Twin Cities concerts of the week: Arcade Fire, Charlie Parr, Habib Koite and a yacht-rock icon

Charlie Parr: One of Minnesota's most treasured song pickers has a special new record to tout and a two-night release party to match. Night 1 will find the Duluth-based blues and folk master performing all acoustic, which he does throughout the new LP for Red House Records, "Dog," which relays his battles with depression as his most personal collection to date. Night 2 will have him playing a rarer electric set blowing off steam with a band that includes his Milwaukeean opener Jeff Mitchell. (8 p.m. Fri. & Sat., Cedar Cultural Center, 416 Cedar Av. S., Mpls., $18, sold out Fri., TheCedar.org.)

Wolf Parade: Instead of serving as Arcade Fire's opening act like in other cities, the Montreal-based Bowie-esque pop experimentalists are playing a headlining set at a club touting their first album in seven years, "Cry Cry Cry." (9 p.m. Fri., First Avenue, $25.)

Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets: The regal but fun-loving British songwriter and producer of "Cruel to Be Kind" fame has found strange bedfellows in the masked retro surf-rock band on recent holiday tours, and now they're on the road together billing it as the "Quality Rock & Roll Revue." (9 p.m. Fri. & Sat., Turf Club, sold out.)

Dylan Hicks: From the opening track "Interested Party" — wherein he sings about trading a fluegelhorn for a baby bjorn and finds out what a love song is really all about — one of the Twin Cities' most literary and imaginary songwriters should have you smiling warmly through the duration of winter with his first album in five years, "Ad Out." Local luminaries John Munson and Adam Levy helped the fellow late-'90s scene fixture craft the wry-but-never-cutesy collection, which he's promoting with opener Molly Maher. (9 p.m. Fri., Hook & Ladder Theatre, $12-$15.)

Alan Jackson: The newest member of the Country Hall of Fame, this easy crooning, low-key traditionalist isn't the kind of hot act to test the acoustics in Minneapolis' newly modeled basketball arena. But AJax might get the crowd to kick up a little dust for "Don't Rock the Jukebox" and "Chattahoochee." The always commendable Lee Ann Womack, who dropped a new album this week, opens. (7:30 p.m. Sat. Target Center, $33-$74.50, axs.com)

Blues Brothers: It's the revamped duo with original harmonica blaster Dan Aykroyd teaming up with the late John Belushi's bro Jim for a night of "Soul Man" and other party classics. Expect Twin Cities harmonica ace Pat Hayes of Lamont Cranston to sit in because the Cranstons supposedly inspired Aykroyd and Belushi to create the Blues Brothers. (8 p.m. Sat. Mystic Lake Casino, $65-$99.)

Arcade Fire: Reception for their dance-y new record "Everything Now" has been relatively tepid, but reviews for their Infinite Content Tour have been edging on rabid. The ambitious Canadian rock troupe performs in-the-round on a boxing-ring stage with highfalutin lighting and visual trickery to match their always-high energy. They have a knock-out opening act in the Breeders, too, as ex-Pixies bassist Kim Deal and her full early-'90s heyday lineup preview a new record. (7:30 p.m. Sun., Xcel Energy Center, 175 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, $24-$136, Ticketmaster.com.)

Habib Koité: An innovative finger-picking guitar hero who also happens to be one of Mali's pre-eminent Afropop music stars, Koite is back at the Cedar for the first time in three years just a few weeks after completing his first U.K. tour in a decade. The griot singer and his longtime band Bamada put on an uplifting show despite their songs often tackling problems back home and abroad. (7:30 p.m. Sun., Cedar Cultural Center, 416 Cedar Av. S., Mpls., $30-$35, TheCedar.org.)

Lindsey Buckingham Christine McVie: Two of Fleetwood Mac's three singer-songwriters have teamed up for a duo album and tour. Their band features studio players who have worked on Mac projects. The set list will include a big helping of the self-titled album plus plenty of Mac favorites. (7:30 p.m. Mon. Northrop, $59.50-$199.)

Luna: After a well-received reunion outing in 2014, the Velvet-y and lush '90s guitar-pop band led by ex-Galaxie 500 co-leader Dean Wareham is having fun and playing it loose with a new covers LP, "A Sentimental Education," which finds them playing Dylan, Cure and Nilsson covers alongside their own favorites on tour.

Blues Traveler: Long-winded harmonica man John Popper celebrates the 30th anniversary of Blues Traveler, New Jersey's proudest jam band. They're reportedly working on a new album in Nashville but expect to hear old favorites like "Run-Around" and "Hook." (8 p.m. Wed. Pantages, $42.50-$52.50)

Take Me to the River: It's a 2014 music documentary come alive. "Take Me to the River" brings the soul and R&B sounds of Memphis and the Mississippi Delta to Minneapolis, with the exciting lineup of blues stalwart Bobby Rush (who won his first Grammy this year at age 83), harmonica superstar Charlie Musselwhite and comeback soul man William Bell (who grabbed a Grammy this year for best Americana album). They'll be backed by the Hi Rhythm Section that famously worked with Al Green. (7 p.m. Tue.-Wed. Dakota Jazz Club, Mpls, $60-$90, dakotacooks.com)

Michael McDonald: Former Doobie Brothers singer Michael McDonald, the distinctive voice of "What a Fool Believes," is suddenly hip. At age 65, no less. He's connecting with millennials thanks to his recent collaborations with indie rockers Grizzly Bear and neo-R&B force Thundercat. Plus, many young hipsters are embracing yacht rock, which includes the Doobies and Steely Dan (McDonald's other group) as well as Marc Cohn, who is opening for McDonald. (7:30 p.m. Thu. State Theatre, Mpls., $58.50-$104, ticketmaster.com)

David Crosby: He's got a better mustache than the guy in Gogol Bordello, he tweets more feverishly than the guy in the White House and he stuck by his long-term wife unlike that guy who puts the Y in CSNY. And Croz has a fine new solo album, "Sky Trails," that shows he hasn't lost his touch working with a jazzy full band sound. (7:30 p.m. Thu. Ames Center, Burnsville, $50.50-$70.50.)

Alvvays: Toronto's atmospheric fuzz-pop band of "Archie, Marry Me" notoriety more than live up to the hype surrounding its eponymous 2014 debut with the new follow-up, "Antisocialites." Folk-music-heir frontwoman Molly Rankin especially stands out with her often gloomy but beautiful, hook-laden tunes. (8 p.m. Thu., First Avenue, $16-$18.)