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SUNDAY

Portland, Ore., is a rainy place. Perhaps that’s why bands from that Pacific Northwest city often sound emotionally waterlogged, carrying burdens that won’t dry because the sun never shines (or something). The Places are the latest Portland people to tap the water ducts of the soul, and their debut CD, last year’s The Autopilot Knows You Best, is a low-fi collection of highly emotional tunes. Over the support of scratchy guitars and trembling organs, singer-songwriter Amy Annelle delivers tense tales in a world-weary whisper-croon that evokes an indie Suzanne Vega. By the time the album ends, with a broken-down version of Syd Barrett’s gorgeously melancholic “Late Night,” you know exactly where the Places are coming from. See where the Places will be tonight, when the band plays with Shoes + Ryder at 9 p.m. at the Galaxy Hut, 2711 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. Free. (703) 525-8646. (Christopher Porter)