The Headcases/ Riddle of Steel

It's not every day one stumbles across a French band that sounds plucked straight from the Midwest — specifically, the mid-'90s Midwest and its thriving post-rock scene. But that era's melodic throttling and anti-grunge angst spring to mind when listening to the Headcases and the trio's 2007 album Castaway But Blessed. Recorded at Chicago's Electrical Audio studios with the Paper Chase's John Congleton, Blessed echoes the rusty-metal dissonance and feedback clouds of Hum, Shiner and the Life and Times. The album is being distributed in the U.S. by Ascetic Records — coincidentally, the label home of Riddle of Steel, which is also playing this show.