MUSIC

Pop & Jazz

Previews by Ann Powers (A.P.), August Brown (A.B.) and Chris Barton (C.B.) Crystal Castles The Toronto electro duo is, on a good night, one of the most compelling and deliciously nasty bands in dance music. On a bad one, they might not finish a set without breaking anything that isn’t nailed down in a club. After a super-hyped debut, they’re prepping a followup with a round of shows that could very truly go either way -- but they make you have to look.(A.B.) Echoplex (below the Echo), 1152 Glendale Blvd., Echo Park. Mon., 9 p.m. $20. (213) 413-8200.

Public Image LTD John Lydon’s pioneering post-punk outfit was among the first and best to pair disco beats with slashing guitars and a wide sneer. They’re reuniting for Coachella, but woe betide the promoter who tells Lydon he can’t have a warmup show first. (A.B.) Club Nokia at L.A. Live, 800 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles. Tue. $35.50-$41.50. (800) 745-3000.

Bill Frisell There seems to be a perception in modern jazz that free playing must be harsh and grating or at least difficult to absorb on first listen. “Hemispheres,” a jazz guitar summit between 50-year veteran Jim Hall and Americana-dusted experimentalist Bill Frisell dispels that notion. On the 15-minute spacescape “Migration,” Frisell’s effects-pedal orchestra forms a hypnotic backdrop. Here Frisell plays with his trio. (C.B.) Largo at the Coronet, 366 N. La Cienega Blvd., L.A. Tue., 7:30 and 10 p.m. $25-$40. (310) 855-0350.

Taylor Swift Swift’s real and immediate identification with her teenage audience’s specific travails is a big reason why she was the top selling artist of 2008, on the strength of her debut and its 2008 follow-up “Fearless.” Her fans don’t just believe in her savvy songwriting and gracious, magnetic stage presence, they trust her as a peer. And if the unerring pleasures of her sets -- and the crowd’s Beatles-size reactions -- are any indication, they’ll be trusting her for a long time. (A.B.) Staples Center, 1111 S. Figueroa St., L.A. Thu.-Fri. $49.50-$69.50. (213) 742-7300.

Coachella Valley Arts and Music Festival This year’s Coachella Valley Arts and Music Festival might have a mogul -- rap patriarch Jay-Z -- on the marquee, but the lineup is still a model for recessionary times. Nothing on the roster announced this morning feels like a coup or a matter of huge debate. There’s no baby boomer icon to fluster Generation X purists, and no surprise post-punk reunion (Pavement announced its reformation last fall) to fulfill the dreams of the same crowd. What Coachella 2010 does offer is a well-curated mid-range that will more than satisfy the iPod aesthetes who make up the festival’s core audience.(A.P.) Empire Polo Field, Empire Polo Field, Indio. Fri.-next Sun., 11 a.m. $269.