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Metaluxis these two colorfully exotic and rather enigmatic female musicians, M.V. Carbon and J. Gräf, both of whom reside in separate locales within the sprawling "BosWash megalopolis." But, within the confines of my warped noggin, Metalux's members inhabit a post-apocalyptic urbanscape, acting as transhuman scientists scavenging technological remains and methodically engineering new grooves for "nanokiddies" bored with their drab, nuclear winter routines. Sure, it sounds extravagantly absurd, but my dream is based upon Carbon and Gräf's assiduous cultivation (via sound, performance, and fashion) of this mesmerizing Road Warrior-meets-Devo-meets-Kraftwerk's- man-machine sci-fi vibe. However, the Metalux gals are not slick, post-techno laptop nerds; the pair's stage rig resembles some junkyard laboratory set designed for the second two Mad Max flicks. Also, Metalux is not new wave; it generates slowly churning, hypnotic loops of piercing feedback, arid computer-voiced chants, broken machine-generated rhythms, and searing, lo-fi industrial riffage. This shit is abrasive and HEAVY. So, go experience women and their hot-wired machines trading places when Metalux performs at the Hemlock Tavern on Saturday, Aug. 6; call 923-0923 or visit ww w.hemlocktavern.com for more info. -- Justin F. Farrar

Grammy winner Arrested Development broke into the pop-music world in 1992 with the song "Tennessee." As close to a back-to-the-land anthem as rap music has ever attempted, the tuneful "Tennessee" is especially funny in hindsight because it came from a group hailing out of Atlanta, ground zero for Lil' John, crunk, and a dozen other things that are miles away from AD's hippie hop. Nevertheless, the band deserves credit for the effort. MC Speech has revitalized AD over the last few years, touring steadily through Europe and Japan (the latter of which bestowed a fruitful solo career on him in the past 10 years). AD has been in the studio as well, but has yet to score a record deal in America, only Japan. You can save those pennies for pricey import CDs or instead catch the new jams in their proper context: all the way live, as Arrested Development makes a rare San Francisco appearance on Wednesday, Aug. 10, at Slim's; call 255-0333 or visit www.slims- sf.com for more info. -- Tamara Palmer