The Nevermores/Left Arm/The 75s

For too long Edgar Allan Poe has been the literary specter most associated with the ghostly pallored goth scene. But maybe Poe's dark tales and opium-fueled dreams are better suited for a rawer, more visceral brand of skull-thumping. At least that's the (partial) impetus behind the Nevermores, the local garage-rock band with an equal love of macabre storytelling and fuzz-bombed bass lines. The quartet's new TIRC Records full-length, Nevereverafter, bears songs with familiar titles ("Tell-Tale Heart," "Annabelle Lee") although it's hardly a doom-and-gloom affair for this band of lo-fi lifers: John Ebert's gravel-and-Stag voice pairs well with the two guitarists' Townshend-like flashes of bravado and driving riffs. This CD release show also features Left Arm, which recently released its own seven-inch, "Electric Babies," and the 75s.