Years ago, when I was living in Beijing, Deep Purple played a concert there. I was too young and dumb to appreciate who they were, so I didn’t bother going. Now I’m kicking myself.

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Shark’s Tooth is a heavy-psych dance-floor classic featuring distorted vocals, a head-nodding pulse and a highly contagious riff. It’s from Archie Bronson Outfit’s impending third album, Coconut, out on March 23.

Oh man, hair metal is fun. Yup, if only I could grow that damn mop of mine out and style it like Nikki Sixx. Nikki has the best hair in modern music. It practically has its own area code. Actually, it’s either him or Katy Perry. Her hair is way shiny.

Released in 2008, Why Are We Not Perfect? presents three Jesu tracks originally issued on a split EP with the ambient act Eluvium during the previous year. As with the Silver and Lifeline EPs, Why Are We Not Perfect? finds Jesu mastermind Justin Broadrick pushing his heavy aesthetic further into more melodic territory with their track Farewell, in particular, marked by epic synth washes and the title song carried largely by soft vocals and a lopping drum track. The aforementioned tunes are also featured in previously unissued alternate versions, making the EP essential for Jesu completists. The remaining track, Blind and Faithless, creates a nearly symphonic sound, rounding out Why Are We Not Perfect?, and providing yet another example of Broadrick’s impressive indie-rock reinvention.

Named after the first openly gay politician in US history, Harvey Milk make some rather testosterone-heavy tunes. While appealing mostly to the stoner-rock and indie-metal set, the quintet from Athens, Georgia, aren’t afraid of a little melody, as the almost pop track Motown on their latest album, Life … the Best Game in Town, proves. But more often than not, the band gets down and dirty with some knuckle-dragging sludge rock. Amid the haze of searing guitar squeals, menacing power chords, and seismic bass rumbling, though, are some almost math-rock flourishes that hint at the brains behind the brawn.

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