BIRDMONSTER, LOVE LIKE FIRE, CEMENT SEASON (Towne Lounge, 714 SW 20th Pl) There are moments in “Ball of Yarn,” the beaming standout track from 2006’s No Midnight, that San Francisco’s Birdmonster sound like the very future of rock ’n’ roll. Heavy statement, I know, but you cannot deny such lavish praise for a band with the keen ability to stretch a melody for what seems like hours—when in fact, it’s just a few short minutes. While singer Peter Arcuni’s delivery is worn thin and raspy, it’s also the reason you hang on every word he speaks/sings, since his voice is that of the scrappy underdog, the sort of frontman who’d give it all onstage, dedicate his dying breath to some gorgeous lyric, then keel over right in front of your eyes. Now that they are freshly inked up with Fader Records, the band will be spending their days on the road, a task they are prepared for, as their band blog details the fine art of Taco Bell dining: “The first, indeed the all-important, rule of Taco Bell ordering: NO SAUCE. It doesn’t matter what flavor said sauce is masquerading as—be it ‘baja’ or ‘chipotle’ or ‘I hope that isn’t human sperm’—do not eat that sauce. It will do bad things to your innards and your innards will punish you for your courageous idiocy.” EZRA ACE CARAEFF

Do you have three minutes and 52 seconds to spare? If so, there isn’t a better way to spend that time than listening to the song below. It takes a second to build, but the payoff is worth every second.

MP3:
Birdmonster - Ball of Yarn