GRIMES

8 p.m. • Varsity Theater • 18-plus • $15-$17

Synth-pop sensation Claire Boucher is no stranger to eccentricities. As Grimes, the fashionably kooky Canadian gives glitz-and-clunk electro beats the pop treatment, wrapping them with gauzy falsetto vocals as perfected on the indie smash "Genesis" off her latest album, "Visions." Reportedly, Boucher longs for a weirder, more percussive side gig she describes as a poppy blend of "ethereal reggaeton and industrial dance music." Sure, Claire. After selling out 7th Street Entry earlier this year, Boucher's bringing her lo-fi/high-pitched mainstay to the larger Varsity along with ex-Minneapolis electronic project Elite Gymnastics. James Brooks, EG's now Brooklyn-based bedroom whiz, recently announced that he's continuing the band without Josh Clancy, its other half. Myths open. MICHAEL RIETMULDER

THE JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION

8:30 p.m. • Triple Rock • 18-plus • $18

In a month crammed with Gen X-era alt-rock reunion tours -- PiL is even here on the same night -- the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion might get lost in the nostalgic shuffle. However, the hard-grinding New York trio has a cache of younger fans and modern indie credibility to go with its older fan base, as evidenced by the favorable reviews for its new album, "Meat and Bone," from both Rolling Stone and Pitchfork. The original trio of Spencer, drummer Russell Simins and Wisconsin-bred guitarist Judah Bauer beat the Black Keys by a decade in channeling old blues and soul music for collegiate rock hipsters, and word is their live shows are still up to the old, sweat-soaked standards. Opener Bloodshot Bill is a vintage Canadian rocker from the same camp as King Kahn. CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER