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Dancehall crashers

What made Bad Brains such a groundbreaking band was the their insistence on playing reggae tunes alongside the most intense brand of hardcore. And the sounds inserted into the group's manic, metallic core were dancehall grooves as languid as anything booming from a sound system in Kingston. When one fiery onslaught of distortion and angst would stop, a Jamaican vibe would bring things down to an ice-cold simmer.

The Brooklyn-based Dub Trio retraces those footsteps using their impressive rhythm chops and the studio aesthetic of traditional dub, in which tracks (mostly reggae) are sewn together from intricate pieces and parts.

"The way we interpret our music is that it's dub first and foremost," drummer Joe Tomino said by phone last week. "There was a window of a year and a half where we really came into the metal and the punk and post-hardcore."

What: Clutch with Five Horse Johnson and Dub Trio

When: Wednesday, February 28

Where: Newport Music Hall, Campus

Web: dubtrio.com

The standouts on New Heavy include a little of each, linked only by an awareness of melody, groove and impact. The killer punk riffs of "Jack Bauer" plummet quickly into a fluttering reggae rhythm. "Screaming at the Sea" begins as grunge and transforms into a lullaby before ending atop a wall of sound.

From start to finish, the album sounds like three men wrestling over which genre they like best, a fascinating process of transformation not unlike the werewolf beneath a moon nearly full.

—John Ross

Punk rock resurrection

Modern rock reunions come in all varieties. You've got your Mission of Burma types, recharged and ready to make vital music again. Then there's the Pixies' lot, returning kings that end up crucified as false saviors.

And in the upper tax bracket sit the Police. As my friend Doug put it, "If this is what it takes to get people excited, I give up."

The Nightingales are of the recharged variety. Out of True, the band's first album in 20 years, is what you always hope washed-up veterans will release before you admit they're done for.

The band sprung from Birmingham, England's Prefects, who toured with the '70s punk greats, made a name and broke up before their album even came out. Prefects Robert Lloyd and Alan Apperly started something new, recording and touring as the Nightingales until fizzling in the late '80s.

This new Nightingales has been picking up steam since 2004, easing organically into a great record.

What: The Nightingales

When: Thursday, March 1

Where: Café Bourbon Street, Campus

Web: myspace.com/nightingalesmusic

Lloyd's low-register sing-speak never grates, instead coming off like narration from a more friendly but still devious Mark E. Smith. And with Talking Heads-worthy percussion and the wild spirit of Joe Stummer's Mescaleros, his crew of oldsters and young'ns are versatile enough to be the house band in punk heaven.

Dirty rockers Grafton and Night of Pleasure will prepare for the ascent.

—Chris DeVille

February 22nd, 2007