The Veronicas  Unlike the Veronicas' more guitar-centric and sensitive debut, "The Secret Life Of...," "Hook Me Up" details the travails of a vigorous nightlife regimen, and the first twinges that it all might be an empty show. "Untouched" slips from cloying catcalls into a blown-out emo-disco chorus that would leave acres of lip-ringed boys dumbstruck. Music Box @ Fonda,  6126 Hollywood Blvd.,  Hollywood.  8 tonight   $16. (213) 480-3232.

Isis  Isis has always worked in fine lines, particularly the ones between menace and allure, coyness and urgency. Its new album, "Wavering Radiant," is built on moments when a rib-cracking riff dissolves in a well of reverb, then returns as a pulse-quickening melody or a spectral effect.  Music Box @ Fonda,  6126 Hollywood Blvd.,  Hollywood.  8 p.m. Wed.   $16. (213) 480-3232.

Au Revoir Simone Ever-demure synth-pop is the rule for this all-female trio, but on their latest "Still Night, Still Light," the palette broadens a bit and incoprates some deeper, richer textures and ambitious writing. El Rey Theatre, 5515 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. 7 p.m. Thursday. $15. 323-936-4790.

Neko Case The flame-haired country siren's "Middle Cyclone" may be her best album yet, with evocative stream-of-consciousness lyrics that sit atop a widescreen country-rock backdrop that feels made for open roads. Ah yes, and that voice -- it's enough to break your heart or send it sailing. Greek Theatre, 2700 N. Vermont Ave., L.A. 7:30 p.m. Friday. $30-$35. 323-665-5857.

Fol Chen / Kárin Tatoyan:  The Highland Park-based combo plays deadpan electro-pop that should be all arched eyebrows (their album title is a reference to Nabokov's meta-mind-melt novel "Pale Fire"), but it's arranged so warmly and invitingly that its precision feels less cold than careful. Tatoyan, however, is all electronica bluster and lovely ambient noise, with a vocal presence that can shatter glass (or hearts) at long ranges. The Echo,  1822 Sunset Blvd.,  Echo Park.  8:30 p.m. Thurs.   $7. (213) 413-8200.

Van Morrison: The Irish bard returns to L.A. after a well-received reprisal of his canonical "Astral Weeks" album at the Hollywood Bowl. With three nights of this stand at his disposal, expect a long journey through his deep catalog of inimitable writing. The Orpheum, 842 S. Broadway, L.A. Thursday to Saturday, 8 p.m. $90 to $350. (877) 677-4386.

Abe Vigoda: On its intriguing new five-song EP, "Reviver," the young Chino quartet dissolves winsome vocal melodies in a no-wave guitar haze as it did on its 2008 breakthrough LP, "Skeleton." But this EP's slower tempos and darker timbres evoke a kind of sad, four-tracked Spector pop made in a foreclosed Inland Empire teenager's bedroom. The Echo, 1822 Sunset Blvd., Echo Park. 8:30 p.m. Friday. $12. (213) 413-8200.

Wango Tango 2009: If you have a song on pop radio right now, there's a pretty fair chance you'll be at this annual explosion of all things Auto-tuned, beat-driven and/or Dr. Luke composed. Black Eyed Peas headline with their aggressively catchy club thwackings, but stay for Kelly Clarkson and the fast-rising Lady GaGa. Verizon Wireless Ampitheater, 8808 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine. 6 p.m. Saturday. $40 to $170. (949) 855-8096

Nite Jewel / Grouper:  Two distinctly witchy takes on outsider art pop come together on this intriguing double bill. Nite Jewel is an L.A. duo whose tossed-off disco tracks are narcoleptic, goofy and occasionally shockingly pretty. Grouper takes an opposite approach, wrapping wisps of melody in 4AD-inspired ambiance and harmonies that hint at a gorgeous tune underneath, then washes it away in ephemeral sadness. The Smell, 247 S. Main St., L.A. 8 p.m. Sunday. $5. (213) 625-4325.

We hear there's some sort of a concert in Indio this weekend that a few kids are going to, but if you're L.A.-bound this week, here is some teen-pop, dad rock and noisenik punk for your perusal.

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band: On his greatest albums, Springsteen rode the energies of different styles through peaks and valleys, aurally encapsulating late 20th century Americana with a rain shower of guitars and a howlin' whoop. But whatever die-hards might say, the album era is over. "Working on a Dream," Springsteen's 16th studio album, is not merely a response to this fact. It's partial proof. L.A. Sports Arena, 3939 S. Figueroa St., L.A. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. $65 to $95. (213) 748-6136.

Comely folk, broken beats and hissing garage-pop are on your platter for your week in show-going.

Mirah: K Records allegedly had its heyday in the '80s and early '90s, when the Olympia label was a self-aware yet equally outsider-y corrective to the brutality of hardcore. But several current acts are making great strides, like singer-songwriter under the nom de plume of Mirah, whose noise-dusted folk sports pristine pop craftsmanship yet stays intimate and eccentric enough to treasure. The Echo, 1822 Sunset Blvd., Echo Park. 8 p.m. Thursday. $15. (213) 413-8200.

Icelandic folk, cardigan-clad noise pop and Lily goshdarn Allen highlight your upcoming week in shows. Be there.

Emiliana Torrini: The Icelandic singer-songwriter wears a different genre hat every time she helms an album, starting from demure trip-hop to Nick Drake-y acoustic folk and now, with "Me & Armini," into skittish and scruffy guitar pop. She rarely plays Stateside, so beg, borrow or buy your way into this small show. Troubadour, 9081 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood. 8 p.m. Today. $18. (310) 276-6168.

Scruffy soul-punk, hemisphere-hopping electronica and uber-classy lounge folk highlight your week in shows. Attend liberally.

Cold War Kids: The Long Beach quartet's second album, "Loyalty to Loyalty," was a bit divisive among fans for its more spare take on the band's bluesy soul-punk. But they still put on one of the most physical and volatile live shows to be found in L.A. Orpheum Theatre, 842 S. Broadway. 8 p.m. Friday. $22. (877) 677-4386.

Before donning your green hats and mock-orange beards en route to gargling with Jameson and Guinness tonight, take a gander at the cream (non-Irish) of the crop of this coming week's shows.

PJ Harvey:  Harvey's last solo album "White Chalk" was a haunted, stark piano-driven affair, but her upcoming album with sidekick John Parish is a noisy, deconstructed slab of no-wave guitar rock. Her romantic, doom-laden lyrical sensibility adds an extra spooky touch. El Rey Theatre, 5515 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. 7 p.m. Mon. $48. (323) 936-4790

Sea-shanty folk, rowdy punk and sweetly harmonizing hippies are on your show docket this week. Ignore it at your peril.

Alela Diane:  The singer-songwriter had a bit of a breakthrough with "The Pirate's Gospel," a lilting bit of affecting sea-shanty folk, and she ups the ante on "To Be Still," which further explores her uncanny vocal acrobatics and spartan acoustic arrangements. Hotel Cafe, 1623 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood. 8 p.m. Sunday. (323) 461-2040.

Fleet-fingered folk, emo nostalgia and electro-orchestral blowouts are on your docket this week in our best-of-the-week show calendar.

M. Ward: Ward is a gifted guitarist known for his fleet finger-picking and loose, improvisational style; a singer who has developed a distinctive, creamy croon sprinkled with sugary grit; a lover of the American songbook spanning country, classic pop and blues, who doesn't rest in any of those avenues. His seventh solo studio album, "Hold Time," is a high point in a consistently thought-provoking career. Music Box @ Fonda, 6126 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. 8 p.m. Wednesday. $23. (213) 480-3232.