Roadtrips

Reuniting guitarists Jeff Mueller (June of '44) and Jason Noble (Rachel's) for the first time since Rodan burst into a thousand tiny points of indie rock, Save Everything (Quarterstick), the debut CD from Shipping News, picks up loosely where their post-Rodan offerings left off -- namely, some port-authority antiques shop where Slint's Spiderland is the most-played disc in the jukebox. Although "A True Lover's Knot" drifts less than idyllically from tape-hiss-damaged a cappella sea chantey to Rachelsian faux neoclassicism to math-thrash turbulence, on the whole their slanted meanderings sound relatively stripped down and straightforward for a change. Check 'em out at the Space (508-753-0017) in Worcester on the 19th, the Middle East (617-864-EAST) in Cambridge with Pittsburgh's Hurl, Robots, and local indie merchant marines Victory at Sea on the 21st, or the Met Cafe (401-861-2142) in Providence on the 22nd.

If you were looking for clues to Sub Pop's direction a couple of years ago, you could've done worse than take a peek at the Friends of Dean Martinez, who foreshadowed the label's current rootsy bent with lean, Morricone-ish instrumental-scapes. They're back with another album, Retrograde, which backs slightly off the reverb and lets in everything from Henry Mancini to Brian Wilson. They're at the Call (401-274-8584) in Providence with V Majestic on October 21; then they tap into T.T. the Bear's Place (617-492-BEAR) on October 23 with Dirt Red and Seks Bomba. The cult of the Modern Lovers hits the road when Jonathan Richman plays the Met Cafe on the 17th and Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel (401-272-5876) in Providence on the 18th before returning to the Boston area for a Somerville Theatre (331-2211) show on the 23rd.

Wrestling matches we'd like to see: femme neurotic Fiona Apple, who's not coming to Boston but plays the Strand (401-272-0444) in Providence on the 17th, versus crunchy vegan death-metalers Earth Crisis, who aren't coming to Boston but play the Living Room (401-521-5200) in Providence on the 18th. And afterward we'd like to buy them both a big steak dinner . . . The closest (former) hometown heroes Powerman 5000 will come on their current jaunt with Primus is the Strand on the 19th. They'll also be at the Central Maine Civic Center in Lewiston (617-423-NEXT) on the 24th, if you're up for the drive.