Local music notes: Big ups to Tiny Deaths

As her former Chalice bandmates Lizzo and Sophia Eris got swept up in their whirlwind year — yep, another U.K. tour next week — Claire de Lune has been stirring the pot at home.

The R&B-weaned Minneapolitan singer/songwriter paired with former Lookbook sonic guru and Aby Wolf collaborator Grant Cutler in an ambitious new synth-pop project called Tiny Deaths. Their debut EP (self-titled) blends the ethereal elegance of Beach House with the edgy electro-vibes of Crystal Castles and heartache-haunted lyrics. "Did the words come first, or did I come first? I gotta know," Claire sings in the ambiguous highlight "The Words."

After a showcase at the CMJ Fest in New York this weekend, Tiny Deaths will perform next Thursday at Icehouse with the Cutler-less live lineup, featuring auxiliary Night Moves members Jared Isabella and Aaron Baum and Votel's Ben Clark. Fort Wilson Riot opens (11 p.m., $5).

Random mix

One of the more prominent metal musicians to call Minneapolis home, former Cradle of Filth guitarist Paul Allender's new band White Empress has a big coming-out gig next Thursday for Halloween Eve at the Cabooze (9 p.m., $10). The locally based sextet — which also features ex-Coal Chamber bassist Chela Harper and ghostly vocalist Mary Zimmer — combines fantastical, fearsome imagery with thundering death-metal on its debut album, "Rise of the Empress," now streaming at Revolver.com. …

Ten years may not seem like a long time for an old-timey bluegrass band to be in business, but it is for one that started out as informally as Pert Near Sandstone. The quintet -- formed simply as a for-fun song-picking gathering among friends -- returns to First Avenue on Friday to celebrate its 10th anniversary. Two of the members' biggest local inspirators, the Big Wu and Spider John Koerner, will open the show (8:30 p.m., $15-$20). Pert Near is also still touting its album from earlier in the year, "The Hardest Part of Leaving," a more somber and personal record that underlined how much the group has evolved in a decade. …

Black Audience singer Jayanthi Kyle is now fronting Gospel Machine, a new band with members of Small Cities. The group was actually born in a church but is taking its retro soul and rocking R&B sound to the unholy Dakota late-night series on Saturday (11:30 p.m., $7.). … After a few months off for maternity time, Lucy Michelle will return to the Dakota Sunday with Chan Poling and John Munson for backers (7 p.m.). …

Doomtree hothead Mike Mictlan has an in-store set Monday at the Electric Fetus in Minneapolis (5-7 p.m.) to tout that day's release of his "Hella Frreal" album. The official release party is Nov. 1 at 7th Street Entry. … Red House Records will host a tribute to Dave "Snaker" Ray at the Minnesota History Center on Nov. 9 with his two Koerner, Ray & Glover cohorts, Charlie Parr, the Radiators' Camile Baudoin, Willie Murphy and more (tickets via MNHS.org). A new three-disc anthology of rare Ray tracks, "Legacy," hits stores Tuesday. …

The best hometown Replacements show most years — probably not this year, though — First Avenue's annual 'Mats tribute returns the Friday after Thanksgiving, Nov. 28, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the band's most polished record, "Don't Tell a Soul." … Newly signed by Trampled by Turtles' management team, sunny teen pop-rockers Hippo Campus will tout their debut EP at 7th Street Entry the night after the 'Mats tribute, Nov. 29. The young music-ed vets had an equally young crowd giddily dancing outside the Minneapolis Institute of Arts at last month's Third Thursday party and were headed to Justin Vernon's studio to record that weekend. I think we can count on a big 2015 for those kids.

chrisr@startribune.com • 612-673-4658