Critical 5 concerts in NYC this week: atmospheric escapism, Sept 17 - 23

For anyone looking to rendezvous into a musical escape this week, it seems we'll be in a place of more subtle and subdued tones as we all lumber towards October. As the atmosphere is gleaning towards crisp and everything’s a bit more contemplative and quiet, it’s only fitting that our musical choices follow suite. Whether it’s a festival, some bowling, or a trance-like experience you’re aiming for, there's much to choose from in the coming week.

Deerhoof, 9/17, 8pm at the  Music Hall of Williamsburg

Nothing really comes close to seeing Deerhoof live: transposing tracks, switching instruments, and general unpredictability is almost standard. That's no surprise from a band that made their start banging away in a kitchen, strumming with a rawhide dog toy and singing into walkman headphones. Formed in San Francisco in 1994, the noise-band have always attempted to steer clear of repetition, avoiding the catch of a particular sound whether album to album, song to song, or hook to hook — although, more often than not their sound is wholly recognizable within the first few stanzas with Satomi Matsuzaki’s child-like voice atop high energy, percussive, noise-pop. They recently released their 12th studio recording earlier this year titled Breakup Song.

Here We Go Magic, 9/18, 8pm at Brooklyn Bowl

Brooklynites Here We Go Magic have an indelible ability to create that typical catchy Brooklyn sound of baroque, hazy, psychedelic live songs. Discovered during the Glastonbury Festival when they opened in the morning, hung-over, to play for an even more hung-over crowd, the only audience members awake enough to pay attention to the set were two men. Luckily, Here We Go Magic happens to be an indomitable live band (and that those two men just happened to be Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Nigel Godric, who followed their shows for the next few weeks, eventually working with them to produce a studio album that captures the same evocative sound they create live). They released their third studio recording, A Different Ship, in May.

Bon Iver, 9/19 ( - 9/22), 8pm at Radio City Music Hall

The indie-folk band, Bon Iver, is most well-known for “Skinny Love” and “Holocene” or for collaborating with Kanye West on “Lost in the World” and “Monster” for his album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Founded in 2007 by Justin Vernon, it’s hard to break that image of a bearded man trekking to a cabin in the woods and consequentially leaving with the epic release of For Emma, Forever Ago. Bon Iver’s most recent release, a self-titled LP, is another compilation of wistful arrangements with those somber, rural undertones.

Purity Ring, 9/22, 9pm at Bowery Ballroom

Gaining popularity quite quickly with 2011’s single “Ungirthed,” and now with their recent album Shrines, Corin Roddick and Megan James, who make up Purity Ring, create synth-dominated, space-age pop. James’ delicate vocals master a ghost-like atmosphere that is perfect for inducing a mid-weekend buzz.

All Tomorrows Parties (ATP) Festival, 9/21-9/23 at Pier 36

The ATP Festival began a bit quaint and curitorial upstate in the Catskills before moving onto Asbury Park, New Jersey last year. This time they’ve decided to up-class and transplant the festival to Manhattan Pier 36, which you can simply walk to from the Lower East Side (no trekking to Jersey!). This year's line-up will include Frank Ocean, The Roots, Dirty Three (a moody, orchestrated band whose member, Mick Turner, helped compose the soundtracks for The Assassination of Jesse James and The Road), Joseph Arthur, and The Antlers — to just list a sampling. Keep an especially keen eye out for Godspeed You! Black Emperor playing the 23rd, who you wont want to miss — they’re more experience and atmosphere than solely musical act, with tracks averaging up to 10 minutes each.