Linus Pauling Quartet, Hearts of Animals

There's no denying the fact that polarity, whether in relationships or musical performances, generally makes things more interesting. If you let things get too out of sync, you just wind up with a messy divorce, scarred children and a terrible concert, but Boondocks gets it right by double-billing local sludgesters Linus Pauling Quartet and the near-ethereal Hearts of Animals. Both acts are in the throes of a serious love affair with noise, and lean pretty heavily toward psychedelia, so there's enough common ground for the match to make sense and enough friction to build up a good charge. LP4's blunt-force take on stoner-psych — with its joyously reductive, riff-heavy jamming and delirious sound vortices — provides the yang, while Mlee Suprean is the definitive yin, contemplative and understated even when her pop charm is overtaken by waves of caustic feedback. Together, the two promise a unique sensory experience.