21 April 24 - 30, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Japanese Breakfast 8 P.M. THURSDAY, APRIL 24, SOUTH SIDE BALLROOM, 1135 BOTHAM JEAN BLVD. $45+ AT TICKETMASTER.COM The Philadelphia-based indie-pop quartet Japa- nese Breakfast is receiving considerable atten- tion for its fourth studio album, For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women). The spotlight has grown brighter thanks to a Grammy nomination for the record’s predecessor, 2021’s Jubilee, and lead vocalist and guitarist Michelle Zauner’s breakout as an essayist and author. Her 2021 memoir, Crying in H Mart, lodged itself on The New York Times bestseller list for more than a year. Of the new record, Zauner told New York magazine earlier this year, “I’m not sure how people will receive it. It’s less of an obvious re- cord and a slower burn. I hope that people take their time with it. But that’s exactly the record that I want to make.” Ginger Root will open. PRESTON JONES Kraftwerk 8 P.M. THURSDAY, APRIL 24, MAJESTIC THEATRE, 1925 ELM ST. $49+ AT AXS.COM The breadth of influence wielded by German electronic band Kraftwerk, formed 55 years ago by Ralf Hutter and Florian Schneider, cannot be overstated. It’s remarkable to press play on any track from the landmark album Autobahn, which marks a half-century anniversary in 2025, and realize how of-the-moment it all sounds. Al- though Schneider died in 2020, Hutter remains a vital force, keeping the group and its visually striking live show on the road. The quartet will wind down its first leg of the “50 Years of Auto- bahn” tour with this Dallas performance, its first in almost three years. Of Kraftwerk’s 2022 ap- pearance in Fair Park, the Observer wrote, “It’s hard to declare victors in art, but a ... concert in Fair Park was another win for Kraftwerk, the champion artists from Germany’s artistic epi- center of Dusseldorf.” PJ The Hard Quartet 8 P.M. FRIDAY, APRIL 25, GRANADA THEATER, 3524 GREENVILLE AVE. $39.50+ AT PREKINDLE.COM Some projects seem designed in a lab to joyfully make music writers’ eyes pop out of their skulls. The Hard Quartet is arguably the latest example of such an approach. An indie rock supergroup comprising Stephen Malkmus, Matt Sweeney, Jim White and Emmett Kelly, The Hard Quartet danced around the idea of forming for several years before finally moving forward in 2023, with its self-titled debut studio album, arriving last year. Malkmus, Sweeney and Kelly trade vo- cal, guitar and bass responsibilities, with White on drums. One might expect songs authored by the minds behind such beloved acts as Pave- ment, Chavez, Dirty Three and the Cairo Gang to be a jangle of influences, but what’s here is ad- mirably streamlined, capturing a flavor of each contributor while delivering something unique. With Sharp Pins. PJ Kendrick Lamar and SZA 7 P.M. SATURDAY, APRIL 26, AT&T STADIUM, 1 AT&T WAY, ARLINGTON. $174+ AT SEATGEEK.COM In what will seem like a galactic understatement, it has been a bit of a year for Kendrick Lamar. Leave aside the Compton native’s culture-shift- ing Super Bowl halftime performance for a mo- ment and consider the efficiency and ruthlessness with which he dispatched erstwhile foe Drake in a 21st-century rap battle that will be dissected for decades. A peerless artist who seems to evolve at light speed, Lamar’s sta- dium-sized victory lap, nominally supporting his 2024 LP GNX, will doubtless be one more cherry atop his sundae of a 2025. Joining Lamar is an- other A-list R&B star, SZA, whose collaboration with Lamar, “Luther,” enjoyed a run at the top of the Billboard charts. That achievement came af- ter her third LP, SOS, earned her a Grammy for best progressive R&B album, and she made her acting debut in One of Them Days. The vibes should be, as the kids say, immaculate. PJ LCD Soundsystem 8 P.M. SATURDAY, APRIL 26 AND SUNDAY, APRIL 27, THE BOMB FACTORY, 2713 CANTON ST. $65+ AT PREKINDLE.COM Indie rock sextet LCD Soundsystem has stuck with it the second time around. Led by charis- matic frontman James Murphy, the Brooklyn- formed dance-punk outfit lasted nine years after forming in 2002, and after a four-year hiatus from 2011 to 2015, it is bearing down on a de- cade in its 2.0 iteration. Apart from being the band’s first Dallas headlining gig in eight years, this two-night stand also serves as a re-christen- ing blowout for the Bomb Factory, which is re- verting to a name most local fans never discarded. Of the band’s 2017 Dallas appearance (also at the Bomb Factory), the Observer wrote, “Constructed live, LCD Soundsystem’s songs could also be appreciated in a new way. Backing vocals and nuances of the synths that get buried in the studio versions came through more clearly.” With Gustaf. PJ Rachel Parker Kendrick Lamar has had himself quite the year, which he’s celebrating with a run of stadium dates. | LET’S DO THIS | t Music
