With March wrapping up this week and giving way to April, spring is springing and summer is on its merry way. As temperatures and hours of daylight steadily increase, the Seattle music scene is heating up as well. Wednesday night kicks off another week chock full of rad shows with a few options for your musical palate.

Nectar will be poppin' off for rapper/producer/b-boy/all-around hip-hop aficionado Graves33's album release, also featuring sets from RA Scion, Jewels Hunter and XPerience. Wake up your Wednesday with the fragrant hip-hop aromas being emitted from Fremont for only $10, and who knows, maybe RA Scion will kick out some of that new Victor Shade hotness.

If you'd rather just post up and bob your hipster head to some of this so-called chillwave (or no-fi or whatever) that all the kids seem to be listening to these days, one of the genre's biggest names Washed Out (aka a guy named Ernest Greene from Georgia) will take his laid-back laptop/synth/drum machine funk to the stage at The Vera Project. While this whole genre might very well be a passing fad, the combo of clouded '80s-style dance beats and hazy melodic vocals is a great listen to if you're in the right mood. Small Black and Pictureplane will perform opening sets ($9).

If hip-hop's not your thing (in which case I don't understand or respect you. Just kidding. Sort of.) and you're too mature for chillwave, give the down-home East-Coast folk of The Low Anthem at The Crocodile. These guys are notorious for their diverse and wacky instrumental setup, and play everything from a WWI portable pump organ to the accordion, with a few fiddles, harmonicas and a rusty saw thrown in for good measure. The band members all play multiple instruments, so expect some full-on jams. And don't get the wrong idea from that "Charlie Darwin" single you might have heard, not all of their music is quite as lethargic ($12).

Another show worth checking out if you fit into a certain niche is going down at El Corazon, as many niche-type shows so often do. Mukilteo three-piece The Fall of Troy  is performing their final local show ever, as they are calling it quits after this farewell tour. While the band's sprawling, screamo-tinged prog/math-rock is, like so '00s and part of an already-passed trend, there's absolutely no denying frontman Thomas Erak's (pictured above) ability to shred an axe to bits. And the fact that he does so while alternating between sung melodies and panicked shrieks is just ridiculous. If you have never seen him live, this is their last go-round and your last chance to see an extremely talented local musician do his thing ($15).  

Thursday night The Croc strikes again with yet another collaborative idea. This time it's Neil Young tribute night featuring Feral Children, Spanish For 100, Truckasaurus, See Me River and other guests along with cover band The My My Hey Heys. According to The Croc's website, this night is "perfect for new fans who need a Neil primer, long-time supporters who want to relive the glory days, and local hipsters who still need convincing." Sounds about right. Keep on rockin' in the free world for $12.

Just across Belltown The Funhouse will be rocking in a slightly different yet still righteous manner. Longtime Northwest rockers Fred and Toody Cole and their latest band Pierced Arrows will be unleashing their tried-and-true garage rock goodness for the appreciative masses that pack that old punk bar. Descending Shadows was pretty freakin' good and this is probably the best venue they could've picked to perform at in Seattle given their fanbase, so expect an awesome show with lots of energy and love from the crowd ($10).

Friday night features the week's biggest (in every sense of the word) show - Muse and Silversun Pickups at Key Arena. The 17,000+ capacity venue will be packed full of fans that paid the $50-60 ticket price, and I don't mean that in a negative way. While I'm just so-so on their last couple albums and wish they would put out more "Stockholm Syndromes" and "Plug In Babys" and less "Starlights" and "Uprisings," there's no denying that frontman Matt Bellamy is an incredible songwriter, musician and performer, and Muse's stage show does not pull any punches in ensuring the audience has a kickass time. Bellamy switches between guitar and piano, sings his heart out and adds and changes parts of songs at his will. Trippy visuals illuminate giant video screens, lights and lasers cut across the stage, and giant balloons are released into the crowd that burst into showers of confetti. If you have your tickets enjoy the show - it's a guaranteed good time. If you missed your chance, don't worry, there's other (cheaper) shows going on tonight. Just don't expect any confetti.

Not too far away at The Crocodile, indie-pop darlings The Morning Benders will be bringing it with their Pitchfork-approved orchestral rock. I was not a huge fan of their earlier stuff (their debut Talking Through Tin Cans made them come off as a cheap Shins ripoff), but their latest LP Big Echo was a huge step forward. The Grizzly Bear influence is readily apparent. The Morning Benders went on a lengthy tour with them and Chris Taylor (from Grizzly Bear) mixed the album and the Grizzly Bear influence can really be heard in the floating symphonic strings and infectious vocal harmonies scattered throughout the record. Still, tracks like "Excuses" are just too good to ignore, and should sound great live. Miniature Tigers and BOAT are slated to open, and they will also be doing an in-store at Sonic Boom Records on Capitol Hill at 2 p.m. the day of show ($10).

A little bit deeper to the north the Tractor Tavern will be keepin' it local with The Quiet Ones, Gabriel Mintz and Jason Dodson of The Maldives. The diverse, folkish, keyboard-accented pop of The Quiet Ones is always a sure crowd-pleaser, and Gabriel Mintz will be celebrating the release of his new album. Although his first/last name combo might throw you off, Mintz isn't your traditional singer/songwriter. He's offering three free singles in "Safeway," "Desert Sky" and "Miles High" on his website if you want a quick primer, but be warned that this dude is not afraid to get funky with it. "Safeway" is an upbeat number about, ahem, doing it in a Safeway because it's "safer than a park bench." "Desert Sky" features some impressive twangy guitar playing over plodding drum thumps, and "Miles High" is a Tom Petty-esque driving rocker. Take a listen and check him out (only $6 - that's like $50 cheaper than the Muse show!).

There's actually not too much going on Saturday night apart from another sweet Audioasis showcase at The Sunset in Ballard. This edition features the throwback garage stylings of Little Cuts, electro-tinged pop-rock of Portland outfit World's Greatest Ghosts and the awesome acoustic neo-folk rock of Ravenna Woods. As many Seattleites know, when in doubt, go with KEXP. Always for a good cause and always a good time. Benefits from this show go to Artist Trust ($8).

Sunday night Surfer Blood will bring their streamlined two-guitar indie rock to The Vera for the underage crowd. The last two times Surfer Blood played in Seattle they rocked the house for the 21+ crowds and this time they are doing it for the kids. If you're just so-so on their recorded stuff, I can assure you that their sound is a lot fuller and ultimately better live. And they have a percussion guy that looks like Animal from the Muppets who rips. Seriously. Check them out if you haven't already. What else do you have to do on a Sunday that's better than a cheap, early show? ($9).

Rounding out the week of shows is a Monday with two vastly different options. The first is an inexpensive, all-local, rock-oriented occasion at The Crocodile. Featuring the accessible pop of Skeletons With Flesh on Them, all-female alt-rock of 18 Individual Eyes and savage bad-trip psychedelia blues-rock of Blood Red Dancers, 107.7 The End's Locals Only event should be a steal for only $5.

But if you're a bawse and droppin' $25 on a ticket ain't no thang, Texas legends Paul Wall and Chamillionaire (yes, The People's Champ and The Mixtape Messiah) will be bringing their Southern-fried baller/hustle rap to Showbox at the Market. Don't get it twisted and pass them off for just your average platinum grill-sporting, Escalade-pushing, blunt-smoking chopped-and-screwed Dirty Southerners. These guys are originals that have been doing this since the late '90s, putting out plentiful mixtapes and staying on their grind long before garnering national attention. The duo are responsible for tons of Texas classics, including the collaborative efforts Get Ya Mind Correct and Controversy Sells, the latter of which I bumped for about three months when it came out. It takes a little something extra for rappers to use the melody from "The Ants Go Marching" and turn it into a baller anthem. Seriously, go listen to "True" right now. The crowd may be iffy for this one, but the bass will be rattling, the snares hitting and the grills gleaming. Locals Logics and Jay Barz are opening.