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SUNDAY

With its funky bass and drums and “When the Music’s Over” organ, “Ladyshave” could pass for vintage Madchester, the indie dance sound practiced by Primal Scream, Happy Mondays, and the Stone Roses. This is but one of a variety of styles GusGus masters on its latest, This Is Normal (the title of which is derived from the band’s motto, “Whatever feels right for you is normal”). At first, the new album does seem normal, although it’s poppier than the dark dance music of the band’s debut, Polydistortion—”Very Important People” is pure disco, and “Teenage Sensation” is sultry soul—but a sense of melancholy hangs over ballads like “Blue Mug” and the heartbreaking “Dominique.” And GusGus still has its quirks, kinks, and fetishes (the self-explanatory “Ladyshave,” for instance), as you might expect from a band whose name derives from a prostitute’s pronunciation of “couscous” in a Fassbinder film. GusGus performs with DJ Jay Smooth and Esthero at 9:30 p.m. at the 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. $15. (202) 393-0930. (Mark W. Sullivan)