The Weather Machines

The Weather Machines may be from Rapid City, South Dakota, but the power-pop quartet almost feels Coloradan. Besides the fact that the bandmembers' earlier outfits, the Reddmen and the Bee Eaters, made Denver a favorite stop, the Machines' debut disc was mastered by local studio wizard Jeff Merkel at 8 Houses Down. Dubbed The Sound of Pseudoscience, it's a twelve-song whirlwind of smart hooks and kinetic riffs as viciously literate as Ted Leo, the Thermals or early Spoon -- a racket that promises to translate into a veritable typhoon on stage. And when it comes to homegrown openers, leader Jason Ward and his crew have picked wisely: The band will play with the Swayback on Thursday, followed on Friday by Hot IQs (along with California's quirky indie-folk sensation Built Like Alaska). The Weather Machines are coming to town -- and the forecast is a hailstorm of pop, rock and high-pressure fun.