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A lot of personal turmoil plus his usual load of high-concept antics — like last year's "Mallborg" cyber-rock show — led Mark Mallman to atypically go four years between albums, but the Twin Cities' veteran piano abuser is finally dropping "The End Is Not the End" this week via the Polkadot Mayhem label. The grandiose collection adds a heavy Bowie tint and '80s synth-rock influence to Mallman's high-wired mix, with freaky horror rockers such as "Parasite Eyes" and "Monster Movies" alongside dramatic personal epics such as the title track, probably Mallman's best song ever. He's touting the record over two nights at Icehouse with the Rope on Friday and Murder Shoes on Saturday (11 p.m., $10). …
The same night his old band returns to First Ave to tout its new LP, late Soul Asylum bassist Karl Mueller will again be remembered with a Kill Kancer benefit on Saturday at the Turf Club headed up by whir-rock darlings Fury Things with Strange Relations and Vancouver's Dead Soft (9 p.m., $8-$10.). … Friday at the Turf marks the return of Communist Daughter, reportedly weighing label options for their long-awaited new LP. It will preview some of the tunes with Are You Local? 2016 winners Holidae (9 p.m., $8). …
Still riding the buzz of winning last fall's Hard Rock Calling contest in Barcelona, Enemy Planes issued their new record this week, "Beta Lowdown," via Rock the Cause's record label. The moody rockers are holding off their release party until June, though, while guitarist Shön Phillip Troth continues his cancer battle. …
In the midst of another big South by Southwest showing last week, Lizzo landed a new single near the top of Spotify's U.S. Viral chart. The feel-good anthem, "Good as Hell," comes off the upcoming "Barbershop 3" soundtrack. It's her first song issued under a new deal with Atlantic Records' subsidiary label Nice Life. Have a nice life, indeed.
chrisr@startribune.com • 612-673-4658
Twitter: @ChrisRstrib
