.) The Wiltern, 3790 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Fri., 7:30 p.m. $25. (213) 380-5005.

Movits! This curious Swedish group culls from seemingly every kind of swampy American music not native to their country -- ragtime swing, old-school breakbeats, gypsy jazz and Louis Prima among them. They’re all ace players and defy you to sit still while they nail every stripe of Americana as well as any New Orleanian. (A.B.) Spaceland, 1717 Silver Lake Blvd., Silver Lake. Fri., 8:30 p.m. $10. (323) 661-4380.